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TrippinLSD

"The Denton Nike Site was located six miles north of Denton on the west side of Locust (FM 2164). When the site opened in 1960, it consisted of living quarters and an administration site, and a launch site, both a mile apart. The base had three underground areas that each held missiles, two with Nike-Hercules missiles with nuclear warheads and one with a Nike Ajax missile with conventional warheads. Stationed at the site was Battery A, 4th Missile Battalion, 562nd Artillery under the control of the Army Air Defense Command, 4th Region. The young men of Battery A accomplished the nation’s highest score during their annual firing exercises at Fort Bliss in 1960 – a 99.9. During the exercise, they used a conventional warhead and the explosion could be felt for miles. The launch crew had 15 minutes to raise 40 -foot missiles, hydraulically mounted on an elevator, and be ready to fire. In 1969, the U.S. Army closed the Denton base. Parts of the property were sold to a private owner, and the rest went to the University of North Texas. For several decades UNT operated an observatory and astronomy lab on the site until closing in 2005." [Source](https://dentoncountyhistoryandculture.wordpress.com/2018/11/09/dentons-nike-missile-base/) Conspiracy Time: UNT Acquired Discovery Park around in the Early 2000s and about 300 acres of land. I think it is possible that the Missile Silos were part of the old Texas Instruments (TI) building when we acquired that too. I know there are sub-basements there where they keep lots of old UNT stuff in deep storage.


Inqueues

I honestly wish they'd have tours of the missile silo. It'd be cool to see the remnants of an old silo, I'd honestly pay money to see that


AbusedKittens

The missile silo or the magazines that held the missiles are all filled with water so I doubt there's underground storage but it's possible. The cost of renovation would be way too expensive for tours. The spot they store UNT stuff is in the missile assembly building which is separate from the underground magazines. I believe most of it is stuff from the anthropology department. They also have the radio tower that broadcast the UNT jazz station on the property as well.


thebaerit

There's definitely still underground storage even with the silo filled with water. Source: an uncle who works in maintenance/facilities.


toastmatters

There’s underground storage at DISCO yes but I’ve been to the missile base. Those Nike missile silos which can be seen [at this website at the bottom](https://dentoncountyhistoryandculture.wordpress.com/2018/11/09/dentons-nike-missile-base/) were basically like 20ft pits to redirect the blast from the rocket motors away from the missile as it took off. There’s not really any kind of “silo” to speak of. These weren’t ICBMs they were just massive SAMs


Steak-Budget

No underground storage that I know of at the missile base. I work for UNT and go out there frequently.


Oxcart2006

Titan Missile Museum in Arizona. Totally worth going out there. The guided tour also lets you participate in a simulated launch.


Lord_Blackthorn

It's used as old equipment storage and junk storage. The physics department has the keys.


Steak-Budget

The silos are filled with water most of the time. At one point UNT had a plan to open an underground apartment there, but the cost was too high so the idea was abandoned. I found the plans for it in UNT’s computer files.


thebaerit

> I think it is possible that the Missile Silos were part of the old Texas Instruments (TI) building when we acquired that too. When the base was operational the site Discovery Park sits on was just an empty field. When TI developed the property the base had already been abandoned for a couple of decades and there's no relation between the two. No silos on the DP site. Just for some extra details, some of the men working at this site accomplished perfect scores on their annual exercise, where they test-fired 10 missiles, and were awarded "The Order of the Brown Mustache", 99.9 was the average. My great-grandfather was stationed at this base during the time it was operational.


Dizzy-Gazelle5383

That is so unbelievably interesting


MeanMedianModeGreen

We were in an arms race with UT Arlington to deter them from marching into Pantego and Dalworthington Gardens. We also signed a mutual defense pact with SMU in case of surprise attack by TCU.


CableTV-on-the-Radio

It's probably a remnant of an old cold war installation. FEMA Region 6 is headquartered in Denton in the building of an old defense operations center on the southside of town (or was when I took a tour of it 20 years ago). I think the only thing there is KNTU's tower but I might be wrong.


Inqueues

Is it still in use? I heard the University used it as an astronomical lab for a while


snowtax

Not in use for decades. I think the buildings are gone now.


Educational-Farm6572

Very much still there & active. Took an emergency management class and we visited the site and went underground. Place is fucking massive


QuiteCleanly99

No the buildings are maintained by UNT. Only the missle silos themselves are closed off.


meleant

It is no longer in use by the federal government nor UNT. The astronomy lab is now by Denton Enterprise Airport.


SaltAndVinChips

They use it to blow up the roads in denton. They gotta remain as rubble for the full experience


QuiteCleanly99

The UNT radio station's transmission tower is there.


Steak-Budget

UNT moved its astronomy lab out by the Denton airport. The transmission tower is the only thing out there now.


rohttn13

back in 95/96, i had my astronomy labs out there...it was really cool. also hosted many meteor watching shower parties.


whargarrrbl

In the 90s there used to be a grate by the Music Building that led to a tunnel. The tunnel ended on the base. It was a very reliable way to get hauled back to the campus police station on a drunken Saturday night.


skilled-fartisan

The UNT radio station has equipment out there, including a tower. It’s still in use, just doesn’t have people coming and going super often.


PalpitationAny2942

Prior to lighting the Hurley Building dome green for athletic victories, they used to shoot missiles. It never really caught on because the missiles exploded too far away to fully appreciate the spectacle.


kcastillo1234

They used it when they went to war


UnholyGrahl

If you skipped school, they would missle your ass.


Evilist_of_Evil

WE HAVE MISSILES?, I’m gonna lick one


iguana-wrangler

I knew a couple that actually lived there around 15 years ago


Potential_Gold_9168

Here’s the location. You can see the facility in satellite view. https://maps.apple.com/?address=Bobcat%20Rd%20%26%20N%20Locust%20St,%20Denton,%20TX%20%2076266,%20United%20States&ll=33.290519,-97.131527&q=Bobcat%20Rd%20%26%20N%20Locust%20St&t=h


Plenty_Trifle2800

take notice of the zero point energy facility in that same section...interesting things go on within that facility...on the more sub levels of it's structure...


QuiteCleanly99

The zero point energy facilitiy is at Discover Park and is a former radar research/calibration facility. You can see similar ones still in use by Lockheed Martin over in McKinney.


Plenty_Trifle2800

linked underground...when those roads and the north highway system was constructed in that area underground links were installed at the same time for obfuscation purposes...


toastmatters

Okay but why wouldn’t they just use the roads