BLACK MOUNTAIN (benton)
New Hampshire - Grafton County - White Mountain National Forest
1911: The site was first established as an observation point.
1915-1916 biennium: A new and improved watch tower constructed.
April 22, 1927: "The New Hampshire Forestry department erected a steel tower with a wooden house structure on top for the use of the watchman on Black Mountain in the town of Benton during the season of 1926. This new tower takes the place of a wooden tower that was the first observation tower built at the time the state established a Forestry department for the conservation of forests and protection against forest fires on this mountain and which, owing to age, had become unsafe. The new tower is of heavy steel and the 10 ft. x 10 ft. room on top which gives the watchman protection in bad weather is reached by winding stairs of easy rise and tread. The room has three large windows on four sides which affords an unobstructed view in all directions.
Aside from the construction of a new tower the cabin occupied by the watchman was enlarged by adding a new room on one end which affords ample accommodations for a home life during the fire season.
The new construction work was under the supervision of Walter H. Tripp of the Forestry department, assisted by E. E. Woodbury, District Chief of the west district, and Herbert L. Beamis, who for four years has been the faithful watchman on Black Mountain, accompanied by his wife and little son. Mr. Beamis is to be transferred this year to Red Hill in Moultonboro, N. H., where a new lookout station is to be established along the most modern lines.
The station on Black Mountain---commonly known as 'Black Mount'---is considered to be one of the most important observation points in the state by the Forestry department. It covers a large area---viz., the towns of Benton, Haverhill, Piermont, part of Warren, Easton, part of Franconia, Lisbon, Bath, Lyman, Monroe, part of Orford and a tier of towns in Vermont from Ryegate to Bradford on the south. While the altitude of Black Mountain is only 2,850 ft. its geographical position is such to afford one of the best views of the surrounding country to be had in the northwestern part of Grafton County. Several hundred tourists visit it every season and, now that an observation tower easy of access has been built, the number of yearly visitors will increase. There are two trails---the steep trail over the face of the mountain and the long or lazy man's trail via the Federal Rangers. camp. Both trails lead from the 'Lime Kiln' road, so called, and by the old furnace towers used back in the '40's for burning the limestone in the east part of the town of Haverhill." (Groton Times)
Aside from the construction of a new tower the cabin occupied by the watchman was enlarged by adding a new room on one end which affords ample accommodations for a home life during the fire season.
The new construction work was under the supervision of Walter H. Tripp of the Forestry department, assisted by E. E. Woodbury, District Chief of the west district, and Herbert L. Beamis, who for four years has been the faithful watchman on Black Mountain, accompanied by his wife and little son. Mr. Beamis is to be transferred this year to Red Hill in Moultonboro, N. H., where a new lookout station is to be established along the most modern lines.
The station on Black Mountain---commonly known as 'Black Mount'---is considered to be one of the most important observation points in the state by the Forestry department. It covers a large area---viz., the towns of Benton, Haverhill, Piermont, part of Warren, Easton, part of Franconia, Lisbon, Bath, Lyman, Monroe, part of Orford and a tier of towns in Vermont from Ryegate to Bradford on the south. While the altitude of Black Mountain is only 2,850 ft. its geographical position is such to afford one of the best views of the surrounding country to be had in the northwestern part of Grafton County. Several hundred tourists visit it every season and, now that an observation tower easy of access has been built, the number of yearly visitors will increase. There are two trails---the steep trail over the face of the mountain and the long or lazy man's trail via the Federal Rangers. camp. Both trails lead from the 'Lime Kiln' road, so called, and by the old furnace towers used back in the '40's for burning the limestone in the east part of the town of Haverhill." (Groton Times)
July 19, 1934: "There was interested examination yesterday in the offices of the state Forestry Department of a small section of a telephone wire that had felt the effect of lightning.
Reports to the department, sent in with the bit of wire, were that 2,000 feet of line were melted by a lightning bolt that stuck a few days ago near the Black Mountain lookout station. Telephone lines leading to the forest fire lookout towers are stretched along the ground, since the erection of poles is impractical, and the electrical storm that melted the wire completely shut off the Black Mountain station from the outside world. The laying of new line was hastened, however, and communication now is re-established.
The lightning bolt did not damage the Black Mountain tower, but Mrs. Harold L. Beamis, wife of the watchman, was stunned. She was not badly hurt, fortunately, and now is fully recovered." (The Portsmouth Herald and Times)
September 21, 1938: The lookout was damaged in the Great New England Hurricane of 1938.
July 8, 1939: "Rockingham County has a new fire lookout tower. It is on Warner Hill in East Derry and opened Monday. It is linked with the forest fire system of the New Hampshire Forestry Department, and the fire control station at Nashua. Arthur J. Picard of Derry is the warden in charge. He is now located in a wooden cabin atop the 55-foot steel tower. Warner Hill is 605 feet high and next to Pawtuckaway Mountain is the highest point in the county. The new structure is connected by telephone with the Derry exchange." (Portsmouth Herald)
August 3, 1939: "Operation of three borderline towers has recently been taken over from the State Forestry Department by the White Mountain National Forest at Black Mountain in the edge of Benton, Mt. Cabot in Kilkenny and Stinson Mountain in Rumney." (The Portsmouth Herald)
1941: A 28-foot high CT-2 timber tower with a L-4 type cab, without outriggers, was constructed.
April 17, 1944: "Mrs. Maud Bickford left today to take over her duties as a fire watcher and lookout in the White Mountain national Forest.
Mrs. Bickford will resume her work at a station on Black Mountain in Benton, a job she held last year.
She took along her dog as company. Mrs. Bickford will attend a three-day instruction school at Bartlett, before going to her station." (The Telegraph)
1978: The discontinued lookout was destroyed.