After seeing a YouTube video and reading up on the history of this place, I absolutely had to check it out before it completely returned to dust (this site is in the process of redevelopment; most of the buildings seen in other threads are gone).
Built for World War II, this plant also manufactured munitions for the Korean and Vietnam wars. Apparently, this plant made some really interesting stuff, including depleted uranium tank penetrators and incendiary rounds.
Eventually, environmental regulators realized what was up and designated the site a Superfund site in 1983. Since then, a massive cleanup effort has been underway to clean up the various organic, inorganic, and radioactive chemicals found about the site. Plans for the site now include redevelopment into a city commons area.
Although some of the more interesting buildings (i.e. the ones that used DU) have been destroyed, there are a few good ones still standing. Attached is a map showing numbers for the buildings that once were on the site. Buildings 189, 135, and 338A remain, along with some smaller unnamed buildings. A bit of research shows these buildings were Blank Cartridge Building, Primer Manufacture, and Explosives Manufacturing Plant.
https://www.pdf-ar...mapofbuildings.pdf The sketchy thing about this particular site is that it really isn't entirely abandoned. Most of the plot has been taken over by the National Guard and is
actively used for military training. On a scouting mission late one night I was rather surprised to see military vehicles (Hummers?) patrolling one of the patrol roads that encircles the installation. I also saw figures moving around a building off in the distance - probably urban training.
Anyhow, the part with buildings toward the north end of the plot is not part of the National Guard installation, so theoretically, you wouldn't get shot if caught there.
Inside building 189:
Lots of spools of heavy wire rope around this building:
Some sort of pump/engine/compressor - looks like there are pulleys for the wire rope:
A loading wing with some nice antique signage:
Framed!
Obviously some people feel comfortable going to this site (they disposed of a playset slide):
Was this used for heating, cooling, or the fumehoods?
More wire rope - wonder what is was used for.
Why? Why a dog house in the middle of a military complex?
A telephone pole stands defiantly amongst the tall grasses:
Passage through earthen berms surrounding storage bunkers:
Inside a storage bunker. Refrigerators for explosives?
Sign outside storage bunker:
Storage bunker from a distance. They are enormous.
Doors to a wing inside building 135:
This is where the magic happened:
It would have been neat to see this factory set up with tables, etc.
Nothing but falling ceilings now:
What did the tube from the ceiling transport?
An oven/forced air drying room:
The quality of graffiti ranges from immaturely obscene to quite beautiful:
Lots of these covered walkways around the site:
Gotta love seeing such ominous signs around the facility:
It would seem the heavy steel blast doors seal you in with the exploding primer...
Lead styphnate storage in building 338A: A couple hundred pounds of sensitive primary explosive all in one room...
Add asbestos to the list of toxic things found here:
A pleasant pastel blue door found in an weapons manufacturing plant:
Wonder how far the door would fly if the cubicle's contents went off...
Home free!
If anyone has comments on the pictures, I would love to hear some constructive criticism so I can improve in the future. Also, it would be really interesting to hear if anyone has ever found ammunition or uranium at one of these sites.
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