Did you know the U.S. Government sought The Greenbrier resort’s help in preparing for a Cold War attack on the nation’s capital?
Yes, there are secrets hidden just behind The Greenbrier’s grand walls! We’re talking real secrets, as in classified government ops that stayed secret until 1992 when a Washington Post journalist unearthed the truth.
The Greenbrier is best known for decadence and a certain joie de vivre, but it also ranks high among historians and biographers as a favorite destination. It's America’s Resort™, and its history has paralleled our nation’s since 1778. But some of those parallels remained clandestine until the 1990's.
Project Greek Island sounds like the stuff of movies, but it’s true. In 1958 during the Cold War at the height of nuclear panic across the United States, Project Greek Island was underway at The Greenbrier in quiet, little White Sulphur Springs, WV. At the behest of the Eisenhower Administration, a U.S. Government Relocation Facility was being built beneath what the public thought was simply an addition to the hotel proper. The addition, the West Virginia wing, was a cover-up. In reality, a concrete-encased fallout shelter was being buried 720 feet underground. It was intended to withstand an indirect nuclear attack and house all the members of Congress as well as a support staff of hundreds.
For more than 30 years, the bunker beneath the hotel remained the best-kept secret in West Virginia. That is, until reporter Ted Gup broke the story to the world. Immediately, the location was decommissioned, and over the next three years, the U.S. Government disentangled itself from The Greenbrier resort.
“Guests are always amazed that it was kept secret for 30 years. They can’t believe it was here the whole time.”
Deanna Hylton, The Greenbrier
Today, the story of how the bunker was constructed and maintained is preserved behind the 25-ton steel-and-concrete blast doors that, for decades, remained hidden by a façade of Dorothy Draper wallpaper. “Because of the way guests come in, they don’t believe they’re underground. The facility is actually 45 feet below the surface because it's built into the side of the hill. And when guests take the elevator to the main bunker entrance, it goes up,” notes Deanna Hylton, manager of the bunker tours.
The tour covers details of the facility’s clandestine construction including secret communications between the U.S. Government and Greenbrier executives. You’ll learn about the cover company, Forsythe Associates, a TV repair business, operated by Pentagon experts poised to take command in the event of a nuclear attack.
Astonishingly, the bunker was outfitted and prepared for activation at a moment’s notice. Everything from food, clothing, medical care, and outside communications were kept at the ready from 1961 until 1992. Your tour guide explains how all this was accomplished. During the tour, you also have an opportunity to peruse a museum of artifacts leftover from the active site. The bunkrooms lined with metal-framed bunk beds are a shocking departure from the luxurious suites 60-feet above. It’s unsettling and amazing all at once.
Gup may have put it best in the last line of his story that ran in the Washington Post on Sunday, May 31, 1992: “For 30 years, [The Greenbrier’s] guests have come to play golf, to be massaged, to bathe in the restorative waters of the mineral baths, while some of the men who repaired their televisions and brought them movies made all things ready for a darker world after this world.”
Whether you’ve booked a stay at The Greenbrier or you’re just spending the day, you can schedule a 90-minute underground tour of this former U.S. Government Relocation Facility we simply call “The Bunker.” Tickets are $52 for adults and $24 for youth ages 10 –17. Keep in mind the minimum age is 10. CALL: 855-453-4858
The tour lasts about an hour and a half and requires walking and standing. There is a seated portion of the experience in which a 10-minute short film is played. Wheelchairs are available upon request, though guests should bring someone able to assist with pushing.
As a reminder, Bunker Tour attendees are welcome to explore The Greenbrier's public areas, including a favorite historic site, the Presidents’ Cottage Museum, built in 1835.
“People don’t come on vacation looking for a history lesson. They take the Bunker Tour because the mystery draws them in, and once they’re here, they find it's a fascinating piece of history.”
Deanna Hylton, The Greenbrier
Even before the tour begins, curiosity tends to lead the conversation. Many visitors arrive knowing only that the bunker existed and quickly realize there is more to the story.
How long was the bunker actually a secret?
The facility remained classified for roughly 30 years. Some guests still half-jokingly wonder if something is still happening behind the 25-ton blast doors, which speaks to how convincing the secrecy once was.
How would all of Congress have gotten here at once?
At the time the bunker was built, train travel was the most practical option. Plans called for members of Congress to be transported to the resort by rail. The train depot sits directly across the street from The Greenbrier and still operates today as an Amtrak whistle stop.
Whose idea was it?
The project grew out of President Eisenhower’s continuity-of-government planning during the Cold War. Each branch of government had its own protected relocation strategy and the Greenbrier’s bunker was designed specifically for Congress.
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