Walnut Ridge, Arkansas

One of the towns mentioned in the Arkansas legislative bill designating U.S. 67 as the "rock 'n roll" highway is Walnut Ridge, where rock-a-billy stars performed at the Walnut Ridge Community Center. The bill doesn't even mention this fateful encounter that the town had with the Beatles in 1964.

We weren't thinking rock 'n roll, though, as we approached the town. We were wondering about all those 747 aircraft with the red tails!


"Is this where old aircraft go to die?," we wondered. We decided to head back off the highway to find out. Our first attempt was unsuccessful. We paused while this truck continued on down the road.


We turned around and tried a different road. The next road took us through the middle of Williams Baptist College. We found ourselves on Faculty Lane, lined with modest faculty housing before we found the aircraft.


The photo above shows only a small fraction of the aircraft sitting on the edge of the airport. Between the 1964 Beatles story and these engine-free 747s, this must be one of the most unusual airports in the United States.