MOUNT PLEASANT
Pennsylvania - Schuykill County - Weiser State Forest
April 27, 1923: "Miss Emma Lord, of Mt. Pleasant, near here, is the first woman in the state to be appointed a fire warden. Her appointment was announced by District Fire Warden Charles E. Baer. She will be placed in charge of the Mt. Pleasant fire tower, near her home. Miss Lord is a lover of the great outdoors, and it is predicted she will make a capable official." (Bedford Gazette)
November 8, 1923: "Two Pennsylvania women will serve as observers in state fire towers during the fall forest fire season. Miss Emma Lord, Pottsville, will be stationed at the Mt. Pleasant fire tower, Schuylkill county.
The women will be be paid $60 a month each, and are subject to the call of district foresters for duty. The hours of service during the fall fire season are not as long as during the spring fire season, but they frequently exceed twelve hours a day. George H. Wirt, chief of the Bureau of Forest Protection, State Department of Forests and Waters, said. The placing of women in the towers, as observers is not an innovation and according to Mr. Wirt, their services have been good and they have proved vigilant.
The observers spend their time on the top of a 100 foot steel tower and with a pair of field glasses are able to scan the country for miles." (Altoona Tribune)
October 29, 1926: "With the fall forest fire season approaching, the State Forestry Department has placed its force in the field and all towers are now being manned daily. Mrs. Vernie Ringenary in charge at the Mount Pleasant tower." (The Wilkes-Barre Record)
August 3, 1977: "On recommendation of the solicitor, the commissioners approved an agreement between the county and the state allowing the county to use the Mt. Pleasant fire tower as a site for installation of an antenna." (Evening Herald)
August 3, 2013: The tower was moved and the top section and cab was set up at the Owl Creek Recreation Area. The 85-foot steel Aermotor tower had been moved from its original location some years ago and placed at the DCNR Weiser District office in Cressona, where it was used for training and education. The tower was in disrepair and was once again dismantled and moved. The tower was donated to the Weiser Forest Fire Wardens Association and volunteers spent many hours making the tower presentable to the public again. The refurbished 25-foot top section of the tower will be used for firefighter training and open to the public on special occasions.