Mike,
Are you sure of the second date ?
Most Nike sites had the control and radar installations on high ground in order to provide better radar scanning/range, with the underground missile launchers at nearby sites or sometimes at the same site.
If your date of removal is correct, then I suspect a better launch site was substituted for the one pictured.
The site pictured seems too susceptible to sabotage and the Nike Air Defense program was just getting into high swing in 1958.
It wasn't until the mid 70's that the system was dismantled, not 1958.
My club in Northern NJ had an installation a driver and 6-iron away. (probably a driver, 3-wood and 9-iron for you and TEPaul)
Other courses in NJ had sites close by.
I often wondered if that was coincidental or a prefered drop area for the Nike rocket's booster stage.
In high school, in the 50's I was driving a friend's dad's car. A big black Cadillac, with 4 of my friends with me.
We were in Livingston, near a large estate recently featured in a "Life" magazine article about organized crime..
I decided to drive into the long driveway for that estate but was eventually stopped by large iron gates.
I turned around, exited, made a left and then another left into the driveway leading to the Nike installation.
As we ascended up the hill toward the base, there were imposing security fences and a substantial guard gate.
The guards at the gate saw the big black Cadillac coming up the hill and waived us through, probably thinking that we must be dignataries or commanding officers. When they saw a bunch of kids in the car, they sounded the alarm and when we got to the installation area we were greeted by jeeps mounted with machine guns and a number of rather upset and hostile guards using language we clearly understood. We were directed to get our asses the @#* out of there as quickly as possible. As we passed the entry gate on our way out, we waved. Needless to say, the guards who had waved us into the base did not return our wave.
The 50's were a great time in America.
Yes, we had to conduct air raid drills in school and have supposedly safe shelters to go to in the event of nuclear attack, but, by and large it was an age of innocence, where you could leave the doors to your house unlocked and the keys to your car in the ignition and not have to worry about anything. We went everywhere on our bikes, played outside until dinner and didn't worry about a thing.
We'd take buses into New York City and ride the subways and go to "Rock and Roll" shows with Allen Freed. It was really a lot of fun growing up then. Post War America was starting to hit its stride and they were great times.
My one regret, or one of my regrets, is that the mentality of young women today, wasn't in place in the 50's.
You have no idea of how hard it was to get to first base, let alone hit a home run.
Man, it was long, hard work.
But, you have to take the good with the bad, the bitter with the sweet and I wouldn't trade those times for anything, except to relive them knowing what I know today.