Pikeville — Travelrags

Atlas ObscuraNov 19, 2025

Cruise Missile in a Parking Lot in Pikeville, North Carolina

If you’re driving down Big Daddy’s Road in Pikeville, North Carolina, (perhaps on your way to or from the Goldsboro Nuclear Mishap site ), you might be surprised to see a winged Matador cruise missile from the 1950s prominently displayed in a church parking lot. This missile is from the MGM-1 Matador family, first flown in 1949 and in service from 1952 to 1962. This missile family is one of the…

5 things in this story

Goldsboro Nuclear Mishap siteSightA sign marks the plane crash that caused two nuclear bombs to fall in North Carolina.
Big Daddy’s SeafoodRestaurantused a red Matador missile to promote it
MGM-1 MatadorSighta cruise missile from the 1950s on display
Big Daddy's RoadSight
Matador TM-61CSight

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