The Abandoned North Truro US Air Force Station

The North Truro US Air Force Station was a radar station that was among the first 24 stations built around the United States. The U.S. Air Force ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to build these 24 facilities after the USSR made its first atomic bomb test on August 29, 1949. After years of service, it has long sat abandoned.

The North Truro Air Force Station

The North Truro Air Force Station is located in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It was completed in 1951 and was one of the first stations to monitor Soviet bombers traversing the Arctic Circle. The station also incorporated barracks, a library, a bar, a bowling alley, and a family residential area.

The radar station. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) An abandoned building on the property. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) A chimney tower beside an abandoned building. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky)

Four towers were built in the waters off the Atlantic coast and equipped with long-range search radars. One of these towers was located at North Truro. The towers were named “Texas Towers” because of their resemblance to oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Little remains of this former building. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) The buildings on the property are at various stages of abandonment. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) There can be damages spotted on nearly every building. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky)

Effective, but dangerous

The Texas Tower could observe aircraft flying over the sea from 300 to 500 miles away. This fact provided the base with approximately 30 critical minutes from the moment of detection of an enemy bomber to prepare for an attack. It was an impressive distance and amount of time.

Debris litters the halls of the former North Truro Air Force Station. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) Eerie remnants have been left behind. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) Some elements of the former military base still remain. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky)

However, despite their usefulness, the towers could be quite dangerous for those who worked there. Records show that over the years that these towers were operational, there were 32 fatalities. Texas Tower #4 at North Truro was known as “Old Shaky” because it swayed quite easily in the wind.

The interiors of the building seem just as disheveled as the exteriors. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) An eyewash station looks like it was just installed yesterday. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) Many elements show what life would have been like on the base. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky)

Struggling through storms

In 1960, the tower suffered severe damage due to Hurricane Donna. However, the military did not want to abandon Old Shaky for fear that the Russians might seize it. Instead, they sent a crew of 28 people to dismantle it.

Inside the officer’s quarters. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) The walls have become severely damaged. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) This door has bee sealed off. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky)

The work was still ongoing in the winter of 1961 when another severe storm struck. The crew was told not to evacuate but to keep working, and ultimately this decision saw all of them losing their lives when the Tower sank. It was a devastating disaster that ultimately could have been avoided.

The North Truro Air Force Base remains a dark reminder of the Cold War. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) Many of the buildings are riddled with asbestos. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) The interiors of buildings have become heavily damaged. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky)

The North Truro Air Force Station transformed

The Cold War hit its highest tensions in the early 1960s, but over time, the need for North Truro Air Force Station decreased. In 1985, the station was officially decommissioned, and most of the land was sold to the National Parks Service. However, part of the land was transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration, an organization that uses coastal-mounted radar to track international flights into both Logan Airport in Boston and Kennedy Airport in New York.

There is an abandoned neighborhood nearby as well. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) It is all rather creepy. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) Those who worked at the base may have lived in this nearby neighborhood. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky)

Those sections of the former station that were given to the National Parks Service operate as a park that is open to the public and guided tours are offered by the Cape Cod National Seashore, the organization which operates the site. While the radar dishes are no longer there, the concrete pads on which they stood are still in evidence.

Many of the buildings here have been long forgotten. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) A hidden earthquake recording system found on the property. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) The insides of buildings look just as bad as the outsides. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky)

In order to turn this place into a public park, several buildings had to be modernized and renovated, such as the library and a classroom. However, on the site you can still find residential buildings, technical buildings, and offices, all close to collapse and boarded up. Otherwise, several buildings were demolished. The buildings still standing contain asbestos and mold, which are expensive to remove and make demolition unwise. The Seashore has tried to raise funds to get rid of them but has so far been unsuccessful.

It is a shock that some of these buildings are still standing. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) The bathrooms have not faired well either. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky) A fire hydrant on the property that reads “Out of Service”. (Photo Credit: Gin Minsky)

Most of the site is owned by the Seashore and they have redeveloped some of the land (such as the library and classroom mentioned above) into the Highland Center, a performing arts center that offers art shows and educational events.

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All photos included in this article were taken by Gin Minsky – a tap dancer, burlesque performer, and photographer from Brooklyn, NY. Her website is a blog with interesting stories and wonderful photos. Check her page here!

A big thank you to Gin Minsky for allowing us to share her photos with our readers.