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Deasey Mountain NHLR Acceptance
STACYVILLE, Maine - The Deasey Mountain Fire Lookout in Township 3 Range 7 WELS was accepted into the National Historic Lookout Register in a small ceremony in Stacyville, Maine Saturday morning August 19th. The Certificate was presented to Roxanne Quimby, owner of the fire lookout, by Bill Cobb, Maine Director of the Forest Fire Lookout Association.
Also present at the ceremony was Dick Anderson, President of the Maine Chapter of the International Appalachian Trail/Sentier International des Appalaches (IAT/SIA) and several members of the Board of Directors of the Maine Chapter IAT/SIA. The IAT/SIA Chapter has completed extensive repairs to the Deasey fire lookout over the last couple of years.
Another honored guest present at the event was Ed Werler. Ed was the fire watchman in the Deasey lookout from 1947 to 1949. He has recently written a book about his experiences entitled “THE CALL OF KATAHDIN”. The book contains pictures of the fire lookout and the cabin he and his wife, Mary Jane, lived in while he watched the surrounding forest for “smokes”.
Deasey Mountain, also known as “Daicey Mountain” by the locals, was an ideal candidate for the NHLR due its current condition and ownership, and the fact that it is one of only 3 remaining Groundhouse type lookouts in Maine.
Deasey Mountain was first put into service by the Maine Forest District back in 1929 replacing Hunt Mountain just 4 miles to the south. It remained in service until approximately 1970. Most recently in 2004, members of the Appalachain Trail/Sentier International des Appalaches (IAT/SIA) set out to renovate the aging and deteriorating Deasey Lookout. The project will be completed at the end of August 2006. The current landowner, Roxanne Quimby, funded the project.
In Maine, Deasey is the 10th lookout to be placed on the NHLR, including Big Moose Mountain (formally Squaw Mountain) lookout, the site of the oldest fire detection tower, with a history dating back to 1905. At press time, there were 665 total lookouts on the NHLR nationwide. As of 2006, Maine still had approximately 69 remaining fire towers still standing in some capacity.
The Deasey acceptance to the NHLR is hoped to focus public attention on fire lookouts and create awareness for their history. Fire lookouts have become an important part of Maine history and preserving them creates a vital link to a historical understanding of forestry.
The National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR), maintained by the American Resources Group® in Washington, D.C., is a cooperative effort of the Forest Fire Lookout Association, the National Forestry Association, the National Woodland Owners Association, the U.S. Forest Service, state foresters and Interior agencies. Fire towers and lookouts across the country are considered for selection on the basis of fire tower design, location, age, ownership and structure.
