Well, the plot thickens. This week I followed up on a lead from one of the Tacachale dentists. In trying to get some resolution as to the existence of Sunland in Arcadia, I contacted a dentist at the state mental hospital in Chattahoochee, FL. He has been in his position for 47 years and recalls a lot about the state institutions. He confirmed that there was indeed a Sunland and it was at Dorr Field. The airfield was converted to a state prison after the Sunland Center closed. I doubt that I will be able to tour the campus as I believe it is still some sort of correctional facility.
I'll return to Arcadia within the next 2 weeks to assess what I can of this location. Here is a picture of a building located at Dorr Field in 1942. There were numerous buildings including a mess hall, administration building, and barracks such as this one, as well as a control tower and landing strip. At the time this photo was taken, hundreds of pilots from the US and England were being trained in Arcadia for service on the European and Pacific theaters in WWII. Source of photo: Florida State Archives, photographic collection.
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