Lorton Nike Missile Site

North of here stood one of three Nike anti-aircraft missile complexes in Fairfax County, operated by the U.S. Army and the Army National Guard between 1954 and 1974. Established during the Cold War to defend Washington from Soviet air attack, this complex, along with those at Great Falls and Fairfax, was among thirteen Nike sites that surrounded Washington and Baltimore. The ring of Nike sites was reminiscent of the perimeter of forts that protected the capital during the Civil War. This was the only Nike complex in Fairfax County containing missiles armed with nuclear warheads, and it served as a model site for visits by foreign dignitaries.

Laurel Hill, Virginia · United States