Cooperative Living February 2020 - 36

Vint Hill
(continued from page 33)
an Army soldier assigned to VHFS from
1978 to 1980 recalls when federal agents
hid James Earl Ray in one of the houses.
Ray, convicted of the 1968 killing of
Martin Luther King Jr., stayed at the
station before testifying on Capitol Hill.
" When one of my friends rode his bike
too near the house, agents pounced
on him, " Zwanzig says.
Mike Washvill served at VHFS from
1983 to 1984. He says, " It's fascinating
how much of the technology used today
in computers and cellphones, and for
cybersecurity, derived from what the
military developed during war and at
VHFS's Army Signal Warfare Lab. "
While the giant ear eavesdropped and
federal agents hid people, Army families
enjoyed the movie theater, sports and a
community center in the manor home
before it became the Inn at Vint Hill.
Kim Love, who served at VHFS with
military intelligence in the early 1990s
and works for NOVEC, has fond
memories of " 4th of July fireworks,
Oktoberfest celebrations, going
Halloween trick or treating with my
daughter, and running with my unit
on the antenna field. "
VINT HILL TODAY
The Cold War Museum -
co-founded by Francis Gary
Powers Jr., son of the CIA U-2
pilot shot down over the Soviet
Union in 1960 - tells VHFS's
secrets and honors those who
served there and abroad.
Zwanzig and Washvill are
among volunteers at the
museum, open on weekends
and by appointment.
" It's been 30 years since the
Berlin Wall fell. Visitors from
all over the world who don't
know much about the Cold
War come to our museum to find out
what really happened, " says Jason Hall,
museum executive director.
But mostly, satellites, wireless
broadband and computers have replaced
Cold War antennas and special SmithCorona
typewriters. Starting in 2009,
the Vint Hill Economic Development
Authority poured millions of dollars into
34 | Cooperative Living | February 2020
Today, the former farm has sprouted
into a lovely village worth seeing.
Abandoned buildings and barns have
become businesses, a museum, winery,
cafés and a performing arts theater.
A
C
B
A. Farm Station Cafe
attracts residents,
workers and dogs.
B. Grapes grow
outside the Vint Hill
Craft Winery.
C. Old Bust Head
Brewery is a popular
gathering spot.
the village's roads and infrastructure.
NOVEC upgraded the Army's electrical
system.
In 2014, Julie and Ike Broaddus
renovated one of the military's 1950s
warehouses and opened Old Bust Head
Brewing Company, which can seat 300
people. " The brewery created a
community gathering place, " says Ike
Broaddus, a former economic development
authority chairman. The couple
purchased other military buildings
and abandoned barns. They created a
charming, energy-efficient village for
more than 20 retailers.
In 2017, EFO Capital Management
took majority ownership and
management of Vint Hill's remaining
undeveloped property. To add to the
village's beautiful single-family homes,
EFO is reviewing ideas for converting
the Army's abandoned barracks into
condos for first-time buyers. EFO and
local businesses continue to develop
Vint Hill into a thriving work-live-play
community. 
Vint Hill is located about 10 miles northeast of Warrenton near U.S. 29/15.
For more information, visit vinthill.com. Museum information is at coldwar.org.
For more on the Inn, where secret Cuban Missile Crisis talks were held in 1962,
visit vinthillvenue.com.
co-opliving.com
http://www.vinthill.com http://www.coldwar.org http://www.vinthillvenue.com http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living February 2020

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