Near Great Falls in Fairfax County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Great Falls Nike Missile Site
Erected 1994 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number T-46.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, Cold. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1954.
Location. 38° 59.86′ N, 77° 18.866′ W. Marker is near 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. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Great Falls VA 22066, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. U.S. Army Map Service (a few steps from this marker); Forestville Volunteer Fire Department, est. May 5, 1942 (approx. 1.2 miles away); Battle of Dranesville (approx. 1˝ miles away); Sharpsburg / Antietam Campaign (approx. 1˝ miles away); Forestville School (approx. 1.6 miles away); Action At Dranesville (approx. 1.6 miles away); Fields of Fire (approx. 1.6 miles away); Gettysburg Campaign (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map 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 markers. 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. Utilization Plan for Tuner’s Farm Park. (Submitted on August 14, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
3. 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.)
Additional commentary.
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.
— 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 7, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 14, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 20,568 times since then and 146 times this year. Last updated on August 15, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. It 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.