Nike Missile Site HA-26 – Glastonbury, Connecticut - Atlas Obscura
What's near me?

Nike Missile Site HA-26

Glastonbury, Connecticut

Inside a state forest, the forgotten remains of a Cold War defensive installation.  

View all photos
Entrance (from the road) to path leading to the site e1savage (Atlas Obscura User)
43
227
Top Places in Connecticut
Braaaaaaaains
Cushing Brain Collection
New Haven, Connecticut
Demon Murder Trial Sites
Brookfield, Connecticut
Zaffis Museum of the Paranormal
Stratford, Connecticut
 See All

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.

cold war military abandoned
Community Contributors
weirdautumn
Added By
weirdautumn
d
e1savage
Edited by
dfarmstead, e1savage
Edit this listing
Make an Edit Add Photos
Nearby
Snake Rock
4.31 miles
Glacial Lake Hitchcock Sediment Dam
4.67 miles
Dinosaur State Park
5.93 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
Marlborough, Connecticut

Snake Rock

This roadside wonder is as mysterious as it is beloved.
Rocky Hill, Connecticut

Glacial Lake Hitchcock Sediment Dam

Now home to hardy plants, these sand and gravel dunes once held back a massive prehistoric lake.
Rocky Hill, Connecticut

Dinosaur State Park

The ancient past meets the retro-future at these dinosaur tracks that are protected by a geodesic dome.
Hebron, Connecticut

Gay City State Park

The ruins of an abandoned 18th-century town that is slowly being reclaimed by the forest.
Related Places
Portland, Oregon

Kelly Butte Civil Defense Center

Portland had a unique approach to Cold War-era protections.
Nynäshamn S, Sweden

The Landsort Artillery Battery

A southern Swedish island is home to the last ERSTA artillery battery, meant to protect the shoreline during the Cold War.
New Zealand

Abandoned WWII Structures of Motutapu Island

A network of fortifications that never saw conflict.
Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany

Bunkers in Staatswald

These abandoned Cold War-era bunkers are now a designated refuge for endangered bat species.