Bluemel Field

The airport was closed due to land redevelopment. The state of Maryland acquired the property to construct the Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI), a medium-security state prison, which opened on the site in 1987.

The site of the former Bluemel Field is now entirely occupied by the Eastern Correctional Institution, a large state prison complex operated by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. All traces of the runway, hangars, and other aviation infrastructure have been completely obliterated by the construction of the prison buildings, perimeter fences, and support facilities.

Bluemel Field was a private general aviation airport owned and operated by William Bluemel. It was active from at least the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. According to aviation directories from that era, it featured a single 3,000-foot unpaved turf runway, designated Runway 13/31. The airfield primarily served the local private flying community in Somerset County for recreational and personal flights. It did not handle commercial or significant military operations. The identifier 'US-10397' is not an official ICAO or FAA code but an internal designation used by some third-party databases.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening the airport. The land is fully and permanently developed as a major state correctional facility, making any return to aviation use infeasible.