Atlas F Missle Silo Site in Lewis, NY and War Veterans

Atlas F Missle Silo Site in Lewis, NY and War Veterans. . , Cold War- In 1962 the United States constructed 12 Atlas F Missile Silos in the mountains of upstate New York. They were designed to strike Russia in the event of nuclear war. One was installed in Lewis, NY. At 52-feet wide and 176-feet deep, this "superhardened” silo could withstand a 200-pound-per-square-inch blast. Originally the silo went down 7 floors with 2,000 square feet of space and ground access through a 40-foot tunnel. The Lewis missile silo was in active operation until 1965 when most sites were closed and surrounded by a 5-acre boundary and 8-foot, chain-linked fence topped with barbed wire. In 1980 two men were caught and arrested for trespassing inside the Lewis missile silo. Some silos including this one in Lewis have been purchased by private owners since closed by the government., War of 18 12 - the Battle of Plattsburgh had 45 men from Lewis under Deacon Levi Brown. Most were in service from September 2-16, 1814. , Civil War 1865- More than 110 soldiers in the Civil War were from Lewis and Lewis's population was 1,774 people. , World War I-In 1917, there were 28 veterans from Lewis. , World War Il -In 1941, there were over 120 veterans from Lewis. There was a tower located near the corner of the old Grange Hall on Route 9 and Osawentha Drive to watch for planes during the war. , Vietnam War - In 1969, there were 16 veterans from Lewis., The Lewis silo is currently owned by Australian Architect and Designer Alexander Michael. He has been in the process of restoring the silo into livable space. There are only a few within U.S. and around the World that are currently used as living space. Alexander Michael has taken over 11-years to restore the silo to its current state. He does occasionally offer tours.