Cold War Caching Series #4
Please pay perticular attention to the notes in RED at the bottom of the narrative.
This cache series will take you on a journey through Cold War history. This is the fourth in our Cold War Cache (CWC) series. The first caches in this series will concentrate on the Nuclear Missile Defense Network surrounding Washington DC, and Baltimore Maryland.
It’s interesting to see how these once highly secret sites have now been incorporated back into the surrounding communities, and in some cases, reclaimed by nature.
Wait . . . what? Nuclear missiles in Maryland? Yup, and not just one or two either, but hundreds of them. From the 1950’s all the way through the 1970’s Washington DC, and Baltimore were ringed by high altitude, high speed, missile batteries. These batteries were equipped with the Nike nuclear tipped missile and were classified top secret. Their sole purpose in life was to intercept and kill the expected waves of Soviet long range nuclear bombers. Some of you may be finding out about these sites for the first time via this cache series. Perhaps, like us, you might be surprised to find out you were growing up less than five or ten miles from a nuclear missile site.
Please understand most, if not all, of these sites are currently contaminated with all sorts of really nasty chemicals, and who knows what else. These caches are NOT placed in contaminated areas. If you decide to explore the bases “up close” you do so at your own risk. We take no responsibility for the stupidity of others.
The Cold War produced sweeping changes in the United States' military establishment and society at large. For more than 40 years the nation prepared to fight a war that never came. In the process, the United States reversed its longstanding tradition against maintaining a large peacetime military establishment, and at the same time harnessed the nation's industrial might and scientific genius to fashion the world’s most sophisticated weapons of war. High technology became the ultimate arbiter of military power, and nowhere was the impact of new technology more evident than on the nation's guided missile program. Armed with nuclear warheads, guided missiles quickly became the defining weapons technology of the Cold War.
The Cold War missile program was born of technologies invented during World War II and nurtured by the arms race. Immediately after World War II the United States rapidly demobilized, and the military curtailed its missile research and development (R&D) programs. But by 1950 the world had changed: the Soviet Union had developed atomic weapons and the United States became embroiled in the Korean conflict, which many thought to be a direct provocation by the Soviet Union and China. Confronted with those challenges, in 1950 America began to re-arm.
The 1950’s were a tumultuous decade for the U.S. missile program. One persistent problem was interservice rivalry: the Army and the Air Force squabbled over which service would develop surface-to-air missiles, and all three services fought for the right to develop long-range ballistic missiles. There were also internal disputes within the services. The Air Force was notably reluctant to develop long-range ballistic missiles, and it took a considerable amount of external pressure to convince Air Force leadership to develop the ICBM.
Despite fierce interservice rivalries, the missile program grew rapidly during the 1950s and 1960s. The Army won primary responsibility for developing surface-to-air missiles, and by 1958 it had deployed 200 Nike missile batteries across the country. The Air Force's long-range BOMARC air defense missile program was slower taking shape, but by the early 1960s seven squadrons were based along the nation's eastern and northern borders. In addition, the Army also sought to establish a nationwide antiballistic missile defense system, but after 15 years of controversy, the program was canceled in 1972 as a result of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty signed with the Soviet Union. The missile program also brought the Cold War home to many Americans. The Army's Nike missile sites provided a striking reminder: many of these batteries were located near the most densely populated areas in the nation, and they provided graphic testimony to the severity of the conflict between the United States and Soviet Union. The Cold War missile program left behind a large and diverse collection of artifacts and structures. Today, hundreds of Nike batteries still dot the countryside. These launch sites, however, reflect only a fraction of the massive U.S. investment in the Cold War missile program. Behind the launch facilities stood hundreds of research laboratories, test sites, production facilities, training centers, and logistics and maintenance facilities. Many of these sites are still in use, but many others have been closed down, put to other use, or simply abandoned.
Brandywine Nike Missile Battery
Whiskey-36 (W-36)
Site History
In the early years of the Cold War, the United States Army set up a battery of Nike missile defense systems around 40 major cities. The typical Nike base consisted of a launch area and a fire control area. The launch area contained the facilities and equipment required to assemble, test and maintain the missiles and associated launch mechanisms.
The Croom/Brandywine Nike Launch Facility operated from 1955 through 1962 at the location off Candy Hill Road near Naylor, Maryland. Early reports list the site as Brandywine Launch, however more recently the site has been referenced as the Croom Launch W-36. This has led to some confusion between the Croom Launch W-36 site located in Naylor, Maryland and Croom Launch W-35 site located in Croom, Maryland.
Following base closure in 1962, the site was turned over to the Maryland Center for Youth and Development. This was part of the Edgemeade School, a privately operated school for difficult youth. After the Edgemeade School was dissolved, the site was auctioned and passed through several hands until it was eventually purchased and the Henson Valley Montessori School was established.
The Montessori philosophy and a former military compound. Was there ever an educational philosophy and building type that were so mismatched? The renovations project, completed on a budget of thousands, not millions, turned seven “bunker buildings” into spaces that promote exploration and create connections with the outside world.
Prior to Sept. 2010 the Henson Valley Montessori School closed its doors. This housing area in Brandywine, Maryland, supported Washington Nike Site W-36 from approximately 1957 - 1961. It was transferred from the Army to the Air Force (Headquarters Command) on 10 Jun 1963. At that time it was re-designated; and Jurisdiction, Control, and Accountability assigned to Andrews AFB. At some later time it transferred to Military Airlift Command, and on 1 Jun 1992 transferred to Air Mobility Command. Current status is abandoned and awaiting sale..
The Cache
This is an interesting cache because the launch site is contaminated with rocket fuel and other nasty chemicals. This is the reason for the sign which says not to disturb anything.
This is a three stage cache, the first stage will take you to the launch area (DO NOT ENTER). The second stage will take you to the housing area, you're not "Supposed" to enter this area, but it is for sale so act fast . . . operators are standing by. The final stage will take you to the Integrated Fire Control facility.
Please be respectful at the final location. The property has been sold and is now the home of The IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery. It is a one-of-a-kind addiction treatment facility specializing in PTSD for IAFF members – and IAFF members only – who are struggling with addiction, PTSD other related behavioral health challenges to receive the help they need in taking the first steps toward recovery. It is a safe haven for members to talk with other members who have faced or overcome similar challenges.
In laymen terms it's a center for First Responders who are struggling with addiction, and /or mental illness.
The original "final cache" was located on the fence of the swimming pool because the pool was the the original pool installed in the 1950's for the airmen at the base. However in the years since the cache was first placed the pool has been rebuilt for the current institution and as a result the fence (cache location) was replaced. The final cache has been placed in a location "still on the grounds" but in a location where you do not need to enter the facility to access it.