North Carolina, and particularly the mountains have a long history of fire detection, the oldest pieces of which can still be found today. Tall steel lattices, topped with cabins both large and small litter the landscape in seemingly sporadic locations. In this smidgen of fire tower knowledge I'll try to lay down the basic history and a few interesting examples located around Highlands.
Original Osborne Fire Finder
Beginning in the early 1920s, the fire detection network of fire towers was set up across North Carolina, with a total of 227 towers being constructed by the NC Forest Service, US Forest Service and Civilian Conservation Core. The highest densities of these towers were located in the mountains, as there was the most government land to manage. Atop the tower in the cab, each fire tower possessed an Osborne fire finder, such as the instrument depicted above. These were alidades, designed in 1912 and modified into the 50s to accurately locate the source of smoke within a tower's viewshed. While this manual method of fire detection technology has largely been superseded by aerial surveillance and the widespread use of the cellphone, it is still in use in western drier states such as Montana, where eyes on the fire at all times is an immensely valuable asset to the hotshots and fire crews, as well as managers.
Mount Morrell Fire Tower, Montana
We can ramble on about the history of fire detection all day, and I very much would be willing to, but I should respect your time and keep things brief. Fire towers are no longer staffed by the Forest service branches throughout North Carolina, with the last two active towers being decommissioned by 2012. A large percentage of towers have been demolished with others lying in various states of decay and disrepair. While their intended purpose has long been rendered obsolete, a byproduct of requiring an effective viewshed for fire detection has placed fire towers in opportune locations for viewing the landscape of North Carolina. Through the hard work of organizations such as the Forest Fire Lookout Association and individuals, a handful of fire towers and their views have been preserved.
However, the towers are often subject to vandalism, and the same locations which provide them with excellent views also provide excellent exposure to the elements. The access to towers is subject to change so it's best to get the views while you can, and experience a unique bit of forest service infrastructure. Towers are often intact but are surrounded with barbed wire fences and have flights of stairs removed, to deter visitors from climbing unrepaired planks at great heights. Tower cabs are often locked on many of the live in type cabs to limit vandalism, but the views from the top of the stairs is nearly as good.
Be sure to investigate each individual fire tower's accessibility online before attempting a hike!
Tower with limited access, Hillsborough
Fire Towers in NC come in three general categories, 7x7 Aermotor towers , 14x14 IDECO live in towers, and CCC built live in towers. The live in cabs were preferred for use by the US Forest Service and National Park Service, while the NC Forest Service preferred the 7x7 temporarily staffed cabs for looking over a viewshed comprised of mainly private land.
IDECO 14x14 live in fire tower, Green Knob
7x7 Aermotor fire tower, Upstate NY CCC built fire tower, Mount Cammerer
We'll briefly look at a few towers with good hikes and good views in and around Macon County and Highlands, Starting off with Yellow Mountain fire tower.
Yellow Mountain Fire tower was built by the CCC in 1934 at an elevation of 5,127 feet. The view encompasses 360 degrees and covers the Cowee, great Smoky and Plott Balsam mountains. This view is well earned, as the hike leading up to it has a minimum distance of 12.0 miles. The tower was restored in 2010 and features local stonework as is characteristic of CCC built fire towers. It is located in Macon county.
Albert Mountain is also a live in cab like yellow mountain, but it has the steel lattice characteristic of IDECO towers. Rising to a height of 43 feet on top of a mountain at an elevation of 5,220 feet, this fire tower is one of the highest in the state. Located in Macon county and built in 1951, Albert Mountain fire tower is quite a bit more accessible to visitors than Yellow mountain. The cab may be locked, but the views from the stairs are still above the tops of the trees. The views offered are some of the best, covering the Nantahala mountains, the crest of the Great Smokies mountains and Blue Ridge mountains. It also directly overlooks the USFS Coweeta Hydrologic lab, where I happen to be interning.
Wayah Bald similarly to Albert mountain is located in Macon County and on the Appalachian trail. It sports a 1937 CCC built stone tower that is just the modified base of a previously much taller tower. It has a 270 degree viewshed atop a 5,342 foot mountain, however Wayah bald is still a subpeak to Winespring bald, a former fire tower site. Although no longer a bald, the summit of Wayah bald still provides some of the best views for the bulk of the Nantahala mountains. If you have sharp eyes, you can look to the southeast to catch a glimpse of albert mountain's fire tower. Continuing north on the Appalachian trail from Wayah will take you to Wesser bald, hosting a converted flattop fire tower with great views.
Through this little tidbit of fire tower knowledge I hope you've come to appreciate these relics of the past, however dated their usage might be. Perhaps next time you take a hike you'll investigate to see if one of these is on a summit nearby, or if you see concrete foundations atop a mountain you'll be reminded of the past history of fire detection in these mountains of ours.
-KD