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[narrator]
A forsaken facility, once a hub
for worldwide communications,

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taken over by a divisive group.

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00:00:11,266 --> 00:00:14,700
This place played host to one
of the great geniuses of

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the 20th century, but it's also
a place where a deranged cult

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leader abused his members.

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[narrator] A secret arsenal
containing enough power to

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destroy the world.

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[James] This is a use of deadly
force authorized area,

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meaning all games are off,
the Constitution doesn't
apply here.

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[narrator]
And a forgotten inn at
the crossroads of history.

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This building was part of
the making of America.

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[narrator]
Near the Pacific Ocean lies
a site where pioneers forged

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global connections,
while others used it

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to sow division.

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For the local community,
this area has been kind of like

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a castle on the hill, and not
much is known about it.

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[Prof. Zarsadiaz]
We are in a beautiful,
picturesque part of Northern

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California, one of the most
scenic parts of the state.

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Up the hillside stretches
a strange complex.

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[Meares]
So it's this opposing two-story
building with this wide

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veranda, and there's a lot of
other buildings dotted around

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the property as well.

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[Prof. Zarsadiaz]
The site is glorious,
but also a little eerie.

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Some of the buildings are
a little spooky.

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There must be a story there.

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[Dr. Mitchell]
Inside the main building,
there's old radio equipment

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plus decor from many
different eras.

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[narrator]
This was a pioneering facility
of scientific achievement,

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but that would all be undone
when new residents moved in.

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New worldwide connections were
made here, but others were

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determined to sow
division and hatred.

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California State Parks
employee, Kaylie Williams,

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has been investigating
the story of this place,

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and is still unraveling
its secrets.

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[Kaylie] This whole area would
have been kind of off limits.

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It would have been high
electromagnetic frequency

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and literally a buzz.

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[narrator]
The company that initially
developed this site was owned

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by one of the most celebrated
scientists of all time,

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Guglielmo Marconi.

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[Dr. Mitchell] When it came to
science and technology,

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Guglielmo Marconi
was a visionary.

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In 1901, he succeeded in
transmitting radio waves across

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the Atlantic and within a few
years, Europe and North America

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were in regular
commercial contact.

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[narrator]
Marconi's radio technology
was revolutionary, but still

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in its infancy.

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It would take one of
the world's greatest maritime

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disasters to make
it indispensable.

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By 1912, most transatlantic
voyages had a Marconi

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transmission system on board.

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[Kaylie] Marconi had a contract
with the White Star Line,

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so the Titanic and its sister
ship, the Olympic, both had

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Marconi equipment on board.

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On April 14th, the Titanic hit
an iceberg and the two radio

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operators began transmitting
distress signals.

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[narrator]
These SOS transmissions were
received by another liner

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70 miles away, the Carpathia.

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She raced to the disaster site
and rescued over 700 survivors.

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[Prof. Zarsadiaz] Without
Marconi's equipment,

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everyone on the ship would
have died.

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[narrator]
The success of Marconi's
wireless system further

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enhanced his reputation
and that of his technology.

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[Meares]
Marconi's next dream was to
have a radio system that

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spanned the globe.

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And to do that, he needed to
cross the Pacific.

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[Dr. Mitchell] To achieve his
goal, he built this place on

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Tomales Bay.

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These facilities enabled
wireless communication across

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the Pacific between United
States, Hawaii, and Asia for

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the first time.

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[narrator] Built in 1914,
this is the Tomales Bay Marconi

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Wireless Receiving Station.

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A 35-room hotel was also
constructed to

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house the workers.

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[Kaylie]
So essentially this was a space
for Marconi's staff and their

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families to stay.

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The hotel offered a library,
a dining hall, a billiard room.

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I would equate it kind of like
how lighthouse operators lived.

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[narrator]
Both commercial and government
communications were received

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and forwarded by Marconi's
staff here for three years.

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But a global conflict would
derail their work.

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During World War I,
the United States government

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appropriated control of
Marconi's technology

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and this site.

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[narrator] Yet after the war,
the long-wave communication

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equipment here would be
superseded by new shortwave

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technology, and the Marconi
Company would not return to

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Tomales Bay.

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But that was not the end of
the road for this hotel.

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In 1964, a new group of owners
buys the hotel for $175,000.

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And this group is known as
the Synanon Foundation.

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[Kaylie] This is the third floor
of the hotel.

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So these modifications to
the architecture were put in

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when Synanon was here
on the property.

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[Dr. Mitchell]
Synanon was initially a drug
rehabilitation program headed

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by a charismatic man named
Charles E. Dederich.

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He developed a following among
self-proclaimed "dope fiends"

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who were rejected by
alcohol recovery programs.

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[Dederich, archive]
Very close to putting
a shovel in the ground for

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the establishment of
a small city

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called Synanon,
California, about 45 miles

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north of San Francisco.

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[narrator]
Addicts were encouraged to
bring their families to the old

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Marconi site, and began building
a self-sufficient community.

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But Dederich viewed the people
in his care as childlike,

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and thought they needed harsh
discipline to stop them from

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falling back into addiction.

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One way he controlled his flock
here was by making them

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play The Game.

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[Meares]
The Game was what psychologists
call "attack therapy."

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And so this was a really brutal
way of breaking folks down.

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[Dr. Mitchell]
In the game, about a dozen
or so members would humiliate

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and pick on one another,
and sometimes for days on end,

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with the goal
being self-revelation.

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Why don't you be honest
with him?

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You boil, and you can't even
talk calmly.

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You explode every
time you talk.

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Are you afraid of him?

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[Dr. Mitchell]
Some members found this
cathartic, but it really was

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just pretty much a form of
psychological abuse,

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especially when you consider
the vulnerable children

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and adults who were at Synanon.

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[narrator]
Dederich also began to decide
who his followers would marry,

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holding mass weddings on
the Marconi property.

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Under his command,
Synanon would change this place

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beyond all recognition.

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[Kaylie]
They added lots of different
structures to the property,

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including more residences.

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They also added
a fire station, a dump.

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[Dr. Mitchell]
Much of the new construction
did not have the necessary

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permits, but Dederich had
a way around this.

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Although Synanon wasn't even
religious, he had it declared

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a tax-exempt religious
organization,

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the Church of Synanon.

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[Meares]
Synanon changed from a positive
drug rehabilitation program to

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something entirely else.

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[narrator]
Chuck Dederich would turn this
place of scientific advancement

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into a hive of strange
games and paranoia.

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His organization became known
as the most dangerous cult

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in America.

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[narrator]
On the California coast lies
a collection of buildings that

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00:09:05,667 --> 00:09:09,967
was taken over by the Synanon
Foundation in the 1960s,

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which is set out to build
a utopia for recovering

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drug addicts.

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But its founder,
reformed alcoholic

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Chuck Dederich, would use some
unorthodox methods to keep

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his followers in line.

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[Prof. Zarsadiaz]
According to some testimonials,
some of the people who lived on

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the compound were forced to
shave their heads, to swap

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partners, and to have
forced vasectomies.

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[narrator]
Soon dissent would spring up
and Dederich would lash out.

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In the beginning,
the local community actually

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tried to help Synanon
get established.

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But then over time,
those interactions started to

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become more and more violent.

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[Meares]
People were beat if they tried
to leave and children tried to

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escape repeatedly
from the facility.

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[narrator]
To combat increasing criticism,
Dederich chose a path from

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which there would be no return.

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[Meares]
Dederich became increasingly
belligerent and started suing

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everyone who dared say anything
about him, as well as sending

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out thugs to beat up folks that
he felt were trying to

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destroy his empire.

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On October 10th, 1978,
two members de-rattled a four

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00:10:24,166 --> 00:10:27,166
and a half foot long
rattlesnake and placed it in

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00:10:27,166 --> 00:10:29,100
the mailbox of
an opposing attorney.

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He was bitten but survived.

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Soon after, authorities began
investigating the cult.

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[narrator]
Following raids on Synanon
properties, including the old

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Marconi site in 1980,
authorities charged Dederich

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and two accomplices with
conspiracy to commit murder.

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Dederich avoided jail,
but was forced to give up

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control of the group,
which began to fragment.

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[Kaylie] So this building
remains standing, but most of

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the buildings that they had
added were dismantled when

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00:11:03,834 --> 00:11:06,100
the Synanon Foundation
left the property.

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[narrator]
By 1991, the group had
dissolved entirely and left

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these buildings to nature.

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00:11:19,867 --> 00:11:24,300
Today, the Marconi site has
a second chance, as it's now

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a California State Park
and conference center.

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It's unlikely the old hotel
building will remain in this

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dilapidated state for long.

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00:11:35,367 --> 00:11:39,667
The hope for the building
behind me is to turn it into

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a visitor center or a museum.

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You can find a lot of natural
beauty here.

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I think that this site here is
an oasis for history.

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[narrator] In the Buckeye State,
a building that offered shelter

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to those in need, also hosted
one of America's first

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00:12:02,100 --> 00:12:03,400
global celebrities.

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00:12:10,367 --> 00:12:13,800
[Doug]
Well this building opened up a
storybook that I haven't been

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able to shut to this day.

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00:12:16,033 --> 00:12:18,266
[Bell] We're in Palmyra, Ohio.

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00:12:18,266 --> 00:12:21,667
It's about an hour's drive from
the city of Cleveland.

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00:12:21,834 --> 00:12:26,367
[narrator]
At the crossroads in the center
of town, hundreds pass by each

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00:12:26,367 --> 00:12:30,000
day, not realizing history
hides in this

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00:12:30,166 --> 00:12:32,000
derelict structure.

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00:12:32,166 --> 00:12:33,900
[Dr. Thomas] This is
a three-story building.

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00:12:34,066 --> 00:12:37,166
The red bricks and sash windows
indicate that it's from

200
00:12:37,166 --> 00:12:38,400
the 19th century.

201
00:12:38,567 --> 00:12:40,767
Maybe it's some kind of
factory building.

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00:12:40,934 --> 00:12:43,467
This is the Rust Belt,
after all.

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00:12:43,634 --> 00:12:46,567
[Bell] Inside this place is
a portrait of dereliction.

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00:12:46,567 --> 00:12:50,567
The plaster's chipping
and cracking, but you can tell

205
00:12:50,567 --> 00:12:53,500
it was once beautiful.

206
00:12:53,667 --> 00:12:57,000
[Rodriguez-McRobbie] On the top
floor, there's this big
open room.

207
00:12:57,166 --> 00:12:58,700
What's its purpose?

208
00:12:58,867 --> 00:13:01,600
It looks like it could be some
kind of auditorium.

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00:13:01,767 --> 00:13:05,900
[narrator]
This place has been a crucial
stop on multiple journeys,

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00:13:06,066 --> 00:13:08,567
many of which have
shaped the nation.

211
00:13:08,734 --> 00:13:13,066
This building has seen a lot of
people, some people famous,

212
00:13:13,233 --> 00:13:16,200
some people actually hiding
or running away,

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00:13:16,367 --> 00:13:20,767
and there's been people that
changed American history.

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00:13:26,767 --> 00:13:32,000
The first time I came to this
building, I never really cared

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00:13:32,166 --> 00:13:34,300
for history.
I don't know what happened.

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00:13:34,467 --> 00:13:36,500
This building talks to me.

217
00:13:36,667 --> 00:13:39,567
It's almost like a love affair,
you know what I mean,

218
00:13:39,567 --> 00:13:42,100
where I am literally in love
with the building.

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00:13:42,100 --> 00:13:45,500
[narrator]
Doug Rice has dedicated
the last three decades of

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00:13:45,667 --> 00:13:48,066
his life to uncovering
the secrets

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00:13:48,233 --> 00:13:50,767
hidden within these walls.

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00:13:50,934 --> 00:13:56,500
This building was first built
in 1832 because it was on two

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00:13:56,667 --> 00:13:58,800
major stagecoach lines.

224
00:13:58,967 --> 00:14:02,200
[Dr. Thomas]
Stagecoaches were early
forms of interstate transit.

225
00:14:02,367 --> 00:14:05,166
Travelers would pay to ride on
a horse-drawn carriage that

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00:14:05,333 --> 00:14:07,800
would make several stops
along the journey.

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00:14:07,967 --> 00:14:09,600
[Rodriguez-McRobbie]
They're called stagecoaches

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00:14:09,767 --> 00:14:11,767
because they were
accomplished in stages.

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00:14:11,767 --> 00:14:15,567
People could pick them up
and go as far as
they needed to go.

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00:14:15,734 --> 00:14:18,100
These journeys could take
weeks at a time.

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00:14:18,100 --> 00:14:22,066
So passengers and crews relied
on networks of inns for

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00:14:22,233 --> 00:14:24,367
repairs, rest, recuperation.

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00:14:24,367 --> 00:14:28,400
[narrator] This place was one of
these crucial stops.

234
00:14:28,567 --> 00:14:31,967
This is the Old Stagecoach Inn.

235
00:14:32,133 --> 00:14:35,767
But Doug has discovered a clue
that suggests it also had

236
00:14:35,767 --> 00:14:37,567
a surreptitious purpose.

237
00:14:37,734 --> 00:14:42,200
This door right here was
a secret door inside of

238
00:14:42,367 --> 00:14:46,200
a closet that took you into
a secret hidden room.

239
00:14:48,667 --> 00:14:50,767
And it wasn't for
hiding objects,

240
00:14:50,767 --> 00:14:53,066
it was for hiding people.

241
00:14:53,233 --> 00:14:56,567
[narrator] Today, this secret
room has collapsed.

242
00:14:56,567 --> 00:15:00,967
Yet in the mid-19th century,
it was part of a clandestine

243
00:15:01,133 --> 00:15:04,567
movement known as
the Underground Railroad.

244
00:15:04,567 --> 00:15:08,266
[Dr. Thomas]
The Underground Railroad was
a network of safe houses that

245
00:15:08,266 --> 00:15:11,667
allowed for escaped enslaved
individuals to leave the South,

246
00:15:11,834 --> 00:15:14,266
and head to the free
territories in the North in

247
00:15:14,433 --> 00:15:16,100
the years before the Civil War.

248
00:15:16,100 --> 00:15:20,100
The Underground Railroad got
its name because railway

249
00:15:20,266 --> 00:15:22,867
terminology was used to
describe everything.

250
00:15:23,033 --> 00:15:26,367
The escaped enslaved people
were called "freight,"

251
00:15:26,533 --> 00:15:29,300
and the various stops,
like the Old Stagecoach Inn,

252
00:15:29,467 --> 00:15:30,900
were known as "stations."

253
00:15:31,066 --> 00:15:34,567
Stops like this would have been
a lifeline and would have saved

254
00:15:34,734 --> 00:15:37,300
the lives of hundreds,
if not thousands.

255
00:15:39,300 --> 00:15:43,400
[narrator]
Despite slavery being abolished
in Ohio in 1802, just under

256
00:15:43,567 --> 00:15:46,900
50 years later, the Fugitive
Slave Act was passed.

257
00:15:47,066 --> 00:15:50,400
This meant that stations on
the Underground Railroad,

258
00:15:50,567 --> 00:15:54,100
like the Old Stagecoach Inn,
were breaking the law by

259
00:15:54,100 --> 00:15:55,667
helping people escape.

260
00:15:55,834 --> 00:15:59,667
[Doug] You could get in a lot of
trouble harboring people in

261
00:15:59,667 --> 00:16:01,300
this state of Ohio here.

262
00:16:01,467 --> 00:16:04,767
There were bounty hunters
They were constantly searching

263
00:16:04,934 --> 00:16:08,567
the roads and buildings.
You could get jail time.

264
00:16:08,734 --> 00:16:10,367
You could lose your property.

265
00:16:10,533 --> 00:16:14,300
[narrator] Up to 50,000 people
escaped to freedom through Ohio.

266
00:16:14,467 --> 00:16:17,266
How many of them traveled
through the Old Stagecoach Inn

267
00:16:17,266 --> 00:16:18,433
is unknown.

268
00:16:18,433 --> 00:16:21,867
But the Underground Railroad
wasn't the only railroad to

269
00:16:21,867 --> 00:16:25,767
bring people to this building's
door, because 29 years after

270
00:16:25,767 --> 00:16:29,767
the inn opened, a man arrived
in his private train on

271
00:16:29,767 --> 00:16:33,133
a journey to the heart
of the country.

272
00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:39,100
[narrator] In Palmyra, Ohio,
the Old Stagecoach Inn was

273
00:16:39,266 --> 00:16:43,166
a life-saving stop for enslaved
people escaping the South.

274
00:16:43,333 --> 00:16:47,467
But in the mid-19th century,
it had another visitor on

275
00:16:47,634 --> 00:16:49,800
his way to change America.

276
00:16:49,967 --> 00:16:53,667
In 1861,
President-elect Abraham Lincoln

277
00:16:53,667 --> 00:16:57,000
was traveling via train from
Springfield, Illinois to

278
00:16:57,166 --> 00:16:59,066
Washington, D.C.
for his inauguration.

279
00:16:59,233 --> 00:17:02,467
[Dr. Thomas]
The train was fitted with all
the comforts one could imagine.

280
00:17:02,467 --> 00:17:05,700
In many ways, it was like
a 1800s Air Force One.

281
00:17:05,867 --> 00:17:09,400
[narrator]
Lincoln's 13-day-long train
journey took him through

282
00:17:09,567 --> 00:17:13,266
the town of Palmyra and passed
the Old Stagecoach Inn.

283
00:17:13,433 --> 00:17:17,166
[Dr. Thomas]
In the era before recording
technology, few people had

284
00:17:17,166 --> 00:17:19,767
the chance to see and hear
their political leaders

285
00:17:19,934 --> 00:17:21,100
in person.

286
00:17:21,100 --> 00:17:23,500
So throngs of people would have
showed up just to catch

287
00:17:23,667 --> 00:17:24,967
a glimpse of him.

288
00:17:25,133 --> 00:17:26,967
[Doug] People would block
the train.

289
00:17:27,133 --> 00:17:29,367
People were
cheering and shouting.

290
00:17:29,367 --> 00:17:31,100
[Bell] Never missing an
opportunity,

291
00:17:31,100 --> 00:17:34,367
when Lincoln saw this,
he'd stop and do a speech.

292
00:17:36,667 --> 00:17:39,100
[narrator] Despite keeping
his speeches short,

293
00:17:39,266 --> 00:17:42,467
the president-elect whipped up
support for the union.

294
00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:49,867
But the journey ended on March
4th, 1861, and the real work

295
00:17:49,867 --> 00:17:53,667
began when he became
the nation's 16th president.

296
00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:00,500
Just over two decades later,
in the early 1880s,

297
00:18:00,667 --> 00:18:03,600
while America was reaping
the benefits of Lincoln's time

298
00:18:03,767 --> 00:18:09,100
in office, another icon visited
the Old Stagecoach Inn.

299
00:18:09,266 --> 00:18:11,467
[Doug] So this was the tavern.

300
00:18:11,467 --> 00:18:14,367
I can almost put my hand
on that bar.

301
00:18:14,367 --> 00:18:19,166
This is where Buffalo Bill sat,
ate, and drank.

302
00:18:19,333 --> 00:18:24,800
William "Buffalo Bill" Cody was
one of the world's first global

303
00:18:24,967 --> 00:18:26,500
celebrities and entertainers.

304
00:18:26,667 --> 00:18:30,066
Buffalo Bill's story began in
the Wild West where he worked

305
00:18:30,233 --> 00:18:32,000
for the railroads,
initially hunting buffalo,

306
00:18:32,166 --> 00:18:35,166
and then later as
a scout for the U.S. Army.

307
00:18:35,166 --> 00:18:38,767
It's debatable how good Cody
was at either of those

308
00:18:38,767 --> 00:18:41,367
activities, but one thing
he was good at was spinning

309
00:18:41,533 --> 00:18:43,567
a tale, and making a buck.

310
00:18:43,567 --> 00:18:48,166
[narrator] At the age of 26,
Bill decided to focus on what

311
00:18:48,333 --> 00:18:49,767
he was good at.

312
00:18:49,767 --> 00:18:53,100
He created
"Buffalo Bill's Wild West Tour,"

313
00:18:53,266 --> 00:18:56,400
an extravaganza that
really captured the spirit of

314
00:18:56,567 --> 00:18:58,100
the American frontier.

315
00:18:58,100 --> 00:19:01,367
[Rodriguez-McRobbie]
The Wild West Tour was made up
of scenes purportedly from

316
00:19:01,533 --> 00:19:02,800
Bill's time in the West.

317
00:19:02,967 --> 00:19:06,166
And of course, in each one,
he portrayed himself

318
00:19:06,166 --> 00:19:07,367
as the hero.

319
00:19:07,367 --> 00:19:10,367
[Bell] Buffalo Bill became
the mythical embodiment of

320
00:19:10,533 --> 00:19:13,367
the bygone frontier times
of the West.

321
00:19:13,533 --> 00:19:18,400
And people all over America
and the world loved him for it.

322
00:19:18,567 --> 00:19:22,300
[narrator]
Due to its position between
four major cities where Bill

323
00:19:22,467 --> 00:19:26,166
performed, Palmyra's Old
Stagecoach Inn was the perfect

324
00:19:26,333 --> 00:19:28,700
place for him to stay while
he was in Ohio.

325
00:19:28,867 --> 00:19:32,300
[Dr. Thomas] When Buffalo Bill
stayed here, he was given
free food,

326
00:19:32,467 --> 00:19:35,367
free drink, and a free room to
stay in because the proprietors

327
00:19:35,367 --> 00:19:38,100
of the Old Stagecoach Inn knew
that word would spread that

328
00:19:38,100 --> 00:19:39,500
he was there.

329
00:19:39,500 --> 00:19:43,266
[narrator]
In the evenings, people came
from all over to raise a glass

330
00:19:43,266 --> 00:19:45,367
with this major celebrity.

331
00:19:45,367 --> 00:19:49,867
[Doug]
The guy was the most popular
person in America at that time.

332
00:19:50,033 --> 00:19:51,600
It would have been packed.

333
00:19:51,767 --> 00:19:54,667
Buffalo Bill probably drank
until he couldn't walk.

334
00:19:54,667 --> 00:19:57,867
[narrator]
But the days where
the Old Stagecoach Inn was

335
00:19:57,867 --> 00:20:00,266
open for all were numbered.

336
00:20:00,433 --> 00:20:06,100
In 1888, a secret organization
turned this building into one

337
00:20:06,100 --> 00:20:08,166
of its lodges.

338
00:20:08,166 --> 00:20:11,567
The Knights of Pythias are
a secretive fraternal

339
00:20:11,567 --> 00:20:13,767
organization with chapters all
over the world.

340
00:20:13,934 --> 00:20:16,166
They're a little bit like
the Freemasons,

341
00:20:16,333 --> 00:20:18,100
but they don't drink.

342
00:20:18,100 --> 00:20:21,100
[narrator]
The Knights of Pythias added
a third floor to this building

343
00:20:21,100 --> 00:20:24,567
to house an auditorium for
their secret meetings.

344
00:20:26,166 --> 00:20:31,300
[Doug]
We really don't know everything
that had gone on or everything

345
00:20:31,467 --> 00:20:33,300
they had done here in
this building.

346
00:20:33,467 --> 00:20:35,467
We do know some things.

347
00:20:35,634 --> 00:20:38,667
They took care of kids,
they took care of widows.

348
00:20:38,834 --> 00:20:42,767
[narrator] For over 70 years,
the Knights of Pythias used

349
00:20:42,767 --> 00:20:45,867
this building for their own
secretive purposes.

350
00:20:46,033 --> 00:20:51,266
But in the 1960s, that changed
when the clandestine

351
00:20:51,266 --> 00:20:53,667
organization had to abandon
this space.

352
00:20:54,567 --> 00:20:56,700
Membership numbers were
dropping and they couldn't

353
00:20:56,867 --> 00:20:58,166
afford it anymore.

354
00:20:58,333 --> 00:21:00,900
After the Knights left,
the building changed hands

355
00:21:01,066 --> 00:21:03,166
a couple of times,
becoming a private residence

356
00:21:03,333 --> 00:21:04,567
and a store.

357
00:21:04,567 --> 00:21:08,166
But eventually in the 1980s,
it became vacant and abandoned.

358
00:21:10,367 --> 00:21:13,767
[narrator] For 14 years,
the Old Stagecoach Inn sat

359
00:21:13,767 --> 00:21:18,266
slowly deteriorating, until it
fell under Doug's loving gaze.

360
00:21:19,467 --> 00:21:25,000
[Doug]
I bought this building in 1994,
and it was an unbelievable task

361
00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:26,166
that I was taking on.

362
00:21:26,333 --> 00:21:28,667
The first floor was laying
in the basement.

363
00:21:28,834 --> 00:21:32,200
The second floor was dangling,
literally flapping in the air.

364
00:21:32,367 --> 00:21:35,767
I was waiting for it to blow
out and it to go down.

365
00:21:35,767 --> 00:21:39,567
[narrator] Today, after
30 years, Doug has stabilized
the building,

366
00:21:39,567 --> 00:21:42,266
and he's hoping to
return it to the job

367
00:21:42,433 --> 00:21:44,600
it was constructed to do.

368
00:21:44,767 --> 00:21:47,867
[Doug] My future plans are
really simple.

369
00:21:47,867 --> 00:21:52,867
I wanna make it something
useful for the community to

370
00:21:52,867 --> 00:21:54,400
enjoy its heritage.

371
00:21:58,500 --> 00:22:02,467
[narrator] On the outskirts of
Jacksonville lie the remains of

372
00:22:02,467 --> 00:22:06,300
a military base that once
concealed one of America's most

373
00:22:06,467 --> 00:22:08,900
closely guarded
Cold War secrets.

374
00:22:14,567 --> 00:22:19,367
[Dr. Szulgit] This part of West
Jacksonville is one big forest,

375
00:22:19,533 --> 00:22:22,600
but dotted among the trees are
these lonely

376
00:22:22,767 --> 00:22:25,166
abandoned buildings.

377
00:22:25,166 --> 00:22:29,266
[narrator]
Some remaining structures hint
at the high level of protection

378
00:22:29,433 --> 00:22:32,200
this site once had.

379
00:22:32,367 --> 00:22:35,367
[Alcock]
One of the things that makes
this forest quite unusual is

380
00:22:35,533 --> 00:22:38,567
the miles and miles of barbed
wire running through it.

381
00:22:39,667 --> 00:22:43,800
At seemingly random locations,
you have the remnants of these

382
00:22:43,967 --> 00:22:47,066
large imposing floodlights.

383
00:22:47,233 --> 00:22:51,967
[narrator]
Hidden here was a collection
of extraordinary items.

384
00:22:52,133 --> 00:22:55,567
[Morgan] These represented some
of the technically most

385
00:22:55,567 --> 00:22:58,100
sophisticated things that
the United States military

386
00:22:58,100 --> 00:22:59,567
had ever built.

387
00:23:00,367 --> 00:23:04,100
[narrator]
They were stored deep within
the base, in a special area

388
00:23:04,100 --> 00:23:07,100
that, for most,
was strictly off limits.

389
00:23:09,100 --> 00:23:11,900
You weren't allowed to look at
it, play with it, fly over it.

390
00:23:12,066 --> 00:23:15,367
They controlled it to keep
you out completely.

391
00:23:15,367 --> 00:23:18,867
[Alcock] This place was as top
secret as top secret gets.

392
00:23:19,033 --> 00:23:22,166
You had to have the highest
level of clearance to get

393
00:23:22,166 --> 00:23:23,266
anywhere near it.

394
00:23:29,700 --> 00:23:32,667
[narrator]
James Jelsma has been
the caretaker of this site for

395
00:23:32,667 --> 00:23:36,967
over 20 years, and is one of
the few people who doesn't get

396
00:23:37,133 --> 00:23:39,867
lost in this maze of
derelict roads cutting

397
00:23:39,867 --> 00:23:41,667
through the forest.

398
00:23:41,667 --> 00:23:45,200
Base is a total of
18,000 acres in total.

399
00:23:45,367 --> 00:23:48,567
It represents roughly three
percent of Duval County,

400
00:23:48,567 --> 00:23:50,166
so it's a large footprint.

401
00:23:51,667 --> 00:23:54,400
Currently we're traveling on
Perimeter Road.

402
00:23:54,567 --> 00:23:57,100
This is where the military
would patrol right along

403
00:23:57,266 --> 00:23:58,734
the fence line.

404
00:24:00,266 --> 00:24:05,500
[narrator]
The base opened in 1941 as
a naval auxiliary air station

405
00:24:05,667 --> 00:24:06,834
called Cecil Field.

406
00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:11,667
[James] Cecil Field was a very
important Navy training

407
00:24:11,834 --> 00:24:13,667
facility during the second
World War.

408
00:24:13,834 --> 00:24:18,567
It fit within a broader network
of naval air training

409
00:24:18,567 --> 00:24:20,967
facilities that were sprinkled
across the state of Florida.

410
00:24:22,066 --> 00:24:26,467
[narrator]
A naval air gunner's school was
added to the base in 1942.

411
00:24:26,634 --> 00:24:29,367
It was the largest of just
three such schools

412
00:24:29,533 --> 00:24:30,967
in the country.

413
00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,767
[Dr. Szulgit]
According to one source,
nearly 30,000 men spent time

414
00:24:35,767 --> 00:24:38,767
here learning all phases of
aerial gunnery.

415
00:24:39,867 --> 00:24:42,667
[James] They would bring a kind
of a dummy across, and you would

416
00:24:42,667 --> 00:24:45,166
have to shoot the dummy down to
get your qualification in order

417
00:24:45,333 --> 00:24:46,867
to be a gunner.

418
00:24:48,467 --> 00:24:52,867
[narrator]
Much of the activity at Cecil
Field wound down after the end

419
00:24:52,867 --> 00:24:54,000
of World War II.

420
00:24:55,200 --> 00:25:00,066
But in 1952, the site
was rejuvenated.

421
00:25:00,233 --> 00:25:05,467
As the aviation jet age dawned,
Cecil expanded massively

422
00:25:05,634 --> 00:25:08,567
and became a master jet base.

423
00:25:08,734 --> 00:25:12,100
[narrator] A master jet base was
specifically used for

424
00:25:12,100 --> 00:25:16,467
carrier-based jet aircraft,
equipped to strike deep into

425
00:25:16,634 --> 00:25:17,800
enemy territory.

426
00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:21,800
The base's upgrade ushered in
the creation of a special

427
00:25:21,967 --> 00:25:26,066
division, a top secret base
within a base.

428
00:25:26,233 --> 00:25:29,100
[James] This was
a Marine Corps facility.

429
00:25:29,100 --> 00:25:32,667
it had a separate designation
name of "Yellow Water" because

430
00:25:32,667 --> 00:25:34,100
that's where
the Marines played.

431
00:25:34,100 --> 00:25:35,700
That's where
the Marines controlled.

432
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:40,667
[narrator] This is the Yellow
Water Weapons Department,

433
00:25:40,667 --> 00:25:44,700
a clandestine weapons storage
facility built to supply

434
00:25:44,867 --> 00:25:46,967
US Navy aircraft carriers.

435
00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:53,066
[James] During the Cold War,
these would definitely have

436
00:25:53,233 --> 00:25:55,467
military ordnance,
air-to-air missiles,

437
00:25:55,467 --> 00:25:57,000
ground attack munitions.

438
00:25:58,400 --> 00:26:00,567
Over here is one of
the Navy seals.

439
00:26:00,734 --> 00:26:03,066
It says, "Net explosive weight

440
00:26:03,233 --> 00:26:06,967
up to 375,000 pounds,
500,000 pounds."

441
00:26:07,133 --> 00:26:10,100
So different types on
how many it could have.

442
00:26:10,266 --> 00:26:15,166
[Morgan]
The positions are maintained at
a specified interval from one

443
00:26:15,166 --> 00:26:17,567
another so that if
the munitions that are stored

444
00:26:17,567 --> 00:26:19,967
in one facility, for whatever
reason, detonated,

445
00:26:20,133 --> 00:26:23,700
they will then not trigger
the facility next to it.

446
00:26:23,867 --> 00:26:26,767
You don't want to necessarily
make it an underground facility

447
00:26:26,767 --> 00:26:29,467
because, after all, this is
Florida and you really can't go

448
00:26:29,467 --> 00:26:31,100
underground, because
everything's

449
00:26:31,266 --> 00:26:33,767
a little bit swampy.

450
00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:39,867
[narrator]
But this wasn't the only place
weapons were stored at

451
00:26:39,867 --> 00:26:41,033
Yellow Water.

452
00:26:41,033 --> 00:26:44,967
There was another, more secure
area where the stakes were

453
00:26:45,133 --> 00:26:46,500
even higher.

454
00:26:46,667 --> 00:26:48,700
[Dr. Szulgit] The weapons stored
here were the most

455
00:26:48,867 --> 00:26:50,166
dangerous of all...

456
00:26:50,166 --> 00:26:51,467
nuclear weapons.

457
00:26:53,066 --> 00:26:55,900
[James] Nuclear weapons,
biological weapons, any type of

458
00:26:56,066 --> 00:26:59,266
upper layer weapons would be
brought down this road,

459
00:26:59,266 --> 00:27:01,266
stored in this area.

460
00:27:01,266 --> 00:27:04,667
[narrator] Only two of these
super-secure bunkers remain.

461
00:27:04,834 --> 00:27:08,100
But decades ago,
there were many more.

462
00:27:08,100 --> 00:27:11,867
[Alcock]
There were 89 ammunition
bunkers, ranging from small

463
00:27:11,867 --> 00:27:15,000
buildings for high explosives
through to earth-covered

464
00:27:15,166 --> 00:27:17,567
bunkers with reinforced
concrete doors for

465
00:27:17,567 --> 00:27:19,100
the nuclear weapons.

466
00:27:19,266 --> 00:27:22,700
[Morgan]
They were running tactical
low-yield nuclear weapons,

467
00:27:22,867 --> 00:27:25,100
and strategic
thermonuclear weapons.

468
00:27:25,100 --> 00:27:28,400
When all of the storage
facilities were at capacity at

469
00:27:28,567 --> 00:27:32,767
this location, there was enough
explosive capacity there to

470
00:27:32,767 --> 00:27:35,166
destroy the entire world.

471
00:27:35,166 --> 00:27:39,500
[narrator]
With the stakes so high,
security at the entrance to

472
00:27:39,667 --> 00:27:42,000
this area was extreme.

473
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:46,100
If you look up, this was a zone
that was lit 24-7.

474
00:27:47,266 --> 00:27:49,400
You'd have dogs
patrolling the perimeter,

475
00:27:49,567 --> 00:27:51,000
vehicles
patrolling the perimeter,

476
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:52,600
Marines
patrolling the perimeter.

477
00:27:54,100 --> 00:27:58,066
[Dr. Szulgit]
There were these almost
James Bond-esque measures.

478
00:27:58,233 --> 00:28:00,166
There was toxic gas that could
be released.

479
00:28:00,333 --> 00:28:03,367
It was high frequency noise
that could be so intensely

480
00:28:03,367 --> 00:28:06,767
projected at someone as to
blow their eardrums.

481
00:28:07,767 --> 00:28:11,567
[narrator]
Working with such dangerous
weapons meant the base also had

482
00:28:11,567 --> 00:28:13,266
its own dedicated hospital.

483
00:28:14,867 --> 00:28:19,967
They had special units to
handle any type of biohazard.

484
00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:25,567
[narrator]
Anti-radiation showers
show how real the risk of

485
00:28:25,567 --> 00:28:26,634
contamination was.

486
00:28:26,634 --> 00:28:29,266
[James] There were accidents
that happened out here

487
00:28:29,433 --> 00:28:30,867
or personnel that were hurt.

488
00:28:31,033 --> 00:28:34,934
They were rushed here to give
them immediate attention.

489
00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:41,266
[narrator]
But the nuclear warheads
stationed here were not

490
00:28:41,433 --> 00:28:42,600
launched from this site.

491
00:28:44,367 --> 00:28:48,467
At times of high alert,
the roads at Yellow Water would

492
00:28:48,467 --> 00:28:52,100
have been busy moving weapons
on and off the base.

493
00:28:54,166 --> 00:28:58,767
This is building 617, which is
the old Marine Corps storage

494
00:28:58,767 --> 00:29:02,000
building, vehicle
maintenance shop.

495
00:29:02,166 --> 00:29:05,500
These are your paint booths
where they would paint

496
00:29:05,667 --> 00:29:09,166
their Humvee and maintain
any other type of

497
00:29:09,166 --> 00:29:11,000
trailers or equipment.

498
00:29:11,166 --> 00:29:15,000
[narrator]
When nuclear-laden semi-trucks
left the base, most headed

499
00:29:15,166 --> 00:29:18,100
straight to aircraft carriers
docked at nearby naval

500
00:29:18,100 --> 00:29:19,767
station Mayport.

501
00:29:19,767 --> 00:29:24,200
It was all part of a carefully
considered defense strategy.

502
00:29:24,367 --> 00:29:26,266
[Morgan] You didn't want the
storage facility

503
00:29:26,433 --> 00:29:27,867
to be close to the coast.

504
00:29:27,867 --> 00:29:30,467
You wanted it to be somewhere
remote where it could be
easily guarded.

505
00:29:30,634 --> 00:29:33,767
And Yellow Water sort of ticked
all the boxes on

506
00:29:33,934 --> 00:29:35,367
that checklist.

507
00:29:35,367 --> 00:29:40,000
[narrator]
But how they transported these
weapons would send shockwaves

508
00:29:40,166 --> 00:29:41,400
across Jacksonville.

509
00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:47,767
[narrator]
On the outskirts of
Jacksonville, a once extremely

510
00:29:47,934 --> 00:29:51,600
secure base had a stockpile of
nuclear weapons, which was

511
00:29:51,767 --> 00:29:54,300
possibly big enough to
destroy the world.

512
00:29:54,467 --> 00:29:57,266
But how these weapons were
moved to nearby aircraft

513
00:29:57,266 --> 00:30:00,767
carriers became one of the most
shocking facts to emerge from

514
00:30:00,934 --> 00:30:02,000
this secretive era.

515
00:30:02,166 --> 00:30:04,667
They had to be transported
through the middle

516
00:30:04,667 --> 00:30:05,900
of Jacksonville.

517
00:30:06,867 --> 00:30:09,400
Can you imagine living in
Jacksonville never knowing that

518
00:30:09,567 --> 00:30:12,467
a payload was passing through
your city that could completely

519
00:30:12,634 --> 00:30:15,066
obliterate it off the map?

520
00:30:15,233 --> 00:30:17,166
[Morgan] That's the way that
the Cold War worked.

521
00:30:17,166 --> 00:30:19,867
And that is, every now and then,
nukes got moved through

522
00:30:20,033 --> 00:30:21,200
your city in the middle
of the night.

523
00:30:21,367 --> 00:30:22,800
You didn't even know about it.

524
00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:28,266
[narrator]
At the start of the 1990s,
the Cold War cooled down to

525
00:30:28,266 --> 00:30:29,567
the point where the US

526
00:30:29,567 --> 00:30:32,100
and the Soviet Union
began significant

527
00:30:32,100 --> 00:30:34,567
de-escalation talks.

528
00:30:34,734 --> 00:30:39,900
We had these leaders
who bravely and boldly embraced

529
00:30:40,066 --> 00:30:43,867
the idea of denuclearization.

530
00:30:44,033 --> 00:30:48,000
And during that process,
Yellow Water was closed down.

531
00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:51,667
[Alcock]
And these secret weapons
storage facilities were emptied

532
00:30:51,667 --> 00:30:55,266
as quietly and secretly as
they had first been filled.

533
00:31:01,266 --> 00:31:05,900
[narrator]
Since Yellow Water's official
decommission in 1999,

534
00:31:06,066 --> 00:31:09,000
limited details have emerged
about the nuclear weapons

535
00:31:09,166 --> 00:31:10,867
stored at this secretive base.

536
00:31:11,900 --> 00:31:14,166
[James] You'll talk to some of
the people that were stationed

537
00:31:14,333 --> 00:31:17,100
here, and as rumor mills start,
you know, you're at the pub

538
00:31:17,266 --> 00:31:18,900
or the restaurant,
and they say,

539
00:31:19,066 --> 00:31:20,166
"Well, what do you do?"

540
00:31:20,333 --> 00:31:21,500
"Oh, well, I do this,"
and then, you know,

541
00:31:21,667 --> 00:31:23,200
loose lips sink ships.

542
00:31:23,367 --> 00:31:26,600
[narrator] Official lips,
however, have remained sealed.

543
00:31:26,767 --> 00:31:29,967
[Alcock] The US Navy have
never confirmed or denied this

544
00:31:30,133 --> 00:31:33,100
nuclear storage area in
Jacksonville, but the ruins

545
00:31:33,266 --> 00:31:34,800
speak for themselves.

546
00:31:35,867 --> 00:31:40,100
[narrator]
And for some, the existence of
nuclear weapons in this area is

547
00:31:40,100 --> 00:31:41,867
not a closed chapter.

548
00:31:42,033 --> 00:31:44,567
[James] I'm not privy to that
information, but I would say if

549
00:31:44,567 --> 00:31:47,767
you're operating a carrier
group or military wings in this

550
00:31:47,767 --> 00:31:51,467
area, there are nuclear weapons
stored in this vicinity.

551
00:31:56,100 --> 00:31:59,400
[narrator] In New England,
a bizarre passion project that

552
00:31:59,567 --> 00:32:03,200
won national accolades came
crashing down after

553
00:32:03,367 --> 00:32:04,767
a medieval catastrophe.

554
00:32:13,467 --> 00:32:15,200
[Steven] This is my baby.

555
00:32:16,467 --> 00:32:19,300
People say that I'm probably
a little crazy to build

556
00:32:19,467 --> 00:32:23,367
something of this scale,
but it was a lot of fun.

557
00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:30,000
[Meigs]
We're in beautiful southern
New Hampshire, rolling hills,

558
00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:34,000
pine forests, mountains
in the background.

559
00:32:34,166 --> 00:32:37,567
[narrator]
Three miles outside of
the small town of Greenfield,

560
00:32:37,734 --> 00:32:41,800
the remains of a once grand
entrance stands out

561
00:32:41,967 --> 00:32:43,266
against the foliage.

562
00:32:44,467 --> 00:32:48,400
[Dr. Thomas] These are giant
gates, and it's all

563
00:32:48,567 --> 00:32:50,000
rusty and dilapidated.

564
00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:53,467
As if these gates aren't
bizarre enough, what's behind

565
00:32:53,467 --> 00:32:55,500
them is even weirder.

566
00:32:57,967 --> 00:32:59,700
[Dr. Thomas] You see a castle
in the distance.

567
00:32:59,867 --> 00:33:02,300
You see other
little structures.

568
00:33:02,467 --> 00:33:04,600
[Alcock] When you get up close,
these structures have

569
00:33:04,767 --> 00:33:05,767
a homemade feel.

570
00:33:05,767 --> 00:33:07,867
They're made of bits of
scrap metal.

571
00:33:09,166 --> 00:33:14,767
[narrator]
Once, this was the backdrop to
a show, the kind America had

572
00:33:14,767 --> 00:33:16,166
never seen before.

573
00:33:17,367 --> 00:33:21,100
These machines would captivate
an audience of thousands.

574
00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:27,367
[Steven] At its peak, this place
was a wonderful,

575
00:33:27,367 --> 00:33:30,767
adrenaline-filled experience.

576
00:33:30,934 --> 00:33:34,300
And at its low point, it was
a near-death experience.

577
00:33:40,166 --> 00:33:45,367
[narrator]
In Greenfield, New Hampshire,
an abandoned castle sticks out

578
00:33:45,367 --> 00:33:46,567
among the fields.

579
00:33:47,867 --> 00:33:50,600
[Steven] Am I the king of
this castle?

580
00:33:50,767 --> 00:33:55,467
I suppose so, but I'll tell
you, the queen of the castle is

581
00:33:55,634 --> 00:33:56,600
right here.

582
00:33:57,867 --> 00:33:59,367
And that's my wife right there.

583
00:34:00,667 --> 00:34:02,066
Hi, Kathy.

584
00:34:03,266 --> 00:34:07,300
[narrator]
Today, these ruins might
resemble the forgotten set of

585
00:34:07,467 --> 00:34:11,600
a B-rate fantasy movie,
but once it was part of pumpkin

586
00:34:11,767 --> 00:34:15,500
farmer Stephen Seigars'
world-record winning
passion project.

587
00:34:16,567 --> 00:34:20,667
In our heyday, we would get at
least 2,000 to 3,000 people

588
00:34:20,667 --> 00:34:23,367
coming through here in
a single day.

589
00:34:23,533 --> 00:34:27,400
[narrator] This place's origins
go back nearly three decades,

590
00:34:27,567 --> 00:34:31,467
when Steven was inspired by
something he saw on TV.

591
00:34:33,066 --> 00:34:35,800
[Steven] So back in 1998,

592
00:34:35,967 --> 00:34:39,266
our public television
station did a story on

593
00:34:39,433 --> 00:34:42,100
ancient siege weapons.

594
00:34:42,266 --> 00:34:46,266
I just acted spontaneously
after seeing this program.

595
00:34:46,433 --> 00:34:48,900
And I said, "Well,
maybe I'll build a trebuchet."

596
00:34:49,066 --> 00:34:54,467
People did think
I was a little bit crazy.

597
00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:57,600
[Dr. Thomas] A trebuchet is
a medieval weapon.

598
00:34:57,767 --> 00:35:01,166
It has a long arm, and on one
end, it's connected to a basket

599
00:35:01,166 --> 00:35:04,166
of heavy counterweights so that
when you release the potential

600
00:35:04,333 --> 00:35:08,467
energy, it slings that arm
forward and throws rocks at

601
00:35:08,634 --> 00:35:11,567
something like a castle wall to
take it down.

602
00:35:11,734 --> 00:35:16,100
[narrator]
Yet Stephen didn't build
his trebuchet to throw rocks.

603
00:35:16,266 --> 00:35:17,867
[Steven] I have a farm stand.

604
00:35:18,033 --> 00:35:21,800
I wanted to find a way to
increase my pumpkin sales.

605
00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:29,166
So I said, well, if I built one
of those machines, maybe

606
00:35:29,166 --> 00:35:33,600
I could throw pumpkins and maybe
that would attract people.

607
00:35:33,767 --> 00:35:37,100
[narrator] Once his trebuchet
was completed, this field

608
00:35:37,266 --> 00:35:38,266
became its home.

609
00:35:39,266 --> 00:35:41,900
This is Yankee Siege.

610
00:35:43,100 --> 00:35:47,000
This is the biggest trebuchet
probably in the world.

611
00:35:48,367 --> 00:35:52,467
This machine weighs
72,000 pounds.

612
00:35:52,467 --> 00:35:56,667
It has a 22,000
pound counterweight.

613
00:35:57,900 --> 00:36:00,667
[Alcock] This was a serious
pumpkin-throwing machine.

614
00:36:00,667 --> 00:36:04,767
It could fling a pumpkin
thousands of feet.

615
00:36:04,934 --> 00:36:09,000
[narrator]
But throwing pumpkins was only
half of the DIY display

616
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:10,500
Steven put on here.

617
00:36:10,667 --> 00:36:13,467
To attract visitors
to his farmstead,

618
00:36:13,634 --> 00:36:15,467
he needed a suitable target.

619
00:36:17,166 --> 00:36:19,100
[Steven] This is Yankee Castle.

620
00:36:20,100 --> 00:36:23,367
This is built out of old tanks.

621
00:36:23,533 --> 00:36:26,200
We cut holes in them,
cut some turrets.

622
00:36:27,567 --> 00:36:30,600
[Meigs] Because the
trebuchet was a medieval weapon,

623
00:36:30,767 --> 00:36:32,667
he built this castle.

624
00:36:32,834 --> 00:36:37,533
His idea was he would bombard
the castle with pumpkins.

625
00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,867
[narrator] Around the turn of
the millennium, Yankee Siege

626
00:36:43,033 --> 00:36:45,567
opened its doors,
launching pumpkins for

627
00:36:45,734 --> 00:36:47,000
the public's pleasure.

628
00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:53,467
[Steven]
We would do displays every
Saturday and Sunday from

629
00:36:53,634 --> 00:36:55,800
September all the way
through to Halloween.

630
00:36:55,967 --> 00:36:59,567
We do a four hour afternoon
session where we're doing

631
00:36:59,734 --> 00:37:03,266
an average of 10 shots
per session.

632
00:37:03,266 --> 00:37:05,867
[Alcock] Not only did people
love the displays,

633
00:37:06,033 --> 00:37:08,500
but Yankee Siege's business
plan worked well.

634
00:37:08,667 --> 00:37:12,000
People came in to see the show,
but ended up spending money in

635
00:37:12,166 --> 00:37:13,767
the farm stand.

636
00:37:13,934 --> 00:37:17,767
[narrator] Despite the success,
three years after opening,

637
00:37:17,767 --> 00:37:20,667
everything changed for
Yankee Siege.

638
00:37:20,834 --> 00:37:24,500
After Steven decided to share
his trebuchet with the nation,

639
00:37:24,667 --> 00:37:29,400
he was forced to rethink
his pumpkin-throwing pastime.

640
00:37:31,867 --> 00:37:34,767
[narrator] In New Hampshire,
Steven Seigars had built

641
00:37:34,934 --> 00:37:38,667
a pumpkin-throwing trebuchet to
promote his farm stand.

642
00:37:38,667 --> 00:37:42,500
But a chance interaction at one
of his displays would bring

643
00:37:42,667 --> 00:37:46,767
this medieval siege weapon to
a new stage, which stretched

644
00:37:46,767 --> 00:37:47,867
across America.

645
00:37:48,967 --> 00:37:51,266
[Steven] In 2003,

646
00:37:51,433 --> 00:37:55,200
a man from the audience
walks up to me and he says,

647
00:37:55,367 --> 00:37:58,800
"You know, there's a competition
in Delaware where they throw

648
00:37:58,967 --> 00:38:02,300
"eight to ten pound pumpkins
and you ought to go down

649
00:38:02,467 --> 00:38:04,000
and see if you can enter it."

650
00:38:05,100 --> 00:38:08,467
[narrator]
Steven acted on his audience
members' advice and entered

651
00:38:08,634 --> 00:38:12,300
this trebuchet into the 2004
competition where

652
00:38:12,467 --> 00:38:15,800
83 contestants tried to throw
a pumpkin the furthest.

653
00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:20,700
People would travel
with their contraptions.

654
00:38:20,867 --> 00:38:24,033
It might be a catapult,
maybe an air cannon.

655
00:38:26,500 --> 00:38:30,166
[narrator]
This trebuchet did far more
than just put on a show.

656
00:38:31,266 --> 00:38:35,400
[Steven]
We took our first shot and set
a new world record.

657
00:38:36,567 --> 00:38:40,200
The new world record was
1,394 feet.

658
00:38:41,266 --> 00:38:43,800
[Alcock]
The competition was a platform
that brought Yankee Siege

659
00:38:43,967 --> 00:38:45,300
to the nation.

660
00:38:45,467 --> 00:38:48,700
[narrator] While continuing to
do his shows here, Steven

661
00:38:48,867 --> 00:38:51,100
and his trebuchet became
a regular at

662
00:38:51,266 --> 00:38:53,400
annual pumpkin-throwing
competitions,

663
00:38:53,567 --> 00:38:57,266
entering each
year and winning.

664
00:38:57,433 --> 00:38:58,667
[Steven] People ask me
sometimes if

665
00:38:58,667 --> 00:39:01,400
I was obsessed,

666
00:39:01,567 --> 00:39:06,100
I would say emphatically yes,
you don't get

667
00:39:06,266 --> 00:39:10,266
to the top without being
obsessed with it.

668
00:39:12,467 --> 00:39:16,100
[narrator]
Despite the good times,
not every display here went

669
00:39:16,100 --> 00:39:17,367
as planned.

670
00:39:19,500 --> 00:39:23,467
There was one incident that
I would like to forget because

671
00:39:23,467 --> 00:39:24,467
it was a nightmare.

672
00:39:24,634 --> 00:39:27,000
I had one of
the workers lean over.

673
00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:30,467
He leaned over the arm
like this.

674
00:39:30,467 --> 00:39:33,767
And for some reason,
the trigger failed.

675
00:39:33,767 --> 00:39:37,967
Came up under his chin,
flipped him to the side four

676
00:39:38,133 --> 00:39:40,467
or five feet, and he was
out cold.

677
00:39:40,634 --> 00:39:45,000
And I said, "My God,
did he just die?"

678
00:39:45,166 --> 00:39:48,100
[narrator]
By the time the ambulance
arrived at Steven's farm,

679
00:39:48,100 --> 00:39:52,767
his employee was conscious
and had no lasting injuries.

680
00:39:52,934 --> 00:39:54,600
That kind of...

681
00:39:55,567 --> 00:39:57,100
emphasized retirement for me.

682
00:39:57,100 --> 00:39:58,767
I said, "Well, maybe
it's time to retire.

683
00:39:58,934 --> 00:40:00,567
I'm getting older
and I have grandchildren."

684
00:40:00,567 --> 00:40:04,967
[narrator]
In 2018, Steven closed
his farm stand,

685
00:40:05,133 --> 00:40:08,433
and the Yankee Siege shows
ended.

686
00:40:10,900 --> 00:40:14,900
Today, nearly a decade later,
like the castles in Europe,

687
00:40:15,066 --> 00:40:18,367
Yankee Siege has fallen on
hard times.

688
00:40:18,367 --> 00:40:22,400
Yet unlike its stone
forefathers, this fortress is

689
00:40:22,567 --> 00:40:25,667
still achieving what it was
built to do.

690
00:40:25,834 --> 00:40:28,867
[Steven] People still come by to
see the place.

691
00:40:28,867 --> 00:40:31,100
They just love to just
mosey around

692
00:40:31,266 --> 00:40:33,200
and check out some of
this hardware.

693
00:40:33,367 --> 00:40:36,467
We only ask that people don't
climb things.

694
00:40:36,467 --> 00:40:40,667
[narrator]
And if a crowd gathers,
Steven occasionally puts on

695
00:40:40,667 --> 00:40:43,800
a show, even if it's not
pumpkin season.

696
00:40:45,066 --> 00:40:49,800
Our alternative is to fire
a plastic barrel, 55 gallons

697
00:40:49,967 --> 00:40:52,800
of water.
It's about 450 pounds.

698
00:40:53,767 --> 00:40:56,100
Haven't fired this for
a couple of years.

699
00:40:56,266 --> 00:40:58,300
Hopefully, everything
goes well.

700
00:40:58,467 --> 00:40:59,767
Five...

701
00:40:59,767 --> 00:41:04,266
[crowd]...four, three,
two, one.

702
00:41:04,266 --> 00:41:06,867
[clanking]

703
00:41:16,300 --> 00:41:18,100
[crowd cheering]

704
00:41:20,367 --> 00:41:21,467
I love it.

705
00:41:22,667 --> 00:41:24,066
That never gets old.