BEACON MOUNTAIN
New York - Dutchess County
1922: "An observer was placed on Mt. Beacon in Putnam County during the spring and fall fire seasons. He was handicapped by having no observatory and by having to walk about a quarter of a mile from the top of the mountain to the nearest telephone, but the experience of this season demonstrated the desirability of establishing a permanent observation station with standard tower and telephone service on Mt. Beacon." (Twelfth Annual Report of the Conservation Commission - 1922)
January 3, 1931: "An appropriation for the proposed observation tower to be constructed on top of Mount Beacon, the historical peak overlooking the Hudson River Valley as a safeguard against forest fires, has just been asked of Dutchess County supervisors by conservation officials.
The peak, which gets its name because beacon fires were burned there by Continental Army troops to signal about the movement of British troops, is over 1,600 feet above the river.
The tower would cost $2,000 and the State is willing to pay one half if the county will pay the other half of the cost." (Rockland County Times)
1931: A 60-foot steel tower with a 7x7 observation cab erected on the summit of South Beacon Mountain, located approximately 60 miles north of New York City
1932: A new tower placed in operation in the spring. (Twenty-Second Annual Report of the Conservation Department - 1932)
c.1972: The lookout used for the final season and de-commissioned several years later.
September 13, 2012: "New York Army National Guard engineers are helping to refurbish a 70-year-old fire tower with a commanding view of the Hudson Valley.
Members of the 1156th Engineer Co. spent two weeks using their expertise to upgrade the observation tower located on Mount Beacon, located on the Hudson River's east bank in the Dutchess County city of Beacon.
The project served as training for engineers who respond to state emergencies.
The tower requires more repairs and upgrades to meet modern building codes before it can be approved for public use.
The tower was built in the early 1930's and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. The structure is a popular hiking destination, with the summit of Mount Beacon offering a 75-mile view of the Hudson Valley." Copyright 2012 Associated Press. (WSJ.com)
June 22, 2013: A ceremony held to celebrate the reopening of the tower. The rehabilitation completed after about ten years of planning and work by volunteers, also the State's Army National Guard assisted.