Famous people's places / Harrison Township
Selfridge Air National Guard Base
Active military airfield on Lake St. Clair opened in 1917, birthplace of actor Dean Cain and now home to the Michigan Air National Guard and a military air museum.
01 / The story of this place
Make time for these
Selfridge Field began in 1917 on a former Packard Motor Car Company aviation testing ground on Lake St. Clair, becoming one of the first nine U.S. military airfields when the country entered World War I. Named for Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge, the first person killed in a powered-aircraft crash, in 1908, the base trained thousands of Army Air Service and later Air Force pilots over the twentieth century and briefly held nuclear-armed interceptors during the Cold War. Actor Dean Cain, later known for playing Superman on television, was born on the base in 1966 while it was still Selfridge Air Force Base. The Air Force transferred Selfridge to the Michigan Air National Guard in 1971, and it now hosts Guard, Reserve, Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection units as Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The Selfridge Military Air Museum, on base grounds, displays historic aircraft and tells the field's story to the public.
- Opened in 1917 as one of the first nine U.S. military airfields
- Named for Lt. Thomas Selfridge, first fatality of powered flight, in 1908
- Actor Dean Cain was born here in 1966
- Became a Michigan Air National Guard base in 1971
- Selfridge Military Air Museum is on base grounds
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 2
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Dean Cain born 1966 · actor, producer, former football player
Born here
Cain was born at the base, then Selfridge Air Force Base; it is now an Air National Guard base with a military air museum.
- Henry B. Joy 1864–1936 · president of the Packard Motor Car Company, Lincoln Highway promoter
Founded
Packard bought the land at Joy's urging to test Liberty-engined aircraft; the government took it over after World War I. The access road is Joy Boulevard.
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Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
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