Site of 1920's Factory of the Temple Monoplane
Temple, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Pioneer commercial aircraft developed by engineering genius George W. Williams, who with Roy Sanderford, George Carroll, and his brother E.K. Williams, formed Texas Aero Corporation in 1927. The firm obtained (June 23, 1928) Approved Type Certificate No. 45 of the U.S. Department of Commerce, to make and sell the Temple Monoplane. Primarily designed for airmail, this craft was equipped for night flight - an innovation in that era. Despite successes, plant closed after 1929 Wall Street crash and death on Aug. 15, 1930, of George Williams in a student training disaster. (1970)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1927 engineer George W. Williams joined Roy Sanderford, George Carroll, and his brother E.K. Williams to form the Texas Aero Corporation, and in 1928 the firm won federal Approved Type Certificate No. 45 to build and sell the Temple Monoplane. Designed chiefly for airmail and equipped for night flight — a genuine innovation for its day — the aircraft showed real promise. But the 1929 stock market crash and Williams's death in a 1930 training accident closed the plant for good.
Why it matters
The Temple Monoplane represents the ambitious, short-lived early aviation ventures that dotted 1920s America as inventors raced to commercialize flight and airmail.
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Related people
- · George W. Williams
- · Roy Sanderford
- · George Carroll
- · E.K. Williams
Themes & tags
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