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Above All State Park

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Above All State Park is an undeveloped Connecticut state park located in the town of Warren.[1] The park was founded in 1927 and it became a military installation known as the New Preston Gap-Filler RADAR Annex (GFA) P-50A /Z-50A from June 1957 to June 1968. The military use has suggested that it also served as the command and control center for the Nike anti-aircraft missiles and the remnants of a Cold War defense installation are still extant. There are no facilities, toilets, or other markers at the Above All State Park, but some informal trails near the top of the park that are not maintained or marked by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

History

Joseph Leary writes, that despite its name, the park is not "Above All" in terms of scale, views or elevation and notes Lake Waramaug State Park, Mount Tom State Park and Dennis Hill State Park respectively.[2] There are two competing claims in publications about how the park obtained its name. According to Connecticut; a Guide to Its Roads, Lore, and People, the park is noted for its "woodland trails, excellent views, and a 'top of the world' isolation that explains its name."[3] Leary's book instead traces the name to when the land was used by the Stone family, who claimed it was the highest working farm by elevation in all of Connecticut.[2] During the 19th-century, the site was considered for the "Above-All Mountain House", a holiday resort, but it was never built.[4]

The park was founded in 1927 when the heirs of Seymour Strong gifted three acres of land to the state.[5] From June 1957 to June 1968, the state park became a military installation known as the New Preston Gap-Filler RADAR Annex (GFA) P-50A /Z-50A. In 1968, a dirt road and a cinder block building, a bunker, was added to the top of the hill as part of an upgrade to the site.[2][4] Located behind the bunker was the launchpad for the Nike missiles, each carrying a 2-to-40 kiloton nuclear warhead.[4] Bedell and Leary state that the site also functioned as the command and control center, Bedell more specifically states that it was the command center for the twelve Nike sites across Connecticut, but this claim is disputed because the site is described as an unmanned gap-filler that provided low altitude coverage.[2][4][6] The site "consisted of the radar and tower along with the building which contained the radar equipment and a diesel generator".[6] Bedell notes that "[Connecticut] was the only state to have had every square inch of its territory protected (or targeted) by nuclear weapons."[4] Though the Nike missiles were never tested and were obsolete with the introduction of Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles.[4] Bedell states that the park reappeared on the maps after its decommissioning, but has since reverted to secrecy.[4] This claim is countered by it being listed on the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection website.[1]

In 1981, the park was the subject of a study by Northeast Utilities as a possible wind power site. An anemometer and wind vane were placed atop a 65 feet (20 m) tower and recorded for at least one year.[7]

Status

The Above All State Park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, but according to Bedell, "There are no signs pointing the way to Above All State Park. It is not even marked on the newer editions of the official state tourism map, nor is it included in the official list of state parks."[4] Joseph Leary's book A Shared Landscape also notes this fact by stating "This Park is unmarked and undeveloped."[2] The military site is the subject of continued debate and questionable status, with the Radomes stating that the site is "not within a state park as earlier reported", but proceeds to give the same directions and description as Leary, Bedell and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.[8][2][4][1] Photos included on the Radome website show the condition of the site in 2001 and 2006, both show the buildings are extant in "excellent condition", but notes the radar tower and chain-link fencing are missing. The site has also been the subject of graffiti.[8]

The park is accessed off Connecticut Route 341 and requires passing a barred gate before visitors.[2] There are no facilities, toilets, or other markers at the Above All State Park, and the park has some informal trails near the top of the park, but these are not maintained or marked by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Above All State Park". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Leary, Joseph (2004). A Shared Landscape: A Guide & History of Connecticut's State Parks & Forests. Friends of the Connecticut State Parks, Inc. p. 228. ISBN 0974662909.
  3. ^ Federal Writers' Project (1938). Connecticut; a Guide to Its Roads, Lore, and People,. p. 455.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bedell, David. "Connecticut's Nuclear Weapons". Green Party of Connecticut. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  5. ^ "Park Commission To Buy 125 Acres For State Forest". The Day. January 12, 1928. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  6. ^ a b "SAGE New Preston". Cold War CT. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  7. ^ "Northeast Utilities studying wind power". The Day. 17 January 1981. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Recent photos of New Preston, CT GFA". Radomes. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
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