Tater Knob Fire Tower on Morehead District

For thousands of years the spring at the base of Tater Knob was known as a dependable source of water by Native Americans, explorers, loggers, and settlers. In 1934, Tater Knob became the home of a fire tower that would outlast all others in the Daniel Boone National Forest.

In the years before the National Forest was established, homesteaders burned the woods to “git rid of snakes and ticks, and green the grass”. Tater Knob Fire Tower, along with towers at Morehead, Triangle, McCausey Ridge, and Hickory Flats, were key tools in detecting and fighting devastating fires.

Rough terrain and poor roads made construction of the tower difficult. To get material to the building site, a new road was constructed. Using dynamite and hand tools, Civilian Conservation Corps workers built a 1.25 mile section of the road up to the base of the cliff. Using a mule team, building materials were hoisted to the summit. The Civilian Conservation Corps erected and operated the tower for several years.

The 35-foot fire tower was home to the lookouts who ran it. The original tower cab was 14-x14-feet, just big enough for a wood stove, two cots, a cabinet, storage box, small table, and a stool. The all-important alidade, or fire finder, stood in the middle of the room, with the telephone box attached under the stand.

Communication between towers was by telephone lines strung through the forest on poles. After spotting smoke, the lookout pinpointed the location using the alidade, then phoned another tower. Where the two sightlines crossed, the fire was located on the map and the fire fighters were activated. In 1959, the old wooden structure was replaced with a 10-x10-foot metal building.

Lookouts no longer lived in the tower, but climbed the hill every day of the fire season.

By the mid-1970’s, aircraft replaced towers for fire detection and many towers were abandoned. In 1993, the tower was restored and opened to the public, with the help of the Tater Knob Fire Tower Restoration Committee, the Kentucky Bicentennial Commission, the Bath County Historical Society, the Frenchburg Job Corps Center, the Forest Service and many volunteers who donated their time, expertise and money.

Tater Knob Fire Tower is the last remaining tower on the Daniel Boone National Forest and is listed on the National Historic Lookout Register.

We invite you to appreciate the rugged beauty and tranquility of Kentucky's only National Forest. Experience the panoramic view that played an important part in the area's fire, iron furnace, and timber history. Bring a pair of binoculars and a camera to capture the spectacular views.

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Note: There are no bathrooms or water fountains at the tower. The tower is open from sunrise to sunset. The entrance road is closed in the winter but foot travel is welcome year round.

For more information, visit the Morehead Ranger District Office and Visitor Center. The Visitor Center offers maps, interpretive exhibits, field guides, nature materials, and books.

USDA Forest Service

Morehead Ranger District
2375 KY 801 South
Morehead, KY 40351

(606) 784-6428

Title: Tater Knob Fire Tower
Last Updated: February 14, 2005