Son of spy pilot preserves history, memories at Cold War Museum in Vint Hill
By Cameron Delean
This article was republished with permission from FXBG Advance’s news partner InsideNoVa.com. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
At the site of the old military spy base in Fauquier County sits a museum that stands as a testament to one of the most tension-filled periods in modern history.
The Cold War Museum, a nonprofit organization founded by Francis Gary Powers Jr., son of famed U-2 spy plane pilot, serves as a repository of memories from the era that Powers says shaped global politics for decades.
Francis Gary Powers was a U.S. Air Force pilot recruited by the CIA to fly U-2 spy planes during the Cold War. On May 1 1960, while on a mission over the Soviet Union, his plane was shot down and he was captured, drawing international attention. Powers was sentenced to 10 years in a Soviet prison but was released after 21 months in a spy exchange, which is depicted in the movie “Bridge of Spies.”
Gary Powers Jr., a Richmond resident, began his mission of preserving Cold War history in 1996, driven by a realization that younger generations knew little about the period of U.S. and Soviet Union tensions from 1947 until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.
"Nine times out of 10, I would walk into a classroom, I would get blank stares, even AP history classes, the students did not know what the Cold War was, even though it had just ended a few years prior," Powers told InsideNoVa.
Powers said this educational gap became the catalyst for creating a museum dedicated to preserving and sharing Cold War history.
The museum at 7172 Lineweaver Road in Vint Hill opened on Veterans Day in 2011 and houses a collection of artifacts that tell the story of the Cold War.
Artifacts include military uniforms, spy satellite equipment, communication intercept devices, Berlin Wall fragments and personal artifacts related to significant events like the U-2 incident and more. The museum also features displays on intelligence agencies, reconnaissance platforms and civil defense.
Powers said the museum's significance extends beyond its physical collection. Through monthly lecture series, community outreach and school programs, it works to educate others about the Cold War's lasting impact.
"If you look at history, history is not rigid, it is fluid. World War I leads into World War II leads into the Cold War, which leads into the war on terror, etc. So, in order to understand the world we live in today, you have to look at the Cold War," Powers said.
The museum demonstrates how historical events are interconnected, showing how World War II led to the Cold War, which in turn influenced the modern era of global politics.
Visitors can explore the museum on weekends, with additional midweek tours available for school groups.
Those interested in learning more can visit coldwar.org or contact the museum directly, and those interested in supporting the museum’s efforts can donate to Give Local Piedmont on May 13.
Support the Advance with 20% Off an Annual Subscription or Make a One-time Donation
The Advance has developed a reputation for fearless journalism. Our team delivers well-researched local stories, detailed analysis of the events that are shaping our region, and a forum for robust, informed discussion about current issues.
We need your help to do this work, and there are two ways you can support this work.
Sign up for annual, renewable subscription. Right now, we are offering our annual subscription for 20% off - a savings of $16 (new subscribers only).
Make a one-time donation of any amount.
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.
Support Award-winning, Locally Focused Journalism
The FXBG Advance cuts through the talking points to deliver both incisive and informative news about the issues, people, and organizations that daily affect your life. And we do it in a multi-partisan format that has no equal in this region. Over the past year, our reporting was:
First to break the story of Stafford Board of Supervisors dismissing a citizen library board member for “misconduct,” without informing the citizen or explaining what the person allegedly did wrong.
First to explain falling water levels in the Rappahannock Canal.
First to detail controversial traffic numbers submitted by Stafford staff on the Buc-ee’s project
Our media group also offers the most-extensive election coverage in the region and regular columnists like:
And our newsroom is led by the most-experienced and most-awarded journalists in the region — Adele Uphaus (Managing Editor and multiple VPA award-winner) and Martin Davis (Editor-in-Chief, 2022 Opinion Writer of the Year in Virginia and more than 25 years reporting from around the country and the world).
For just $8 a month, you can help support top-flight journalism that puts people over policies.
Your contributions 100% support our journalists.
Help us as we continue to grow!
This article is published under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. It can be distributed for noncommercial purposes and must include the following: “Published with permission by FXBG Advance.”