Site - looking North
Site - looking East
Site - looking South
Site - looking West
Ops & Radar - looking North
Ops & Radar - looking East
Ops & Radar - looking South
Ops & Radar - looking West
Cantonment & Rec Hall - looking North
Cantonment & Rec Hall - looking East
Cantonment & Rec Hall - looking South
Cantonment & Rec Hall - looking West
Housing - looking North
Housing - looking South
February 1999 Photos and notes by Tom Page
Email: tepage@hotmail.com
Tom writes:
"... it was on to Crystal Springs, MS. It was almost a straight shot, taking US
Route 90 east to I-310, then I-10 west to I-55 north. I got to Crystal Springs
just as it was getting dark, so I found a motel for the night. One of our e-mail
correspondents and web-site contributors, Robert Redding, lives in Crystal Springs.
He is a retired Westinghouse employee who had worked on the prototype AN/FPS-27 at
Crystal Springs AFS. I called him up, and we met at the old AF station the next
morning. As you know, that site is now owned by the city of Crystal Springs, and
hosts the Mississippi Job Corps. It took about 15 minutes or so before we could
obtain permission to enter the grounds and take photos, and that was under escort.
It had just started raining, but the rain was light and intermittent, so it did not
interfere too much. Robert pointed out the exact spot where the prototype AN/FPS-27
search-radar tower used to stand — the concrete footings of the tower were still
visible. We also located the site of one of the old AN/FPS-6 (AN/FPS-90 ?)
heightfinder radar towers (west of the LRR Ops building); some footings and its
cable trough were still faintly visible. The other AN/FPS-6 heightfinder radar
tower location (east of the LRR Ops building) was where some modern trailers are
today, so no remains were visible. [See Robert`s aerial photo on the web site.]
I concluded my tour with a quick drive through the old family-housing area (where
every second house has been removed). Robert and I talked for a few more minutes,
then it was back on the road. Just east of Crystal Springs, I got ahead of the
weather front, and had mostly fair weather for the rest of the day."
Job Corps entrance sign at former Crystal Springs AFS, MS.
Robert Redding standing on location of prototype AN/FPS-27
tower (only remains of which is a circular pattern of footings); behind
him is the old Westinghouse Quonset hut (looking ~ northeast).
Robert Redding standing in front of power-plant building
(left) and LRR Operations (right), with Westinghouse Quonset hut in the
background (looking ~ south).
Additional recent photos of Job Corps center from the web site http://www.del-jen.com/jobcorps/jcmssp.htm
These views show former USAF buildings or Westinghouse quonset hut.