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| Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Great Falls in Fairfax County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic) |
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Great Falls Nike Missile Site
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By Craig Swain, August 14, 2007 | |
| | | 1. Great Falls Nike Missile Site Marker | | |
Inscription. Just to the southeast were radar and other control equipment that formed a portion of one of three Nike anti-aircraft missile complexes in Fairfax County. The site was operated by the U.S. Army between 1954 and 1962. Established during the Cold War to defend Washington from Soviet air attack, this complex, along with those at Fairfax and Lorton, was among the thirteen sites that encircled Washington and Baltimore. The ring of Nike missile sites was reminiscent of the perimeter of forts that guarded the capital during the Civil War. The missiles, positioned on above-ground launchers, were located near here to the west.
Erected 1994 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number T 46.)
Location. 38° 59.851′ N, 77° 18.865′ W. Marker is in Great Falls, Virginia, in Fairfax County. Marker is at the intersection of Springvale Road (County Route 674) and Wynkoop Drive, on the right when traveling south on Springvale Road | | | | 
By Craig Swain, August 14, 2007 | |
| | | 2. Great Falls Nike Missile Site Marker | | |
. Click for map. Marker is in this post office area: Great Falls VA 22066, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, as the crow flies. Action At Dranesville (approx. 1.2 miles away); Sharpsburg (Antietam) Campaign (approx. 1.2 miles away); Forestville School (approx. 1.6 miles away); Old Road To The West (approx. 2.2 miles away); Battle of Dranesville (approx. 2.6 miles away); The Patowmack Canal (approx. 3.2 miles away); People and the Potomac (approx. 3.3 miles away); River of Change (approx. 3.3 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Great Falls.
Regarding Great Falls Nike Missile Site. The radar site is located approximately 150 yards further south on Springvale Road, with one other existing outbuilding, on Turner Farms County Park. The launch facilities site is located around 1000 yards southwest in Great Falls Nike Park, at the corner of Leesburg Pike (Route 7) and Utterback Store Road (Route 717).
Related marker | | | | 
By Craig Swain, August 14, 2007 | |
| | | 3. Radio and Radar Buildings | | At Turner Farm County Park, two prominent structures from the site still stand just to the east of Springvale Road. Both were originally radar towers when the missile site was active. | | |
s. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Nike Related Manuals, Books, Articles. (Submitted on August 14, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
2. Herndon Nike Missile Site W-83. Detailed study of the sites, with photographs recording the site when active and as it existed when turned over to the county. (Submitted on August 14, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
3. Utilization Plan for Tuner’s Farm Park. (Submitted on August 14, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
4. The Launcher Site. Teraserver imagery of the launcher site clearly showing the berm in between the present day athletic fields. (Submitted on August 14, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
5. Control Facility. Teraserver imagery of the control facility. Clearly visible are the two former radar towers with long shadows to the west. Numerous administrative and operational control buildings stood where the park's parking lot to the east is now. (Submitted on August 14, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
6. Air Force Gap Filler Radar Sites. An article detailing the type of radar which used the radome found at the launch site. (Submitted on August 15, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
7. Site History with Focus on the DMA Activities. (Submitted on August 17, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
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By Craig Swain, August 14, 2007 | |
| | | 4. Close View of the Observation Tower | | Plans call for the installation of a reflecting telescope in the observation tower. Part of the park theme is a celestial discovery center for educational purposes. | | |
Additional comments.
1. GPS Development Site
In the 1980s the radar site (Turner Farm Park) was used by the Defense Mapping Agency (DMS), and the radar towers were converted for use as optical and radio observation towers. This explains the observation dome, in place of a standard geodetic dome used when the Nike site was active. Under the DMS these structures played an unheralded role in matching Global Positioning System data to topographical maps. The research allowed, among other things, accurate ploting of historical markers! — Submitted August 14, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
2. Missile Site W-83
According to “Rings of Supersonic Steel” by Mark L. Morgan and Mark A. Berhow, when active this site was numbered W-83. The headquarters facility was to the south in Vienna, shared with the sites at Lorton and Fairfax. Both Nike-Ajax and Nike-Hercules missiles were used at this site. The sites were transfered over to the Fairfax County Parks Department, who has transformed these to multi-use recreation areas. | | | | 
By Craig Swain, August 14, 2007 | |
| | | 5. Site of Launch Facility | | Trees cover the site of the old launch facility at the Great Falls Nike Park. Today ball parks and soccer fields have replaced the barracks, administrative offices, and maintenance sheds. Presumably, the concrete bunker encasing the missile magazine still lays under the berm. | | |
— Submitted August 14, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
3. Herndon/Dranesville
Officially site W-83 was known as Herndon/Dranesville, not Great Falls as indicated on the marker. The name “Great Falls” caused some confusion with a similar site at Great Falls, Montana. (Thanks to Thomas Page and Mark Morgan for additional background information.) — Submitted August 17, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. |
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By Craig Swain, August 15, 2007 | |
| | | 6. Radome at the Launch Site | | This radome currently sits on the launch facility berm, but was not part of the original site equipment. Sources link the equipment (by serial number) to an Air Force early warning radar, which was not known to have operated at the Great Falls site. | | |
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By Craig Swain, August 15, 2007 | |
| | | 7. Inside the Launch Facility | | When active, this portion of the site had launch rails for the missiles and sits atop the concrete bunker housing the magazine and fuel storage. The berm around the launch facility is indeed reminiscent of Civil War era fortifications, several of which are within a few miles of this site. | | |
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| Credits. This page originally submitted on August 14, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 4,326 times since then. Last updated on August 15, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page was the Marker of the Week September 2, 2007. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Submitted on August 14, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 6, 7. Submitted on August 15, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page. | | Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print |
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