BEECH MOUNTAIN
Hancock County - Maine Forestry Service
1942: A lookout structure was built.
October 27, 1960: The materials for the new tower were airlifted from the parking area to the summit in 1000 pound bundles by helicopter. Each round trip taking from eight to ten minutes.
"The new tower, to be erected next spring under private contract, will replace the present wooden structure used by the park fire spotter from April 15 to September 15, or longer id fire conditions warrant. The new tower will contain living and cooking facilities so that a spotter may be kept on duty twenty-four hours a day, if necessary. It will be equipped with an Osborn Fire Finder and high frequency radio.
The old tower on Beech Mountain was built about twenty years ago materials transported on the backs of the Rangers with two Rangers acting as carpenters in constructing it. Because it is a one story affair there were a good many blind spots on the Island within its range. The new tower will afford a view of the whole island except for a few spots, and its range will overlap that of the state tower on Blue Hill." (Bar Harbor Times)
December 21, 1961: "Twenty-eight feet high, the tower is clearly visibly from Route 102 near SWH and north of Eagle Lake. The floor of the tower is 20 feet higher than the mountain. This will give the spotter an elevation of about 860 feet above sea level. Made of steel, glass, and concrete, the tower looks a little harsh against the clean rocky summit of the hill, but it also looks as if it were made to stay put and is of course a valuable addition to the fire prevention program of the Park.
A new trail, which you may wish to regard as an alternative rather than a substitute for the old one, has been built from the Beech Cliff parking lot around the west shoulder of the hill to the tower. Although it was built wide enough to allow access to the tower by a small truck during construction, it is classified and will be maintained by the Park as a foot trail. It is too badly washed now for travel by any kind of vehicular traffic." (Bar Harbor Times)