Artesia in Eddy County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 9, 2023

1. Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter Marker

Inscription. Built 1962. The only Cold-War era fallout shelter/school building in the United States.
Site no. 1781
A Registered Cultural Property
State of New Mexico (Marker Number 1781.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Notable Buildings • War, Cold. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1962.

Location. 32° 49.918′ N, 104° 25.118′ W. Marker is in Artesia, New Mexico, in Eddy County. Marker is on West Centre Avenue west of South 17th Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1802 W Centre Ave, Artesia NM 88210, 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. The Lukins House (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Baskin House (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Acord-Wheatley House (approx. one mile away); The Gesler House (approx. one mile away); The Sallie Chisum Robert House (approx. 1.1 miles away); Mary Emmons Yates (approx. 1.1 miles away); Martin Yates, Jr. (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Derrick Floor (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Artesia.

Regarding Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter.

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Excerpts from the National Register nomination:

Located in the small southeastern New Mexico town of Artesia, the Abo Elementary School was built in 1962 to function as both a school and an underground fallout shelter for the community during the height of the Cold War after plans by Roswell New Mexico architect, Frank M. Standhardt. With the exception of three, flat-roofed concrete block buildings (linked by a canopy to form a roughly shaped L in plan), the building is located completely underground and was engineered to withstand the effects of a thermonuclear blast. This was achieved by excavating below grade and constructing steel reinforced cast concrete walls and posts to support a 21-inch thick concrete slab roof. Heavy steel doors, designed to hold up under a nuclear explosion, were placed inside the three above ground entrances.…

Construction of the building was completed on April 20, 1962, and dedication of Abo School and Fallout Shelter (named after a geological formation in the area responsible for major oil reserves), took place on June 12 of that year with over 3,000 spectators in attendance. … In the event of a nuclear attack, the school was designed to quickly be converted from a school of 500 to a fallout shelter that could house 2,000 people for two weeks. …

With the end of the Cold War in 1989, the shelter was officially "deactivated"
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 9, 2023

2. National Register Plaque
The plaque reads:
This property
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Abo Elementary School
and
Fallout Shelter
1962
by Civil Defense authorities and supplies relating to that function including rations, beds, outdated medicines, and other supplies (including a few body bags) were removed from the facility. Abo Elementary School was closed in 1995 with the construction of an adjacent public elementary school.

Also see . . .
1. Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter (PDF). National Register nomination for the complex, which was listed in 1999. (Prepared by Nancy Dunn, Artesia Historical Museum and Art Center, and James Hewat, New Mexico Historic Preservation Division; via National Archives) (Submitted on October 30, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. NM True TV - Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter, Artesia. While not open to visitors this most unusual school provides a glimpse into the national mindset and fears during the Cold War era. Artesia sits in what was considered both an economic and military target region for incoming nuclear weapons, and Abo Elementary School’s odd underground design is a historical reminder of the era. (VisitNewMexico, uploaded Jan. 9, 2017) (Submitted on October 30, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

3. The Abo School. Ground was broken for the school on June 12, 1961 and the first students arrived in August of 1962 - just in time

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 9, 2023

3. Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter Marker

This building is one of three above-ground entrances to the underground school.

for the Cuban Missile Crisis two months later. ("Atomic Skies" blog, July 12, 2013) (Submitted on October 30, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 9, 2023

4. Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter

The markers are on the small building with flagpole on the left side of the photo.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 30, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 71 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 30, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.