Mars Bluff, South Carolina: Atom Bomb Dropped Here

In 1958 an atom bomb fell out of a plane and blew a crater into the gummy soil of Mars Bluff, South Carolina. The atomic part didn't explode.

The GPS will take you to the empty lot in between two houses. Walk straight back and almost immediately into the tree line you will see the big board with newspaper clippings. I don't understand why the locals don't set up a little stand and sell stickers, T-shirts, and Bomb Pops! Seems like the kids in the neighborhood are missing a great entrepreneurial opportunity!

We stopped in to check out the site and gps has it labeled so it should be fairly easy to find. The green/white signs are no longer there, but thankfully a neighbor pointed us in the right direction. There is a skinny, wooded trail, lined with down logs to guide you right around the backyard of the house next door.

The wooden bomb cutout is starting to fall apart, but still leans against the trees. The viewing platform is still there; not sure what purpose it serves as you can walk right up to the site very easily. It was nice to read the articles posted about the situation and see photos preserved. The field was overgrown and we had flip flops on, so we didn't wander in to see what is left of the house and building ruins.

We followed the Lucius Road tips and easily located the crater. Huge wooden cut out the size of the actual bomb is still there along with newspaper articles in a glass case!

4776 Lucius Circle, Florence SC is indeed the correct address. We plugged it into our GPS and it led us directly to the vacant lot. It's nestled between two houses. We asked a neighbor, where the entrance was, and she pointed to dead tree on the lot. She said the entrance is just behind it. The tree is near a shed with a red roof. Just beyond the entrance you can see the news article case to the right, and the hole is just beyond it. We cleared some of the sticks for the next visitors.