naval jet engine testing facility

The Naval Jet Engine Testing Facility consists of approximately 96 buildings and various structures situated on 66 acres. The main purpose of the grounds was to test jet engines, alternative fuels, engine turbines, and starters. When completed in 1955, the Testing Facility was the most powerful and technically advanced aircraft engine testing facility in the world. It served as a major Cold War research facility and was integral in the development of long-range, low-temperature, high-altitude jet engines.

The base was closed in 1993 by a Congressional Committee and all equipment and personnel were moved to existing centers in Maryland and Tennessee. The grounds are being considered for reuse as surplus land for the Federal Government, or even the building of homeless shelters. 25 acres of the property may be given to a neighboring local county airport, and the US Postal Service may receive up to 3 acres. The remainder would be put up for public auction.

The jet engine test cells complex, which is comprised of three buildings on the southern portion of the grounds, is eligible for placement on the National Register of Historic Places.