Recent photos of MITRE Test Site West Bath, ME


Looking North


Looking East


Looking South


Looking West

2009 photos contributed by David Dauphinee

David writes:
I visited the MITRE site in Bath today. It’s easily accessible from Route 24. The site is now home to some kind of metal recycler. There’s a race car hauler and a few cars that, if restored, would be decent collector items like an Opel GT and a Regal T-Type. There are also plenty of cars of no value whatsoever. I couldn’t climb the tower because, for whatever reason, the owner of the site was there and working today. I was really looking forward to climbing it, too.

The large radar sail is long gone, but the tower does appear to be in decent shape over all. See attached images. I believe the building with the garage doors is original, but it has been added on to.

Summer 2001 photos contributed by Harry Larrabee Sr.


The MITRE site as observed from the Bath Shopping Mall in Bath, ME.


Same site as observed from the old U.S. Rte 1 in West Bath near the access road to the site.

The three photos below show the FPS-31 tower, structure and platform. Model makers note: The photos below showing the tower structure from a number of angles are simply superb modelling photos. We`d certainly like to get a model of this tower and antenna.

April 2001 photos and notes contributed by Tom Page from the "New" Tour, 2001

The former MITRE Test Site at West Bath is just south of US Rte 1. If travelling eastbound from Brunswick, take the first Bath exit off Rte 1, then double back west on State Road. The old radar tower is clearly visible on the south side of the road.


A general view of the old AN/FPS-31 prototype search-radar tower (looking south).


At the base of the former AN/FPS-31 tower, looking up (from the west side).


Another view of the AN/FPS-31 tower, looking up (from the south side). The platform protruding out from the top of the tower appears to have been the support for the radar’s feedhorn assembly.


The top of the AN/FPS-31 tower, showing the rail that the antenna assembly rode on. [Looking north]


Another view of the top of the AN/FPS-31 tower, showing the base of the old antenna assembly (looking from what’s believed to be the feedhorn side). [Looking east]


A view of the underside of the old antenna-assembly base.