THE ARCHITECTURE WHICH DEFINES OUR LANDSCAPE IS A TANGIBLE PART OF OUR COLLECTIVE HISTORY. WHEN HISTORIC STRUCTURES ARE DEMOLISHED, A PART OF OURSELVES IS RELEGATED TO MEMORY AND CONDEMNED TO BE FORGOTTEN. IN THE REDISCOVERY OF OUR ABANDONED, OFF-LIMITS, OR OTHERWISE HIDDEN ENVIRONMENTS, I DOCUMENT THEIR EXISTENCE AS WELL AS OUR OWN THROUGH THE PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE ADVENTURES PRESENTED HERE
The munitions manufacturing facility that once stood here was built during WWII and saw use through the Vietnam War for the production of ammunition and airplanes. There are tunnels which once connected the factories and provided climate controlled underground storage, evidenced by the large empty rooms and aged compressor equipment. The tunnels themselves stretch for a good mile or so.
Along the side of the busy road sits a conspicuous bunker, surrounded by a tall fence which is lined with razor wire. The lack of doors on this structure hints of the tunnels existence below. This small concrete shack was, in fact a machine-gun emplacement. Nearby, a long abandoned munition testing facility slowly crumbles. Falsely assuming there was a connection from the building just down the road, we headed there first.
The ammunition produced in the Manufacturing Plant was tested at the Firing Range/Test Laboratory. It has a few small tunnels used for underground 50 cal target practice, but we found they do not connect directly to the main storage bunkers/tunnels. It was in an advanced state of disrepair with the exception of the area used as a firing range which had huge blast doors and reinforced concrete walls. Several nearby warehouses are being rented out, others are sitting vacant. To this day, the area is still mostly Federal Government owned.
Firing range/testing laboratory:
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
Furry Tubes. This is one of the underground firing ranges for 50 caliber machine guns.
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
This is the back end of a small-arms range. The bullets were collected at the end of these tubes.
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
Cave Crickets
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
Furry rooms. Asbestos?
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
Down the road, we located the entrance to the network of tunnels and the climate controlled underground storage areas.
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
WWII Munitions Testing Facility STL by sublunar
Looking out from behind the razor wire in the former machine gun emplacement.
This blog is dedicated to the pursuit of adventure and features urban exploration in Saint Louis, Missouri and beyond.
1. With the exception of historical photos, all of the photographs here are copyrighted and not to be used for any purpose without my consent. The historical imagery is courtesy of the Historical Society or as otherwise noted.
2. "Don't try this at home." I absolutely will not be held responsible for anyone else's stupidity. I do not recommend anyone try visiting any of these locations. Sometimes I am granted access to the things you see here and attempting to follow in my footsteps may get you arrested, hurt or killed.
3. I do not condone or tolerate: vandalism, theft, littering or any other disrespectful activity in any of these locations. I have the utmost respect for the history of these locations and for the history of my city, Saint Louis. "Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints."
4. Do not ask me for (or post) specific location information. If identifying information is not provided in the post, there's usually a good reason for that. Any information will be provided either at the time of posting, or updated years later, at my discretion.
5. Any reference to "I/me, we/us" anywhere on this blog is probably just a metaphor. Metaphors are oten employed to simplify complex technical details when storytelling. As such, they can never be considered as admission, nor proof, of guilt; They do not provide sufficient evidence as to who (or what) actually took any of the photos shown here. I/we may or may not actually exist.
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