A historical preservation project in St. Clair County’s town of Lakeport was announced Thursday as one of four Michigan preservation projects given this year’s Governor’s Awards for Historic Preservation.
The honor was announced by Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) during a ceremony hosted by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). Now in its 20th year, the Governor’s Awards for Historic Preservation program is held annually during National Historic Preservation Month, being created by SHPO to celebrate outstanding historic preservation achievements. This year’s event took place at Heritage Hall, the new welcome center at the State Capitol Building in Lansing.
The project, based near the city of Port Huron, is focused on the documentation and recovery of the Lake Huron Red Tail aircraft in lower Lake Huron. The aircraft wreckage was found in 2014 by two divers, about 70 years after the craft went down in the lake during a training exercise by the Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen were America’s first Black military airmen, serving during World War II, with many graduates of the Tuskegee pilot training program coming to Michigan for additional training before deployment.
In April 1944, a Bell P-39Q Airacobra “Red Tail” airplane flown by 22-year old Tuskegee Airman Lt. Frank H. Moody crashed in Lake Huron on a training exercise. Moody’s body was quickly recovered, but the aircraft was not found. The wreckage is located at a depth of 30 feet scattered across nearly 10 acres of lake bottom. Although disarticulated, many of the plane’s components remain intact including the wings, engine, three propeller blades, tail, cabin doors, and some armament.
Since the wreckage was discovered, a wide-ranging team of volunteers and professionals have been engaged to document the site, conserve the artifacts recovered, and share this important military history.
This year’s award recipients spearheaded projects that saved special places, increased economic activity and continue to educate residents and visitors about Michigan’s history. The Thumb area also saw another historical project awarded back in 2019, when the state honored preservation and renovation efforts at Lexington’s Cadillac House.
