Dawson Forest - a.k.a. Georgia's Area 51

USA / Georgia / Dawsonville /
 research, aircraft, nuclear testing area
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The site of Lockheed - Martin's research facility in use during the 1950's in which a program was created to design and build a nuclear powered aircraft. The property was later purchased by the City of Atlanta for a second airport to service the north Georgia area.n

Links
tinyurl.com/evf6ynn
www.etowahscenicriver.org/HISTORY.DOC
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Nuclear_Aircraft_Laborato...
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Georgia_(U.S._state)_state_forests
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   34°22'0"N   84°10'5"W

Comments

  • This is the location of an above ground nuclear reactor used to test aircraft parts. The area is still slightly radioactive and there are still buildings that are off limits due to the danger. The remains of the test buildings are still here but they only look like a series of small concrete buildings. The only room that you can get in is the old water pump room thanks to a hole in a retaining wall.
  • Can anyone verify the above ????????
  • The above descriptions are correct. Lockheed had an above-ground reactor in operation here during the 1950s. I believe they were working along the lines of possibly developing an airborne nuclear plant. Or, in other words, nuclear powered aircraft. During this stage of the Cold War, anything was possible. Some locals tell tales of mutant wildlife wandering about the woods. The notion of using this area as ATL's 2nd major airport was in play again as recent as a year ago.
  • More than above ground, suspended from towers about 80 feet in the air, was an unshielded nuclear reactor. The purpose of the experiments was to study the effect of radiation on the flora and fauna of the area. This was in preparation for (potential) nuclear powered aviation.
This article was last modified 13 years ago