During the Cold War, 12 Nike Missile sites were built throughout Connecticut to defend against Russian bombers. These sites had two parts: A headquarters, which housed the radar, and a launch pad, or battery. Glastonbury houses the battery for HA-25, the Nike Missile site located in Manchester.
The location wasn’t active long, with its only operational years coming between 1956 to 1961. The battery was located off Line Street, although many of the buildings along with the entrance were removed after the land was developed for housing. The battery and part of the driveway still remain under power lines that travel across the town.
The battery is just a flat concrete and asphalt surface that could be mistaken for an old parking lot. Most of the operations were done either in Manchester or underground, so there isn’t much to see. Most of the battery is overgrown by grass and weeds. There were three launch pads at the battery which could launch four separate missiles.
From ColdWar-CT.com:
Each pad could support four missiles on above ground rails, with additional missiles stored underground. A large elevator was used to bring the missile to the surface. The steel plates were blast shields
would have protected the concrete from the heat of the rocket engines.
The bunker below was probably partially filled with debris when the site was decommissioned. Many batteries have flooded over the years.
Most of the blast shields can still be seen in addition to other supports for the missile. There are also a handful of smaller structures that were likely used as air vents for the underground rooms or to bring wires to the surface. Everything underground has been filled in and there are no access points.
On the south side of the battery is a driveway that winds down into the woods but turns back towards Line Street and comes back under the wires, parallel to the battery. It re-enters the woods on the other side of the power lines, where it is overgrown and the road is deteriorating, with a handful of collapsed spots. There is a wall of concrete blocks that stops any vehicle traffic from coming up.
Lost Glastonbury 