Methodist Fallout Shelter - Oklahoma City, OK - Civil Defense Fallout Shelters on Waymarking.com

The Capitol Hill United Methodist Church is located at 123 S.W. 25th Street. The church building was constructed in 1952 and faces south. To the west of the main entrance, there is a brick portico which leads to a side entrance. On the wall between the two arched openings is a Fallout Shelter sign. This is a yellow and white sign with the three triangles in a circle. A few feet away, above the metal door is a second sign which is yellow and black. The sign shows a capacity of 230 persons.

In the 1960s, when the U.S. was fearful of an attack from Russia, the Department of Civil Defense was established and shelters were constructed throughout the country, and particularly in Washington D.C. Children in schools had regular Civil Defense Drills where they were taught what to do and where to go in the case of an atomic attack. Your radio program might be interrupted at any time with beeps and the words "This is only a test....." as the Civil Defense systems were tested.

The yellow sign (three triangles inside a circle) could be found in various places in towns, usually in strong, masonry buildings with basements (schools, armories and public buildings) where the maximum protection could be found. The program began to dissolve in the 1970s when funding cuts and apathy prevailed. Today, you will rarely find one of these signs, and it is estimated that only 5 to 10 percent of them remain. Interest has recently surfaced to protect these signs as a part of our history.

Capacity of shelter: 230 Radiation monitoring equipment: Not Listed

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