This Vault In Kentucky Holds One Of The World's Most Closely-Guarded Secrets
By Sarah McCosham|Published March 02, 2023
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
When something is heavily protected, we often say it’s “guarded like Fort Knox.” As with most cliches, this saying is based in truth; The United States Bullion Depository, known simply as Fort Knox, is a fortified vault building adjacent to the Fort Knox Army Post just outside of Louisville, Kentucky. The United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox is not a production facility — it stores precious metal bullion reserves for the United States and is a heavily guarded vault in Kentucky.
When something is "guarded like Fort Knox," that means it's heavily secured and protected, like, well, Fort Knox.
The United States Bullion Depository, known simply as "Fort Knox," is a fortified vault building adjacent to the Fort Knox Army Post. It is operated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and stores over half the country's gold reserves.
This Kentucky vault is protected by the United States Mint Police and is well known for its impenetrable physical security; layers and layers of security.
The depository was built by the Treasury in 1936 on land transferred to it from Fort Knox. Early shipments of some 13,000 metric tons of gold were escorted by combat cars of the 1st U.S. Cavalry Regiment to the depository.
In the century since, this vault in Kentucky has safeguarded other items of priceless national significance, such as the original copies of both the Constitution of the United States and the United States Declaration of Independence.
Today, Fort Knox stores precious metal bullion reserves for the United States and no one is permitted on site. It remains heavily guarded and shrouded in mystery; the actual structure and content of the facility is known by only a few, and no one person knows all the procedures to open this world-famous vault in Kentucky.
While you can’t visit this heavily guarded vault in Kentucky, it’s pretty darn cool that the Bluegrass State lays claim to such a legendary American icon!
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