Vint Hill Farms Station
Vint Hill Farms Station | |
---|---|
electronic warfare facility | |
Site history | |
Built | 1942 |
Built by | United States Army |
In use | 1942–1997 |
Demolished | 1999 |
Vint Hill Farms Station (VHFS) was a
History
Vint Hill Farms Station was established during
After the war, VHFS became the first field station of the
In 1973, the VHFS's mission changed to research, development and support of intelligence and
A VHFS employee told a
In 1987, control of the facility was transferred from the Army
The 1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended the closure of VHFS, which would produce savings of $10.5 million annually. At the time there were 846 military personnel, 1,356 civilian personnel and 454 contractors based at the facility. Most of the personnel were reassigned to Fort Monmouth, while others went to Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The intelligence equipment maintenance and repair personnel were relocated to Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pennsylvania.[3]
VHFS was closed on September 30, 1997.[10] The Army and the Virginia State Vint Hill Farms Economic Development Authority settled on a purchased price of $925,000 for VHFS, and the transfer of the property was completed in 1999.[3][9] Today the site hosts various engineering and technology companies,[9] Potomac Consolidated TRACON facility and, since 2011, the FAA's Air Traffic Control System Command Center.[13][14]
The Cold War Museum opened on the property in November 2011. At present, it is open on weekends (and at other times by appointment), but it takes advantage of the historical aspects of the property. It occupies a two-story building (used for supply purposes when the base was open) adjacent to the Covert Cafe, the Vint Hill Craft Winery, and the Old Bust Head Brewery.
There are also a dance school (Lyrique Dance), gymnastics school (Bull Run Academy of Gymnastics)and axe-throwing pub (HEROIC AXE) on the property on Kennedy Road.
The streets in the residential development which now occupies much of VHFS are named after people important in the history of computers. (For details, click on the coordinates in the infobox above.)
Demographics
Year | Pop. |
---|---|
1970 | 1,018 |
1980 | 1,130 |
1990 | 1,332 |
Source:[15] |
Vint Hill Farms Station was defined as a census-designated place (CDP) at the 1970, 1980, and 1990 United States Censuses. Its population ranged from 1,018 in 1970 to 1,332 in 1990, before the facility was closed in the 1997.[15] The area is now part of the New Baltimore CDP. The current VHFS site population is approximately 300.[9]
See also
References
- Washington Post. p. B3.
- Bamford, James (2007). Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency. New York: Random House.
- Baskervill, Bill (August 21, 1989). "Shhh—Secret Agents are Quietly at Work in Virginia". The Free Lance–Star. Associated Press. pp. 1, 20.
- Picton, John (November 24, 1985). "Super-secret U.S. Agency Eavesdrops on the World". Toronto Star. p. F1.
- Pike, John. "Vint Hill Farms Station, VA". Federation of American Scientists. Archived from the original on June 10, 2001. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
Notes and sources
- ^ a b "Cryptologic Almanac" (PDF). National Security Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 18, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
- ^ a b Baskervill.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Pike.
- ^ "Guide to Cryptologic Acronyms & Abbreviations, 1940-1980". October 2002. p. 27. Retrieved 6 Jul 2013.
- ^ "Eavesdropping on Hell: Historical Guide to Western Communications Intelligence and the Holocaust, 1939-1945" (PDF). 2005. p. 135. Retrieved 6 Jul 2013.
- ^ a b Bamford, pp. 19–20.
- ^ a b c Baker.
- ^ Schaus, Richard R.; Kovach, Karen (1999). "M1857 Napoleon Finds A Home At Fort Belvoir, Va., Command". INSCOM Journal. 20 (3). Retrieved April 6, 2013.
- ^ Environmental Protection Agency. May 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
- ^ a b A History of Army Communications and Electronics at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, 1917-2007. Government Printing Office. 2008.
- New York Times. September 30, 1982. p. A8.
- ^ Picton.
- ^ Bamford, p. 663.
- ^ "FAA Moving Command Center to Vint Hill". Association of Defense Communities. March 8, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
- ^ Census Bureau. Retrieved April 6, 2013.