FLORIDA LOOKOUTS
PRINCETON
Dade County
Florida Forestry Service
Florida Forestry Service
August 16, 1940: "J.D. Redd, county commissioner, told the meeting that three sites for the fire tower to be erected in the Redland District by the Florida Forestry Service, are under consideration and that work on the tower probably will start within three or four weeks. Several acres of land will be required for the tower and the home and grounds of the tower watchman, Mr. Redd said." (The Leader-Enterprise)
August 27, 1940: "A 100-foot steel fire tower will be erected in the heart of the Redland district, according to County Commissioner J.D. Redd. who today conferred with two district foresters who are working on the project.
B.F. Harris and Nelson B. Blocker of the state forestry department want the tower installed for observation purposes in the Redland district and a state forestry man stationed here.
The tower will be constructed with state, federal and local funds and will contain phones, maps, and fire locating instruments. Erection of the tower has been under consideration for several years." (Miami Daily News)
November 15, 1940: "The concrete foundations for the 100-foot fire watch-tower of the Florida Forest Service has been poured at the site a short distance south of Black Point, and erection of the tower itself will be completed within ten days, County Commissioner J.D. Redd said yesterday.
The tower will be open to the public when completed, Mr. Redd said. It will be manned by one or more men, depending on the degree of drought." (The Leader-Enterprise)
December 6, 1940: "With R.L. Hobson appointed as towerman and dispatcher on Dec. 1, and a telephone installed yesterday, the Princeton fire tower of the Florida Forest and Park Service is now officially and fully in operation.
The 100-foot tower has an enclosed steel cab at the top, with windows on all sides, from which the towerman scans the surrounding countryside for grass or forest fires. Upon discovering one, he telephones the nearest county fire-fighting unit and dispatches it to the scene of the blaze.
In addition to the unit opposite the Redland school, of which Mason Roberts has charge, there is a county fire-fighting unit at Kendall, one on North Ludlam road and one at the county yard on 79th street, Miami.
The towerman can see Biscayne Bay on the east, the tall buildings of Miami and Coral Gables on the north, the everglades on the west and Homestead, Florida City and the beginning of the Overseas highway on the south.
The Florida Forest and Park Service likes to have visitors climb to the top of the tower and enjoy the view.
The Princeton fire tower is the only one in Southeastern Florida, but the Florida Forest and Park Service hopes to have another at Kendall eventually so that fires can be platted through triangulation between the two towers.
The area about the tower, which though called the Princeton tower is located a half mile above that community at the Black Point crossing, will be landscaped and made into picnic grounds for the public with the aid of the Dade County park department.
The forest service will build a house for the towerman at the base of the steel structure, eventually. At present Mr. and Mrs. Hobson are living in a trailer parked at the tower." (The Leader-Enterprise)
August 16, 1964: "A new two-way radio was installed at the Princeton Fire Tower. It plugs the gap in communications between civil defense, fire and forestry service in South Florida.
The 25-watt radio connects the area between Princeton and a tower at Naples.
'The radio which was installed at the top of Princeton's 100 foot fire tower will now permit direct communication with the west coast of Florida,' said Ray C. Hill, district forester, who is also in charge of the civil defense communication in 10 South Florida counties.
Previously, without this radio, messages have been delayed and some errors have resulted, because of the lack of direct communication.
Up until now, Elmer Spivey, who keeps a lonely vigil at the tower, has had only telephone contact with the outside world." The News Leader)