Nike Missile Site HA-26

missingfilm (Atlas Obscura User)

Unbeknownst to many Connecticut residents, the small state was home to no less than 12 Nike Missile sites during the Cold War. Designed to protect the United States from Russia, the installations were constructed in two parts: a control/radar site and a launch site. The HA-26 launch site is located in Glastonbury, with its control/radar site Portland. Both are easily accessible on a long road in Meshomasic State Forest.

The HA-26 site was in operation from 1956 to 1963 and housed Ajax missiles. On May 18, 1957, the United States Army hosted an open house inaugurating the site.

The launch site housed a guard station, barracks, missile battery area, and a medical office. The control site also housed guard stations, barracks, and a large metal tank suspected to hold water.

All that remains at both sites today are foundations, concrete stairs, floor tiles, hatchways leading underground, and scraps of metal equipment.

Know Before You Go

Meshomasic State Forest is open to the public until sunset. The sites can be reached from Del Reeves road, and are marked by yellow gates. Google Maps will be your friend for finding them. Be on the lookout as this forest is home to rattlesnakes.