This former Indiana missile silo could be your new home

Subterranean living isn’t for everyone. Neither is the idea of a fixer-upper. But someone with ambition, vision and $850,000 could transform this Cold War-era missile silo into their dream home.

One of three silos at a site in southeastern Indiana was converted in 1979 into a four-bedroom, two-bath home with a 24-by-14-foot indoor swimming pool, hot tub and elevator. 

If living in a deep underground warehouse doesn’t make you feel secure, the 8-foot-high barbed wire fence around it should.

Another silo was used as an auto shop and garage space, while the third was unused.

The silos, located in Dillsboro, were large enough to store a 41-foot Nike missile in an underground magazine, which could be raised out of the ground by a hydraulic elevator and be ready for launch.

The 14.58-acre property in Dearborn County also includes 10 above-ground concrete buildings that were used as a bomb shelter, missile repair building and barracks.

“The owner has all the original U.S.Army blueprints from when it was built in 1958,” said Keller Williams Realty listing agent Jay Knowles, who said he has a couple of prospective buyers interested in renovating the home.

Knowles said the owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, said it was time to move. He’s been living on his farm nearby.

The history of the site and others like it

The Dillsboro site, built in 1958 and used until March 1970, was known as CD-63 during the Cold War. It was part of the Cincinnati and Dayton area defense program.

Three hundred other bases just like it in 29 states were the last line of defense against Soviet aggression in the late 1950s and 1960s. They were built in a ring for protection around major urban and industrial areas in what was known as “Rings of Fire.”

In the event of a launch, the 100 soldiers stationed at the base could take cover in the fallout shelter that was equipped with a 60-day supply of food, water and Geiger counters, a device that detects and measures radiation.

The government began installing the Nike-Hercules system nationwide in 1958, when defense planners believed the Soviet Union was capable of sending bombers to the U.S. Instead, the Russians were developing intercontinental ballistic missiles, better known as ICBMs.

The silos were first armed with Ajax missiles. They were later replaced by the Hercules missiles, which were armed with nuclear warheads.

The Hercules batteries were capable of firing 41-foot-long missiles up to 150,000 feet, and they could intercept enemy bombers for approximately 75 miles. 

And there really was a red phone. The voice on the other end would announce the alert. Then a special safe was opened, and special instruction cards with special codes were revealed to start the launch of the surface-to-air missiles.

1960s:If you couldn't get to the fallout shelter, then duck and cover

Cold War Indiana

Dillsboro isn’t the only former missile site in Indiana.

The Nike Missile Site C-47, near Portage, was one of 21 spokes in the ring that protected Chicago and the nearby Gary Steelworks. Interestingly enough, Indianapolis did not have a ring protecting it. The Nike system was named after the Greek goddess of victory — not the shoes.

C-47 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Aside from areas made into paintball fields by a local business, the grounds, which include buildings and radar towers, are accessible for exploring. The launch area, radar towers and administration buildings remain intact.

C-32 Nike in Porter County was redeveloped for offices of the National Park Service at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The launch site, largely intact but overgrown, is behind a locked gate.

Gary Municipal Airport housed both a firing battery and headquarters, called C-45.

Located in Munster, a site called C-46 was redeveloped into an industrial park.

A site called C-48, located in Gary on 35th Avenue and Grant Street, was redeveloped into a commercial and industrial site.

If you want to see the weapons in person, Nike Ajax and Hercules missiles are on display at the VFW post in Cedar Lake, Indiana.

Follow IndyStar Visuals Manager and RetroIndy writer Dawn Mitchell on Twitter: @dawn_mitchell61.