Today’s time-travel journey took us to an intriguing area we drive by all the time on Vint Hill Road.
Mostly a road that takes us into the rolling hills of horse country, one street beckons with the name of Spy Plane.
Also, neighbors tell me the area is an old base that once housed a commissary.
What all was back there anyway?
COVERT CAFÉ
Driving into the area, we parked at the Covert Cafe (intriguing name) and found ourselves surrounded by an old spy network dating back to WWII!
So those rumors were true!
Inside the old housing for the intelligence gatherers is the Covert Cafe (I love it!)…
Ordering the Cyclops which has a fried egg on top of the hamburger, we found these to be the best in Virginia!
We ate on the patio looking at all the old WWII buildings which reminded me of Lackland AFB near where I grew up.
Inside Covert Café we found some history of the area.
VINT HILL FARMS STATION
In 1942, Vint Hill Farms Station became a part of the US Army and the NSA, as one of the most important spy stations during the WWII.
Their work continued through the Cold War.
One of the intercepted messages greatly aided General Eisenhower in planning the Normandy Invasion.
The WACS (Women’s Air Corps) arrived in 1943, changing the tenor of the previous all male environment.
Apparently, there were issues encouraging the men to groom.
Once the women arrived, the sales of aftershave quadrupled at the PX!
With so many of the men overseas, the WAC filled an essential role as covert interceptors.
There was always someone on shift, working 8 hours at a time.
COLD WAR MUSEUM
After lunch we walked over to the Cold War Museum, truly only a few steps away.
Within was an amazing store of intelligence gathering galore.
One of the founders of the museum is Francis Gary Powers, Jr. whose father was the U2 pilot who was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960.
I was especially thrilled to see this crypto machine, since my dad worked crypto maintenance in the USAF during the Vietnam War.
Catching my eye, this book is one I want to add to my collection for teaching the grandchildren after my kids get married! 😉
WAR GAMES SIMULATED COMPUTER
One of the most fun finds was this computer simulation based on War Games starring Matthew Broderick (1983).
We’ve seen NORAD’s Cheyenne Mountain (one of the settings of the movie) many times on our vacations in Colorado.
This computer has been programmed to be the WOPR computer that plays games with the Broderick character.
Next to the computer there is a script of commands to punch in so we can be the Broderick character.
“Wa-nt to pl-a-y a ga-me?”
So it’s an opportunity to reenact the War Games movie…without all the drama.
This was the beginning of the DOS commands (boy, remember those?) for the war games.
I would love to go back for a photo shoot of all the outdoor WWII buildings with me wearing my WWII dress.
