Community Shelter Tours-Caldwell Elementary School

Mc Kinney, Texas is about 8 miles north of where I live in Allen, Texas. One day while cruising around the town looking for interesting old buildings (and Fallout Shelter signs) I happened onto just that. This is Caldwell Elementary School, a fairly old school, probably 40s or 50s vintage.

This is the school's auditorium on the east end of the building. More built-on-grade telltale Fallout Shelter construction here. I went up to the school one day ready to go through a big ordeal with the administration trying to explain what a Fallout Shelter is and how there is a sign on the building etc. etc. when I saw one of the school district grounds keepers parked right outside the basement door with the shelter sign over it. I explained to the groundskeeper what I was up to, and he was more than happy to help me out, and show me the basement.

Here is the basement door at the north east corner under the auditorium. The shelter sign is well worn being exposed to the morning Texas sun for 30 plus years. There was no capacity marking on this shelter sign. The foundation wall that this door passes through is about 12 inches thick. I was really looking forward to finding a stash of supplies in this shelter.

This picture is looking in from just inside the doorway back into the basement. The basement was fairly clean although cluttered with old wood shop equipment and very well lit.

The shelter is marked inside with a sign on the east wall. There were no supplies left in the shelter so this little added touch was kind of neat to find.

This is looking toward the west side of the basement. There is a space behind the A/C equipment where I thought for sure I would find a forgotten stash of supplies. After crawling over the shop equipment to make it back there I found nothing, as usual. Oh well, on to another shelter!