My Dad joined the FBI in 1948, and after brief stints in Seattle and Pittsburg, our family settled in at Beckley WV. An extension of the Pittsburg office, Daddy was one of three agents in Beckley for about 6 years.
Then, one day, Daddy came home and announced that he had been transferred to Lewisburg, population 2,200.
Why would the FBI open a one-man office in Lewisburg? Many years later, we found out. Eight miles down the road, the federal government was building a bunker beneath the Greenbrier Hotel – a safe haven for the entire United States Congress should the unthinkable – a nuclear war – occur.
Daddy spent a lot of time at the Greenbrier. He was on a first name basis with Sam Snead and knew the entire staff. President Eisenhower was also a frequent visitor as he loved to play golf and it was his administration that had approved the bunker. We didn’t think much about it at the time, but a number of doctors showed up at the Greenbrier. They had some cute daughters, which we dated, but they weren’t there to give polio shots. These were some of the finest medical minds in the country and they were there to tend to Congress should they get sick.
Called Project Greek Island, this was a top secret and massive endeavor. Built between 1958 and 1961, the bunker was buried 720 feet into the hillside under the hotel. There were 153 rooms occupying 112,544 feet on two levels. The facility had its own power plant and water sources. It would house 1,100 people for up to 40 days with a 60-day stockpile of provisions.
The clinic, which the medical staff would oversee, spread across 6,000 square feet with an operating room, a dental unit and nurse’s station.
The bunker was kept secret until May 1992 when the Washington Post (our great protectors of democracy) exposed the project. It was then immediately dismantled.
The Greenbrier is now offering guided tours of the bunker. It’s pretty awesome, and well worth seeing.
