06/04/2025
Exploring an Abandoned "50s Airforce Radar Station in Columbia Falls, ME
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The Columbia Falls Air Force Station, nestled amidst the blueberry barrens of Washington County, Maine, stands as a silent sentinel of Cold War history. Constructed in the 1950s by GE Aerospace, this facility was a critical component of the United States' Over-the-Horizon Backscatter (OTH-B) radar system, designed to detect and track objects beyond the line of sight by bouncing radar signals off the ionosphere.
Operational from 1990, the station's AN/FPS-118 radar receiver worked in tandem with a transmitter located at Moscow Air Force Station, with data processing handled at Bangor Air National Guard Base. This triad enabled the detection of aircraft and even subtle changes in ocean currents over vast distances.
However, the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War rendered the OTH-B system obsolete for its original purpose. By 1997, the Columbia Falls station was placed in "warm storage," and by 2002, it was deactivated and placed in "cold storage," with equipment removed.
Today, the abandoned structures of the Columbia Falls Air Force Station serve as a poignant reminder of a bygone era, attracting urban explorers and history enthusiasts intrigued by its legacy.
