by Judy Sopronyi

The Glenn L. Martin plant, now Lockheed Martin, still stands east of Baltimore, Maryland, in Middle River, and across from it is the airport the company built for its planes. It is now the Martin State Airport and is home to the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum. Located in Hangar 5, the museum covers Martin’s personal history, the history of his company, and the history of Maryland aviation in general. The company’s history includes big names in aviation manufacturing, such as William Boeing, Donald Douglas, and Lawrence Bell, who worked at Martin before founding their own firms.

Visitors to the small museum can examine tools and other artifacts from the plant along with photos of B-26 Marauder and Mars production and Rosies at work on the lines (the Martin workforce was about 35 percent female at the height of the war). The museum owns several planes, including the Martin 404 commercial passenger airliner, the successor to the 202 that Mae worked on. It’s a little larger than the 202, and it features a pressurized cabin, but otherwise it’s very similar. The planes are parked on the tarmac, about a mile from the museum. With advance notice, docents will take visitors to see them.

The museum’s website, www.marylandaviationmuseum.org, has an extensive history of the B-26 and other planes on its Martin Aircraft pages. The site also has a map showing how to reach the museum, which is generally open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, except on holidays. Check the website or call 410-682-6122 for more information.

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