(Editor’s note: This story was compiled from articles by Rowan Crisp of the Lumber Heritage Region and Jennifer Haines of the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum published in the Lumber Heritage Region’s August newsletter.)

The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum has completed the restoration of portions of a historic fire tower, creating a more accessible way for visitors to experience Pennsylvania’s forest-fire history.

The museum received sections of the Sideling Hill Fire Tower from Buchanan State Forest in Fulton County in 2022. Built in 1923, the 60-foot steel tower was designed and constructed by the Blaw-Knox Co. of Pittsburgh.

The tower was removed in 2017 to make way for a new radio-repeater tower. Its top two stair sections and cabin, representing approximately 30 feet of the original structure, were saved in hopes they could eventually be preserved.

That effort was completed this year when museum staff and volunteers restored the structure with grant support from the Lumber Heritage Region. The restored portion now stands near the museum’s visitor center.

Pennsylvania constructed its first fire observation tower in 1905, and the state eventually had 449 towers. Fire lookouts watched for smoke, reported fires and recorded weather conditions from posts high above the forests.

Recent research by the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum has identified nearly 90 women who operated fire towers across the state from 1915 through the mid-1990s.

Pennsylvania’s first female tower employee was Norah Stadden, who began working at the Snow Hill Tower in the Poconos in 1915. She reached her post by climbing a ladder attached to a barn and continued working at several towers until 1922.

Other early female lookouts included Emma Lord, who was stationed at the Mount Pleasant Tower in Schuylkill County in 1923, and Maud Alma Walther, who worked at the Faunce Fire Tower in Clearfield County. They earned $60 per month and often worked 12 hours or more each day during fire season.

Women increasingly entered fire-tower service during World War II as they filled positions left vacant by men serving in the military. Some worked briefly, while others remained for decades.

Fire towers continue to play a role in detecting forest fires, although the work is now generally performed by groups of forest district employees rather than a single lookout. Modern employees involved in fire detection are also trained to work on fire lines, suppress wildfires and assist with prescribed burns.

The restored tower will allow museum visitors to explore the history of the structures and the people who staffed them.