Lewiston's Unknown Korean War / Cold War Artillery Battalion

by Zach Collister

Lewiston, NY is a place rich with history. In fact, there is more history here than the thousands of
visitors who flock here each year for the festivals, shops, dining and adventures on the Niagara River are
aware of. Even more so, residents may not even be aware of the things past that their town they call
home has seen. I'm sure most people know that Lewiston had a big part in the War of 1812. And there
was also a large part in the Underground Railroad. There are plenty of not so common historical
happenings such as the fur trade, or the supposed first railway in America known as Montressor's
Tramway, not to mention the so called temporary holding place for William Morgan, made famous
when he disappeared after announcing he was going to expose the secrets of Freemasonry in a book,
prior to his murder. Fast forward to the 1950's and there becomes even less going on in this small town,
but even during this time Lewiston was taking part in history. The Korean War had broke out in 1950,
and the United States joined the cause in South Korea's defense in July of that same year. Between 1952
& 1953 Lewiston takes part in the Cold War!
Let me go back to where I came across this. I grew up in Lewiston NY during the 80's and 90's.
Although not that long ago, it was a different place than it is now. It was definitely smaller, quieter and
more neighborly than it is today. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, I'm proud of the place
Lewiston has become, but I also love it for what it was. Anyone and everyone that grew up in the Village
or the west side of the Parkway in the Town pretty much had the same general rules as a kid. It was
almost as if founding parents met and collaborated a book of childhood rules for Lewiston. For instance,
when the street lights (one at every corner mind you) came on, it was time to go home. For us north of
Center Street, we weren't allowed to ride our bikes on River Rd, because that was the "busy" street.
Speaking of Center St, this road is the direct cause that led me and my friends to the "5th St discovery"
and it was because of another famous childhood rule in Lewiston. You were not allowed to cross Center
St. Ridiculous I know, but if you grew up north of Center, you couldn't go to the south side, and vice
versa. Although I don't recall this rule being applied to my brother and I, it applied to a lot of our friends.
One wouldn't usually push their luck with this rule, as back then Lewiston was small enough that you
would most likely be seen by a parent's friend and that fear alone was enough to keep us kids
segregated.
Anyway, this childhood separation meant that my friends and I had limited places to explore and
play. I grew up in a subdivision known as Morgan Farms, and in those days there was nothing but woods
from practically Morgan Drive to where Chicora Street East is now. It stretched easterly from 5th to the
Parkway. To me, then, this was a jungle of endless exploring. There was a trail system that, at least we
thought, we named. There was the 5th St Trail that ran from the bend straight back to the better known
Hickory Trail that ran north south from Hickory Lane to 8th St (see below map). This was our stomping
ground.

In our younger years, we

would hike and explore these
woods rain or shine. We mountain
biked a lot, and built jumps and
ramps. As we got older we would
camp back there and have paint
ball wars. One adventurous
summer we developed a dirt bike
track out of a natural oval trail
system. In later years these woods
offered a safe haven for sneaking
some drinks or our first puffs of a
cigarette. Throughout all the stages
of childhood, one mystery stood clear. What were the foundations we discovered in the woods? Us
boys had hit the jackpot in discoveries when we came across several cement foundations, some with
complete basements and even a well! You could tell they were old, and you just immediately got this
vibe that they were World War II era. The oval trail above, which we called and assumed it was, a parade
ground was naturally cleared as one and complete with a flag pole at the west end. The trails in this area
were always dry as they were made out of cement and asphalt under all the moss and grass. Other than
always wondering the history behind these structures, we used them as bases for capture the flag or
paint ball battles, always knowing where the well was so we didn't fall in.
Many years later, a new subdivision went in on the north side of the woods. Although I didn't
own, my parents didn't own, or anyone we knew owned the 5th St Woods, I felt violated as if robbed of
something dear to me. In a matter of a couple years, the 5th St Woods were no longer recognizable.
Even more so, I knew that most of these foundations had to become known to the developers as
people's backyards now sit where history once was. Well, at least my history once stood there. Fast
forward again a few years and I myself own a house in Morgan Farms. In the past year, Hickory Trail was
finally paved into a street. That was it, that was the last staple trail that existed. Now that it's gone, it is
only a matter of time before the rest becomes homes for new residents. This is what made me decide to
investigate and get answers to my childhood mystery. Before it's gone for good.
I started by asking random people. Neighbors, community elders, you name it. No one south of
60 knew anything about it. Some people north of 70 said that it was no man's land. There was only a dirt
road along some rail tracks and that there was nothing but farms to the north so no kids ever really
ventured out that way. The River was their playground, not the farms. I finally got a couple leads. My
brother's friend's grandfather once told him that he was stationed there during the Korean War. The
second was from a fellow Historical Association of Lewiston board member's wife who said she had
played there when she was kid also and that she and her friends knew it as the Nike base. Ok great, two
great leads and that was all I needed.
This brings us back to the start of the Korean War in 1950. It was the first after the Great World
War during a time of fear over communism. This was a time where the US and the Soviet Union entered

into an arms race to develop bigger, better and far reaching weapons. Popular
during the late 40's into the 60's were anti-aircraft defense mechanisms. With
the rapidly growing aircraft technology, overhead raids were the biggest threat
during this period. You all know to duck under your school desk and cover your
head! When the United States entered World War II, they formed an Air
Defense Artillery division of the US Army. Although after World War I the US
already had what was known as the Coastal Artillery Corps, after being invaded
by air during Pearl Harbor, the US ramped up their defenses domestically. Over the next 10 years, the US
would build stations across the country, primarily along the borders where aircraft would first enter our
nation.
Over the years as weapon technology changed, so did the locations of these battalions. The
name of the defense group has also changed throughout the years; Coastal Artillery Corps, Air Defense
Artillery and finally Anti-Aircraft Artillery known as AAA Battalions. Each gun battery ranged in the
equipment it held. Some used smaller 37mm, 40mm or 50mm guns. These smaller gun units usually had
anywhere from 8 to 16
guns. As weapons became
larger, the quantities
decreased. 90mm gun
battalions only had up to 4
guns on site.
The start of the
Korean War and the
threat of communism
after World War II put the
country on alert. They
began to erect more
battalions domestically. By the 1950's most of these battalions were 90mm gun sites. Just to give you a
perspective, a 90mm gun had a barrel 15 feet long and had a range of approximately 34,000 feet,
enough to take down a plane.
The Town of Lewiston had 4 of these AAA Battalions. One located at Model City (the old
Manhattan Project site), Sanborn (still there as Franklin Traffic) the Tuscarora Indian Reservation, and
right in my backyard playground in Lewiston. Researching this was hard, hell, the area residents didn't
even know it existed. I found a list of military installations for the Niagara Frontier that dates the 5th St
battery to 1955, however several other newspaper articles date it back to 1953. Our 5th St battery
therefore came into existence in 1953 under the command of the 606th AAA Gun Battalion, Battalion B.
According to a November 12, 1956 Niagara Gazette article, the 606th was headquartered at Fort Niagara
under the command of Francis Newcomer who over saw the 2nd AAA Group and 44th AAA Missile
Battalion. The 606th operated sites in Lewiston, Tuscarora Indian Reservation, Wheatfield and Grand
Island. Model City was under the command of the 44th as it was a missile site rather than a gun site.

Each one of these AAA batteries consisted of a barracks, storage facilities, support buildings and
of course pads where the 4 guns would be mounted. The buildings were wooden, built on cement pads
and usually painted beige. You can see some of these building still in existence today on Shawnee Rd as
Franklin Traffic's headquarters occupies the old Sanborn site. According to a Tuesday May 14, 1957
Gazette article, "the AAA men wear a distinctive yellow and red shoulder patch" shown on the previous
page. That same article had the below image of the 5th St battalion practicing. It is the only image I
found of the site and you will notice it says "gun 1" indicating there was more than one as military sites
have described. It's ironic that this article was published in 1957 as 1957 was the last known record or
mention of the Lewiston battery. Perhaps this article was publicity to keep the facility active during a
time when the government was transitioning from 90mm gun sites to missile sites, known as Nike bases.

Not much is known about the individuals who manned the 606th AAA Battalion. On
unitpages.military.com, a site used by veterans to reunite with unit members, there are 4 members
listed, however it can't be said they were stationed in Lewiston as the 606th operated 3 sites. I have not
looked into these service men as of yet nor do I know whether they are still alive. These veterans are
Milton Smith, served 1953 - 1955, Michael Moniuszko 1955-1958, Paul Robitaille 1953-1957, Kenneth
Cooper 1943-1945. The dates of Michael and Kenneth indicate they were not stationed at Lewiston as
Lewiston wasn't installed until 1953 and Michael's service ends one year after the date Lewiston's
battalion closed.

There are two gentleman that I know for sure were stationed
in Lewiston. A June 30th, 1953 article in the Yonkers, NY paper The
Herald Statesman lists Kenneth Buchsbaum and Eugene Quick as being
assigned to duty in the 606th in Lewiston, NY. IT states that Quick was
a "radio operator, who has been awarded the Combat Infantryman
Badge."
The Lewiston battalion was located just east of 5th St which
was a dirt road that used to be the old Lewiston Youngstown Frontier
Railway. As a side, you can still hike or bike along this railroad route
from Lewiston all the way to Vet's Park in Youngstown where a depot still stands behind the old Cold
Storage building. It is a decently maintained trail as it is a National Grid right of way now.
The Lewiston battery didn't see any action, which was a good thing. They did however take part
in a War Game. In the April 3rd, 1957 Gazette article about the War Games, reporter Selwyn Steinberg
quotes Maj. Donald Grant as stating "the AAA force here is a last line of defense. Fighters of the
Canadian and of our own air force get first crack at the hostile craft. It is
up to us in the AAA to get any that might get through to the frontier."
The article goes on to explain the communication process across the
Frontier from Operations Command at Fort Niagara out to the different
battalion locations and the process of gearing up to shoot after receiving
the proper heading. The mock attacks on the Niagara Frontier included
planes from the local Niagara Falls Air Base which played the enemy
during the war games. Their main objective on the Frontier was to
protect the chemical plants and the hydroelectric power plant. These
war games were held annually although exercises were often held twice
a week with no actual firing. It was mostly to test the communication
system and the radar equipment's capability to track enemy targets. An unknown dated article by Bill
Nelson of the Gazette reports a perfect score for the 2nd Artillery Group, the parent to Lewiston's 606th
AAA during one of these radar test drills.
Other than the war games, the Niagara Frontier batteries held several open houses, which
perplexed me as to how no one locally had hear of the Lewiston unit. Another undated classified for
Armed Forces Day in the Niagara Gazette advertises open houses for military installations. This is one of
only two articles I found that mentions 5th St as the location. This had to be in 1957 as it shows Model
City and Grand Island as missile sites, which caused
the closure of the older outdated gun sites such as
Lewiston. Other open houses were held in 1956
according to a May 18th article of that year in the
Gazette and again in 1957, again in May. This second
article from May 11th, 1957 is the other article that
mentions 5th St, describing the locations the article
mentions "Battery B in 5th St Lewiston." Open

houses were common during this period for a number of reasons. First, the country was proud of its
military force. They have just won the World War and have come out of a very costly Korean War, so the
government held these events to show the country was still strong. Second, this was a time of
communism and threats from the skies. For the first time the United States could be attacked from far
off enemies. It was the first time this country became vulnerable and the memories of Pearl Harbor
were probably still on people's minds. These open houses showcased the modern technology of the
time in warfare and instilled a sense of security during the Cold War. They were also used as recruiting
tools. After two very deadly wars, these open houses showed potential recruits how much more safe
the military was with these remote gun and missile sites. Kids during World War II were now coming of
age to sign up for military service but may have been skeptical after hearing horror stories or losing a
father. This new artillery system, home based, could have persuaded these young men to join.
Lewiston's closure. I wasn't able to find anything on when the 606th AAA Gun Battalion B in
Lewiston closed. There is no mention past 1957 in any local newspapers. Military sites date it from 1953
to 1957. A short four to five year span. Regardless of the articles in 1957 about the war games and open
houses I have to assume it was
shut down in late 1957. The
reasoning was simple, with missile
technology advancing, there was
no need for gun sites. Some were
transformed into new Nike bases
such as the case for Grand Island
in the mid 50's. Some closed for
good and most likely
consolidated. The Fort Niagara
unit left to man the new Nike
base in East Aurora. The
Tuscarora, Sanborn and our own
Lewiston site were simply closed
and sold off. Model City remained
open for a period as a missile site.
For those not familiar
with the Nike program, it was a
military program controlled by the
US Army for the creation of antiaircraft missile technology. Nike is
not an acronym, but simply Greek
meaning victory as symbolism of
victory in the Cold War. The
program progressed from the Ajax missile to the Hercules, Zeus and finally the X. By 1974 almost all Nike
bases were deactivated as a result nuclear intercontinental missiles and the lack of funding. Warfare
once again changed and just as gun battalions were replaced with Nike sites, so were Nike sites
replaced.
Lewiston was eventually sold off and became farmland. There is no mention as to when the
buildings were removed, but it is known that they were as there is no evidence of timber or even debris
located at the site. All that remains are the foundations of a couple buildings, the cement/asphalt
roadways turned to gravel and the loan rusty flag pole. It took 25 years from the time this facility closed
to become the forest it was when I was a kid. Venturing back their today 15 years later makes me feel
old as it is completely over grown and the trails have become less visible.

The foundations that included the basements

and the well no longer exist as they currently sit in the
backyards of Oak Run Estates' homes. The foundations
that do still exist are identifiable as moss lines the
cement. There is one large, roughly 60 feet by 20 feet,
foundation with visible doorways and a 4 feet by 3 feet
well like structure (see photo below). This foundation
seems to have had dirt floors as it is not filled or solid,
indicating that this may have been offices or the
barracks. A wooden structure would have sat on top
with a wooden floor and crawl space below. You can
see where the rooms were and it even has two wood
curbs made from railway ties leading from what
appears to be the front door to the roadway (now a
gravel trail).
The other foundation is solid cement. This
structure may have been a storage facility, requiring
the cement floor to handle the weight of artillery
supplies. It is about 40 feet by 20 feet and is located
behind (to the east) of the other foundation and is right
along the road also. Across from both structures are a
few moss covered railway ties in a perfect line almost
as if they were parking curbs for vehicles. One thing is
for sure, they are man cut railways ties and are in a
perfect straight line spaced roughly a vehicle length
from each other.
Everything that was manmade is now covered
in moss as if mother nature is fighting to reclaim its
turf. Soon enough this lost Lewiston history will be
completely removed as the subdivision expands and I
will be left with nothing more than a memory of my
childhood playground. I fear that someday without the
ability to hike these woods anymore that my memory
of it will fade, just like the memory of 606th AAA Gun
Battalion of Lewiston.