Beneath a luxury West Virginia resort lies a secret bunker built for the U.S. Congress
In short: For decades, the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia served as a glamorous getaway for presidents and socialites. Yet, hidden beneath its elegant facade was Project Greek Island, a massive, classified underground bunker designed to house the entire United States Congress in the event of a nuclear catastrophe during the Cold War.
The Greenbrier has long been a destination for the elite, tracing its origins to 1778 when visitors began visiting the Allegheny Mountains to take the local sulphur waters. By the mid-20th century, it had transformed into a premier year-round resort. However, its role shifted dramatically during the Cold War when the U.S. government approached the property to construct a secret emergency relocation center. Built between 1959 and 1962, the bunker was designed to serve as a secure shelter for Congress if a nuclear holocaust occurred.
For thirty years, the facility remained fully stocked and ready for use, yet its existence was kept entirely secret from the public. The government never acknowledged the bunker until 1992, when journalist Ted Gup of The Washington Post exposed its location. Following the report, the government immediately decommissioned the site. Today, the declassified bunker serves a dual purpose: a portion of the space is open to the public for tours, while other sections have been repurposed as a private data storage facility.
The resort's history is deeply intertwined with American conflict. During the Civil War, the property nearly burned as control shifted between Union and Confederate forces. Later, during World War II, the U.S. Army commandeered the hotel, paying $3.3 million to convert it into the 2,000-bed Ashford General Hospital. Between 1943 and 1946, the facility treated nearly 25,000 patients. After the war, the resort underwent a famous redesign by Dorothy Draper, re-emerging as a symbol of luxury that has hosted 28 U.S. presidents, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, the last president to stay there during his term.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Greenbrier
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