Many Pee Dee residents recall the details of the incident that occurred on March 11, 1958, in Mars Bluff.
Now, with the production of a documentary examining the aftermath of the day a 3-ton unarmed nuclear bomb was accidentally dropped on a family’s farm a few miles outside of Florence, the story is coming full circle.
Part of the ETV series Carolina Stories, “The Incident at Mars Bluff” tells the story of the Gregg family from that fateful day when their house and all their belongings were destroyed, through their struggles to receive fair compensation from the U.S. Air Force.
On Sunday, approximately 30 people attended a free screening of the program at the Florence County library and Matt Burrows, the director and producer of the documentary, was on hand to field questions about the project.
He said that he interviewed Walter and Effie Gregg for the film, making it the first time the Greggs have broadcasted their disillusionment of the incident.
“I guess it’s like Mrs. Gregg said ... they’re just getting to the point where they’re ready to talk about it. A lot of stuff was written about it, but it never touched on their frustrations,” Burrows said.
For Burrows, a Columbia native, the story might be quirky, but for a brief period it put Mars Bluff at the center of the Cold War and it made a lasting impression on the Gregg family.
“It’s in one of those coffee-table books. ‘Weird Carolinas,’ and it’s not a joke to them, as quirky as it is. I promised I wouldn’t make fun of them or make light of the situation,” he said.
The half-hour program will air Thursday at 9 p.m. on ETV.
Fast Facts:
- The bomb was dropped by an Air Force B-47 plane from Hunter Air Force base in Savannah, Ga., which was on its way to a base in England.
- On a special mission called “Operation Snow Flurry,” a 3-ton unarmed nuclear bomb accidentally was dropped on the Gregg family farm. The bomb dropped 100 yards from the Greggs’ house and destroyed property, but amazingly, no one was killed.
- Where: Mars Bluff
- When: March 11, 1958
- How: The steel pin keeping the bomb locked in place was taken out during lift off, which was standard procedure, but once the plane reached cruising altitude, the pin would not go back in. That is when the bomb dropped out of the plane and landed in the Greggs’ backyard.
- Why: After an Air Force investigation, it was ruled a mechanical failure, and the pilot was not prosecuted.
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