MASSACHUSETTS LOOKOUTS
WACHUSETT MOUNTAIN
(PRINCETON)
Worcester County
October 5, 1911: "At Wachusett mountain the state has a lookout man. He watches over the entire Wachusett valley and Fitchburg is a part of the territory which he covers with a telescope. He has apparatus for detecting forest fires and for locating them so when a fire is discovered in this city the warden, whom the state officials will have listed, will be telephoned to and the warden then gets after the fire." (Fitchburg Sentinel)
April 8, 1912: "Acting under orders of the state forester, J. Harry Allen began work, today, as forest fire warden with headquarters in the lookout station at the top of Mount Wachusett. He has special apparatus for detecting forest fires within a radius of 20 miles from the lookout station and is connected by telephone so that he can communicate with the fire wardens in the districts in which brush or forest fires are detected." (Fitchburg Sentinel)
April 17, 1912: "J. Harry Allen, state fire warden in charge of the lookout station at Wachusett mountain, besides witnessing wonderful electrical displays caused by lightning, Tuesday, detected a fire three miles west of Princeton center on the Sanderson place about 7 o'clock. The barn was struck by lightning and was totally destroyed, Mr. Allen not seeing it until the clouds had cleared away and that was too late for the fire department to do any good. The property is owned by James Gray of Cambridge. The loss is $300.
Part of the time during the thunder and electrical storm Mr. Allen was above the clouds in his lookout station, which is the highest point in Worcester county. Up there all alone Mr. Allen says it was a very unusual experience during the wild night. The clouds were heavy and at times it was intensely dark, the darkness being broken only by lightning. From this vantage point Mr. Allen say that the lightning struck in Fitchburg and Ashburnham. He says it was a magnificent sight, especially after the clouds cleared away." (Fitchburg Sentinel)
May 6, 1912: "All told nine fires were detected from the state lookout on Wachusett mountain Sunday, by Harry Allen, who has charge of the forest and brush fire work for the state in this section. Each of the fires, in various locations in the Wachusett valley, were reported to deputies and wardens in the towns.
A hen house in Princeton center was discovered by Mr. Allen to be on fire. He spread the alarm, but it was too late to save the building. The fire loss was $400." (Fitchburg Sentinel)
April 25, 1913: "Chasing smoke on tips from the Wachusett Mountain observatory or lookout station, from which fires can be detected for several miles, isn't a pleasing occupation for Arlan D. Bailey, highway surveyor in Winchendon and he has refused to accept a reappointment as fire warden in that town. The selectmen are trying to induce Mr. Bailey to accept the position again, but Mr. Bailey passes out a determined negative when answering their appeals." (Fitchburg Sentinel)
May 20, 1913: "The lookout man on Wachusett has been of great assistance in locating forest fires in this town, this year. Several times the first information of a fire has come from to Fire Warden James S. Gilchrest from him. When the Nancy Frost place was burned over last week, though the first information did not come from him, he telephoned the warden that the fire was two miles north of the village, which was absolutely correct. The other day he telephoned that there was a fire at Shirley reservoir, but all over the Shirley line, thus saving a five mile trip by the Lunenburg fire fighters. One day last week he notified Warden Gilchrest of a fire half a mile north of the village. He was just right, for James L. Harrington was burning brush on his farm." (Fitchburg Sentinel)
July 14, 1913: "The central fire station as notified, Sunday afternoon, by the lookout on Wachusett mountain that a brush fire was burning near Haynes reservoir. A squad of fire fighters was sent to the reservoir and found a lively fire in progress. About eight acres were burned over before the fire was put out." (Fitchburg Sentinel)
July 22, 1913: "The lookout station at Wachusett mountain detected a big forest fire just over the Ashby line, this afternoon, and a squad of men was sent up from Central fire station to determine the exact location of the fire, which appears to be over the line." (Fitchburg Sentinel)
January 1915: "The tower of the hotel was early sought by the State Forester as one of the fire observation points. Mr. Hutchins, the head of that excellent system, considers it one of his most useful stations on account of its extensive outlook and central location." (Public Document -- No. 65)
1915: "Four hundred and eighty-five fires were reported last year from the fire tower on Mt. Wachusett, the largest number reported by any of the 24 observation stations in Massachusetts. The Fay mountain station at Westboro was second with 386, a total of 3013 were seen and reported. (Fitchburg Sentinel)
May 7, 1923: "It was with much regret that we heard from Mr. Cherry that James Maley, observer at the fire tower for many years is no longer there. Advancing years and infirmities which age brings have made the task of daily watching too much for him, and Mr. Skinner of Princeton is to take his place." (Fitchburg Sentinel)
June 12, 1923: "Wachusett mountain isn't a flaming torch.
Boston isn't burning up—or down.
In fact, there appears to be no local or neighborhood connection with the smoke-filled atmosphere that surrounds Firchburg today. It is due to fires in Maine and Canada, for the wind is just right to bring the smoke this way.
Calls to the Sentinel office this morning had it that there was a great fire on Washusett mountain, and others were sure Boston was having a hot and smokey time.
Wachusett mountain's fire tower isn't much of a help to anybody today, for the watchman there this afternoon said that visibility from his lofty perch was very low—not over a mile in any direction." (Fitchburg Sentinel)
August 21, 1961: "The fire-watch tower atop lofty Mount Wachusett in Princeton--50 years old on Aug. 25--is still maintained during days when the burning index is high, but daily operation was halted three years ago.
The former plan of permitting the public to climb the steep, narrow wooden stairway leading to the tower for a better view of the surrounding countryside has been discontinued because of fire hazard dangers." (Fitchburg Sentinel)
1965: The Summit House which contained the fire lookout, burned.
1966: A 70-foot steel tower with a 10x10 cab was erected to replace the old lookout that was destroyed in a fire the previous year.
