As both newly arrived students at Amherst, we had no connections with the local community nor a clear idea of what types of sounds we were interested in exploring. From a conversation with Professor Jeffers Engelhardt, we learned that Amherst College owns a Cold War bunker only six miles away and has renovated it into a book depository for the Five College Libraries.
Attracted by its history, we contacted Mariah Leavitt, the Preservations Manager at Frost Library Archives, about any useful information about the bunker. We were very grateful for her to guide us on a trip to the bunker. Unlike what we expected, there were no longer interesting machines and records from the Cold War. It has become a mundane library storing stacks of books. However, the sounds caught our ears: loud generators, a low-frequency electric hum, echoes in the room…
After our first visit, we browsed through more archival documents, such as newspaper clips, photos, and tour guide videos, at the Library. We were initially disappointed after learning that many people directly involved with the Cold War bunker had already passed away. However, we were able to find one person who appears frequently on these resources––Aaron Hayden. He was in charge of the bunker renovation project and is still working as the Amherst College Campus Utilities Engineer.
Despite being busy with all kinds of campus affairs, Aaron talked with us about his knowledge of the bunker. He described the specific machines that would have been in the bunker during the Cold War, the stories he heard from military generals and others who have worked there, and his memories about the Cold War in general. It was a fruitful conversation, which inspired us to re-imagine the soundscape in the Cold War bunker and reflect on how sounds convey feelings, specifically anxiety.
Afterward, Aaron kindly shared with us maps of the bunker that he labeled with the specific locations of the machines he mentioned during our conversation. He also invited us to go on his tour at the Bunker in late October, which was very useful for us in matching what we hear in his stories to what we see now.
Coincidentally, we found an event posted on the Amherst Historical Society website about the Cold War in Massachusetts. We got in touch with the guest speaker, Joshua Shanley, who is the author of an upcoming book, “Cold War: Massachusetts.” During our virtual meeting and his talk at Amherst, he shared with us all kinds of bunkers he has visited in Massachusetts and the interesting features he noticed about them. Specifically, he recommended we check out the Chesterfield Bunker, which still has many facilities from the Cold War. Therefore, we reached out to the owner of the Chesterfield Bunker, Christine, and she kindly accepted our request and toured us around the bunker.
We are incredibly grateful to Aaron, Joshua, and Christine for collaborating on this project. Our conversations inspired us to experiment with the documentary through sounds to offer a reflection on the Cold War. We are indebted to them for their great conversation and willingness to collaborate.
We are also thankful to Professor Jeffers Engelhardt for his teaching and advising, Mariah Leavitt for providing incredible archival information, Peter Marvin for his technical support, Alex Conklin for her editing support, Max Ansorge for publishing our work on this website, and finally, the Center of Community Engagement for providing this opportunity and funding.
Yilin Huang is a first-year and a prospective English and Statistics major at Amherst College. She loves improv dancing and playing the violin. At Amherst, she is involved in the Poetry Club and Philosophy Club, where she contemplates the meaning of everything and seeks to unravel the hidden threads that connect art, logic, and the human experience.
Contact: huangy.hyl@gmail.com
Jiyuan Ji is a first-year and a prospective Math major at Amherst College. She loves singing jazz and musical tunes, as well as playing piano and a traditional Chinese instrument called the Guzheng. At Amherst, she sings at the Amherst Choral Society and hosts a bi-weekly radio show on WAMH 89.3 FM. Contact: scorpsj7373@gmail.com