You never know where you’ll find a piece of history hiding in Ohio.
If you’ve ever heard rumors of a northeast Ohio airplane graveyard, you should know that it’s not just a rumor. In Newbury, Ohio resident Walter Soplata hosted a collection of military aircraft from the 50s, 60s and 70s. The graveyard featured approximately 20 stray aircraft that Soplata collected from his scrapyard job in Cleveland, “junking thousands of warplane engines that were declared surplus,” according to his son Wally Soplata in a November 2007 issue of Air and Space Magazine.
Check it out:
Soplata used to open his property to the public, but in recent years the aircraft boneyard has been kept private.
Jayson Shenk/Flickr
Today, it is unclear what remains of the aircraft graveyard.
Jayson Shenk/Flickr
Soplata passed away in November 2010, and pieces of the collection have since been sold to museums and restorers.
Jayson Shenk/Flickr
If you live in the area, you’ve likely heard of the Newbury Airplane Boneyard before, and maybe even visited it yourself years ago.
Jayson Shenk/Flickr
While you can’t actually see the graveyard for yourself in person today, you can watch this awesome video from Roadtrippers, which was posted in October 2014:
Jayson Shenk/Flickr
Did you know about this boneyard? Did you ever tour it yourself? Share your thoughts and experiences with us!
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