Jackson's Millis was used to train Naval Air Cadets during World War II.
Following America’s entrance into World War II, Jackson’s Mill was used by the Department of the Navy to train Naval Air Cadets for the war effort. In many ways, this was an important development for Jackson’s Mill. Similar sites throughout the country often did not hold, or only held limited events during the war years with some eventually being shuttered, and in some cases never reopened. Jackson’s Mill was spared this fate primarily due to the amount of development that had already taken place at the site along with available resources such as classroom/meeting spaces, dining facilities and dormitory facilities for large groups. In addition, military leaders found Jackson’s Mill to be ideal due to the runway which was left over from an earlier project at Jackson’s Mill, an airport which was used as a flight school in the early 1930s. This was a project championed by Director Kendrick. While it never really developed in the way Kendrick intended, the runway remained. The Navy lengthened the runway by 1,500 feet to its present length of approximately 3,700 feet to make the training easier for the cadets and instructors. Additionally, the Assembly Hall was widened on both ends to allow for more classroom and physical exercise space for the cadets. During the summer of 1943, as a result of the cadets, there were no state camps held, however, Lewis and Harrison Counties still held their camps in the original livestock barns during that summer. The last cadets graduated in the spring of 1944 and Jackson’s Mill resumed its normal schedule of camps once more.