what’s really under this hill in chatham county?

in 1962, AT&T bought over 150 acres of land in rural chatham county, north carolina — for just $10 and “other considerations.” more than sixty years later, the site is still surrounded by fencing, zoned for heavy industrial use, and guarded long after its supposed decommissioning.

locals have whispered about this place for years. some remember freshly paved roads leading to an unmarked facility. others recall being told to leave the area — and not come back. one person i spoke with ended up there accidentally and was quickly turned around by men they described as armed and official-looking.

it’s not just rumor. a recent deed search confirms the sale from 1962. WUNC’s public radio team interviewed people who claim to have worked at or visited the facility. they describe a cold, cavernous underground site where reading ability was apparently a disqualifier — strange, but consistent with military secrecy norms.

AUTOVON and cold war tech 

the most likely use of this site? a node in the now-decommissioned AUTOVON (automatic voice network) — a secure communications system designed by the u.s. military and managed by AT&T during the cold war. these hardened facilities were built to survive nuclear conflict, using underground bunkers and microwave towers to relay messages across the country.

according to military communication historians, AUTOVON sites were often hidden in plain sight, buried deep, and built near rural roadways or rail lines. this one checks every box.

zoning, silence, and stranger parallels

the land remains zoned industrial heavy, which includes allowances for hazardous materials — an odd designation for land surrounded by residential neighborhoods.

and as indy week pointed out in a piece from several years ago, the eerie silence around the site is its own story. no signage. no public records detailing decommissioning. no formal explanation. just fences, memories, and rumors.

some have compared the atmosphere to hawkins lab in stranger things — not because of monsters, but because of the way it disappears behind the everyday. you could drive past it a hundred times and never realize what’s under your feet.