East Mountain, an ephemeral Cold War radar base abandoned in Vermont

The Cold War (1947-1991) was a period of great tension in which astronomical amounts were invested in military resources.

Exploring the gigantic abandoned silo of a Titan I intercontinental nuclear missile
CRC Glons: exploring a NATO radar station that was abandoned in 2021

That investment led to a spectacular advance in military technologies, which caused some defense systems to become obsolete within a few years. This included some secondary radar stations that soon became redundant (due to the installation of more powerful radars) and outdated. This is the case of the North Concord Air Force Station, located in Essex County, in northeastern Vermont and operated by the U.S. Air Force (USAF).

The base was built in a mountainous area at an altitude of 1,050 meters above sea level. Construction began in 1954, as explained in 2014 by the blog Obscure Vermont. It cost $21 million and became operational in 1956. The base had 174 military personnel, responsible for operating and guarding radar antennas located on cylindrical metal towers. In 1962, it was renamed Lyndonville Air Force Base and closed in 1963 due to its high operating costs and because it had become outdated even before construction was completed.

In 1961, this location was the site of an 18-minute UFO sighting, according to the aforementioned source. Four years later, a private individual purchased the land and sold much of the old facility for scrap. Today, the former East Mountain base continues to attract urban explorers, including the creators of the Free4All channel, who recently posted an interesting video of their visit:

Here you can see some screenshots from this interesting video, showing the towers that housed the radar antennas. In the video you can see the interior of these abandoned facilities.

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Imágenes: Free4All.