School uncovers forgotten fallout shelters

WATKINS GLEN—For some 50 years survival supplies in three fallout shelters at the Watkins Glen middle school remained mostly undisturbed and forgotten.
It was a surprise to library media specialist Maggie Field that the Cold War-era shelter supplies were still stored inside the basement. She explained she knew the school had been designated as a shelter; there is still a sign on the outside of the building that says “fallout shelter.” Field, a Watkins graduate, added she remembered doing “duck and cover drills” when she was in middle school. Andrew Tompkins, Schuyler County Historical Society director, said schools in the area usually served as shelters.
Field said a custodian told her about the survival supplies in late June. She added, “I was just amazed” and “I was so excited to find all this.” At the time she went into two separate shelters, both accessible from the middle school boiler room. One is located in a crawl space between the first floor and basement. A third shelter was uncovered last Friday, Aug. 2. Watkins Superintendent Tom Phillips said a retired maintenance worker called the district about a third location under the technology room.
All three shelters still had boxes filled with tinned crackers, medical supplies, and sanitary items. While the shelters were designated in the 1960s, the middle school was built in the 1920s.
“Time stands still for you in there,” said Phillips, adding “it’s a living time capsule.”
Phillips said he didn’t know the supplies were still there. He explained his guess was that the items were never in the way so no one ever mentioned they were there. Phillips added, “they were in places only accessed for rerouting pipes and wires.”
He added the supplies were meant for an estimated 395 people. Some of the boxes have dates saying they were packaged in March of 1962 by the Office of Civil Defense Department of Defense. Field said the latest date she found was January of 1963.
A survival guide included with the supplies said people at the time had to “be ready to live on his or her own for two weeks—the period following a nuclear attack when outside assistance might not be available.” It added that human life is needed for the U.S. to recover from an attack.
However, the guide also said, “Obviously we would be only deceiving ourselves if we were to expound the idea that all persons could survive a nuclear attack. Many would be killed by the blast and thermal effects of the weapons. But many others —most Americans—would survive if they had made certain preparations after accepting their personal responsibilities in national defense.”
Once she was shown the shelter supplies Field received permission from Phillips to bring some of the items up from the basement. Field said, “I thought it would be great for social studies.” She contacted teacher Kelsey Wood who covers the Cold War in her class. Wood added her father said he was shown the shelter in the late 1980s and mentioned seeing large water barrels. However, there are no barrels left now.
Field and Wood have since brought down several of each item. Field explained she will put some of the shelter supplies on display in the high school library when the current renovations are complete next year. Phillips added the district will share the items with the Schuyler County Historical Society and any county agency that wants them for preservation purposes.