McCormick’s Creek State Park CCC Fire Tower

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

The historic Fire Tower in McCormick's Creek State Park recently underwent a full rehabilitation after being closed to the public for nearly forty years. Indiana eventually built 33 fire towers throughout the state in order to maintain a watch on forested areas and prevent major forest fires before they grew too large.

Images

After reopening.

When completed in 1935.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

This tower was built in the 1930s by workers of the Civilian Conservation Corps, both to provide employment and to fulfil a need for more fire towers to monitor the state’s forests. Access to it was closed in the early-1980s due to lack of maintenance and being in a state of disrepair. The mid-2010s saw residents of Owen County partner with local and state foundations to raise money to restore the tower for open access to the people of the state wishing to view the surrounding forest and countryside. For this project, some funding was even raised in a classic fashion from decades past by a penny drive in Owen County schools. After raising $100,000 and undergoing repairs, it reopened to the public in August 2020.

Sources

Indiana Landmarks, “Onward and Upward.” Indiana Landmarks. Dec. 2018. https://www.indianalandmarks.org/2018/12/tower-rehab-offers-a-view-from-the-top/

WBIW Staff, “McCormick’s Creek State Park Fire Tower Re-Opens,” WBIW News. Aug. 2020. http://www.wbiw.com/2020/08/28/mccormicks-creek-state-park-fire-tower-re-opens/