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All the United States Virginia Lorton Nike Missile Site W-64
AO Edited

Nike Missile Site W-64

This field of concrete was once an active defense site armed with nuclear warheads.

Lorton, Virginia

Added By
Ian Hall
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Sealed underground elements at Lorton Nike Missile Site.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Sealed underground elements at Lorton Nike Missile Site.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Fire Control and Administrative Building.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Launch pad surface.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Front gate.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Fire Control and Administrative Building.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Fire control and administrative building - March 2025   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Golf course maintenance facility sign - March 2025   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Community garden plots   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Launch pad.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Launch pad photo taken from Laurel Hill Park.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Site W-64 was one of three Nike Missile sites in Fairfax County, Virginia in the late 1950s, and one of 13 such sites that encircled the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, poised to respond to any attack on the country and capital during the height of the Cold War. 

The Lorton site was designated as the "National NIKE Site" by then-Secretary of the Army Charles C. Finucane and hosted foreign dignitaries, along with local and national politicians.

Initially, the site was equipped with Nike Ajax missiles when it opened in 1954, but these were upgraded to Nike Hercules missiles in 1958. The site was decommissioned in 1973.

The facility has been surprisingly well maintained. The large launch area features elevators, hatches, and other underground structures that have been capped in concrete or welded shut. Many of the original buildings have been razed, but the fire control and administrative buildings are still intact though in need of renovations.

Related Tags

Missiles History & Culture Milk

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The site has been under the purview of Fairfax County since 2002. There have been talks of building a Cold War museum on the property.

Community Contributors

Added By

blimpcaptain

Published

May 27, 2021

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Sources
  • http://themilitarystandard.com/missile/nike/sitedesc.php
  • http://ed-thelen.org/index.html#history
  • https://george.smugmug.com/History/Lorton-Nike-Site-W-64/i-cnFjjCz
  • https://www.livescience.com/40758-nike-missile-sites-photos.html
  • https://archive.org/details/Fairfax_275_Celebration_-_Lorton_Nike_Missile_Site
Nike Missile Site W-64
Furnace Rd
Lorton, Virginia, 22079
United States
38.709064, -77.25322
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