This facility was part of several built in southern FL in a two week period during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was a launch facility for Nike Missiles (some with nuclear warheads). After the Cuban Missile Crisis was resolved, they decided to leave the bases open for an indefinite amount of time. They ended up being closed in 1979 and have been abandoned since.
The facility is located directly next to a trailer park, and passing through there on the way was probably way scarier than anything inside. Getting inside was fairly easy, but a pretty long walk, a good deal of that through overgrown vegetation. Before we got inside, we did find a derelict dam/pump station which may have been part of the base originally.
Once inside the first thing we found was the first missile storage building, which looks like a small hanger with a cement trench/track that runs along the ground. The trench actually served to move the missiles out to their launch positions and to hold cables.
Next we found a launch control bunker for the second missile storage building. It basically consisted of a small hallway, then a small room with an escape ladder/hatch to the outside, and another room with a small rectangular hole in the wall that was used to carry cables to the missile for control. These were built into above ground bunkers that were covered with several feet of earth and the raised area actually followed around the missile storage buildings.
We then saw the second missile control site. There was not much of interest there except for a few of the pads where the missiles would sit when ready to fire.
Next we came across the motor pool, which had some interesting graffiti.
We also found a generator shed, as well as a pump house of some sort. Nearby there was also a decent sized ready room as well as a turnstile entrance/checkpoint where we found a casing for a decent sized bullet.
The third missile storage site was pretty interesting. We found some odd graffiti that had a painting of a girl, but then in the center of her forehead there was an opening, and consequently a beehive. So there was a face on the wall from which bee's poured out of and gathered all around. There were also tons of nails laying around on the floor, it looks like two people had a fight with nail guns.
The first launch control bunker was the last thing we saw, after we had made a complete circle around the perimeter. It was almost the same as the others, but it looked like someone had been partying or camping in there. There was a bed, a propane tank, and tons of empty beer bottles. There was also a large star painted on the wall, with the word GOD scribbled across it in spraypaint.
We are planning on returning soon to visit a few sections that we missed, but I would say that about 85% of the facility has been explored already.
Note: A few of the images on this page have been taken from this website.
