MARYLAND LOOKOUTS
FOXVILLE
Frederick County
1918: "In line with the gradual transition from patrol protection to lookout protection, it was decided to erect a lookout tower on Catoctin Mountain near Sand Flats in Frederick County. Early in 1918 a suitable location for the tower was selected and rights-of-way secured for telephone connection. The tower, consisting of an iron framework about 25 feet high surmounted by a small wooden house, reached by an iron ladder, was erected during the summer, and, with the telephone installed, was ready for operation by November, 1918. Early in December, the wooden house was burned and the iron work damaged by an unknown malicious incendiary. There have been frequently incendiary fires in this section, attributable in part to the firing of the woods to improve growth of huckleberries, and in part to general "cussedness.""
"Determined to give the best possible forest protection to the land owners of the Catoctin Mountains, plans were at once gotten under way for the erection of an all steel tower, forty seven feet high, a few miles farther north on the mountain, near the residence of Warden A.L. Hauver. This tower will be completed, with telephone connection, ready for the spring fire season of 1920." (State Board of Forestry Report for 1918 and 1919)
"Determined to give the best possible forest protection to the land owners of the Catoctin Mountains, plans were at once gotten under way for the erection of an all steel tower, forty seven feet high, a few miles farther north on the mountain, near the residence of Warden A.L. Hauver. This tower will be completed, with telephone connection, ready for the spring fire season of 1920." (State Board of Forestry Report for 1918 and 1919)
1920: "The Foxville Tower in Frederick County, was completed and put in operation in 1920, as planned." (State Board of Forestry Report for 1920 and 1921)
1920: The 1930 Report of the State Department of Forestry indicates this tower stood 50 feet high.
April 27, 1923: "At 2:30 o'clock two more fires had been sighted. The first which was reported by the lookout tower at Foxville, is on South Mountain, southwest of Smithsburg. Charles Brunner is in charge there and in his notification to State Forester Klein, said that he was badly in need of help in fighting the flames." (The News)
April 6, 1928: "Miss Alice Willard, of near Foxville, appointed 'lookout' at the Foxville fire tower several days ago by C. Cyril Klein, district forester for Western Maryland, is the only woman in Maryland holding such a position. She went on duty Wednesday and for the next eight weeks, until about June 1, she will occupy a small room at the top of a 60-foot steel tower in the heart of the Catoctin mountains, about 12 hours a day, on the lookout for mountain fires.
The position, which pays $60 per month, was sought by Miss Willard. She is 30 years of age and was born and always lived in the mountains. Mr. Klein stated that he felt sure she would make a competent employe. Some years ago her brother was employed as a 'lookout' and at times she substituted for him." (Frederick News-Post)
March 31, 1930: "The first fire was sighted at 12 o'clock on the west side of Catoctin Mountain, by Miss Alice Willard, keeping a lookout for possible blazes, discovered a line of smoke rising near Foxville on the Smithsburg road. She could also distinguish several children making efforts to extinguish the blaze. It is thought that they were children on the way home from Sunday school, who had accidentally set the spot on fire. They had little trouble putting out the blaze." (The News)
April 20, 1931: "The first fire started at 12:10 o'clock yesterday afternoon by Miss Alice E. Willard, in charge of the Foxville fire tower. She notified fire wardens of the fire which then beginning to spread in the vicinity of Black Rock." (The Daily Mail)
March 12, 1932: "Miss Alice Willard, keeper of the Foxville fire tower, from which many Washington County forest fires have been detected, was compelled to walk five across the snow covered mountain roads on Thursday in order to attend the District Forest Wardens' conference in Frederick.
She rode from Thurmont to Frederick, after walking from the tower to Thurmont." (The Morning Herald)
April 25, 1940: "The fire tower at Foxville will not be opened until dry weather changes the present conditions in the mountains, it was announced. Ordinarily at this time of the year all the fire towers on South Mountain are manned, but recent rains have removed the danger of forest fires for awhile.
When the 'green' comes out there is not as much chance of fire as there is when vegetation is dormant, it was stated." (The Daily Mail)
October 14, 1941: "Because of the extreme dry condition of mountain land and a forest fire on Sunday, which burned over ten acres of mountain land in vicinity of Point of Rocks, Frederick county, an additional fire tower, near Foxville, was opened last Saturday. The Foxville tower is near the Washington County line." (The Daily Mail)
April 17, 1942: "The Foxville tower was opened yesterday with John Draper in charge." (The Daily Mail)
September 25, 1951: "A new 100-foot high fire lookout tower has been completed at Foxville, which will give added protection to the whole Catoctin Recreational Area and to the city watershed, District Forest Supervisor Herman Toms said today.
On a day with good visibility, Toms said the towerman can see Westminster to the east, planes landing at Hagerstown to the west and High Knob to the south. All other towers in this area can be spotted, including the Lamb's Knoll tower near Middletown.
Toms, his guard, Donald Kendall, and towerman, Andrew Abraham, did most of the work in the construction of the new tower, which is on the site of the old 47-foot Foxville tower.
As a matter of fact, the forest supervisor said, the old tower was taken down and placed on top of the new tower, which extended upward for 53 feet, making the full 100 feet. The tower is an all-steel affair, with concrete base and seven-foot by seven-foot cab on the top, in which the towerman scans the landscape for any sign of fire. It took about three weeks to erect the tower and it is now being insulated and painted.
The tower is the highest of any on the mountain except Salamander, which is also 100 feet.
It is expected that the tower, along with others, will be opened for daily operation around the first of October. The fall danger season starts about that time. Woods are still green at present and the fire danger is not so great. But it will increase from now on and Toms is hopeful the Autumn will not be as dry as the summer. This area has not had any forest fires for some time." (The News)
March 21, 1955: "Andrew H. Abraham is again manning the Foxville tower." (The News)
September 17, 1959: "A radio is to be installed in the nearby Foxville forest fire tower above Smithsburg, District Forester William H. Johnson announced.
The addition of radio equipment will facilitate the dispatch of radio equipped forestry department cars to areas where fires have to be investigated." (The Morning Herald)
April 2, 1971: "The fire was reported around 10 a.m. by the Foxville watch tower, and brought under control just before 3 p.m., said officials of the forestry service." (The Morning Herald)
October 22, 1976: "The old Foxville Tower, owned by the Maryland Forest Service, collapsed Thursday during a strong wind gust.
The tower, formerly used as a fire watch lookout, towered nearly 2,000 feet above sea level and had been a local attraction for a number of years.
The tower was located on the Foxville Tower Road, west of Catoctin Mountain National Park and Cunningham Falls State Park, and south of Foxville.
State Police said the tower fell shortly after midnight. A spokesman for Potomac Edison reported several homes in the area had reported power interruptions as high winds disturbed power lines but overall the problem was said to be minor. The tower missed a nearby three-phase line owned by Potomac Edison. No one was reported injured.: (The News)
Removed