{"nrhp_refnum":"03000998","name":"Wakely Mountain Fire Observation Station","other_names":["Wakely Mountain Fire Tower"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Wakely Mountain","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lake Pleasant","county":"Hamilton County","state":"NY","lat":43.73068680000006,"lon":-74.47321889999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-10-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Entertainment/Recreation","Conservation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A steel fire lookout tower, built in 1916 on the 3,744-foot summit of Wakely Mountain in Lake Pleasant, Hamilton County, New York, with a three-mile foot trail leading up the mountain. A c.1970 observer's cabin also stands on the site.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the station is significant for its association with the New York State Forest Preserve and as a representative early 20th century fire observation station. It is one of the original ten steel towers bought by the State Commission, and the tallest of them at 70 feet. It is one of only two of those towers never structurally altered, and the only one that keeps part of its original ladder.","narrative":"A 70-foot steel fire tower crowns the 3,744-foot summit of Wakely Mountain in Lake Pleasant, Hamilton County, New York. Built in 1916 and manufactured by the Aermotor Corporation of Chicago, it was among the first ten steel towers purchased by the state to guard the Adirondack Forest Preserve against fire, and the tallest of that group. A wooden tower had stood on the summit since 1911. Originally reached only by ladder, the tower received a self-supporting steel stair in 1930, though part of the original ladder remains attached, which is unique among the initial ten. Only four of those towers still stand, and just two, Wakely and Hadley, are structurally unaltered. The property also includes a three-mile trail to the summit and a c.1970 observer's cabin. The state decommissioned the station in 1988, and a citizen group formed in 2001 to keep the tower on the mountain. It was listed for its link to the Forest Preserve and its representative design.","period_of_significance":"1916-1953","architect_builder":"Aermotor Corporation (manufacturer)","architectural_style":"No style/utilitarian (fire tower)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Decommissioned by the state in 1988 and listed as not in use. The tower is described as retaining a high degree of integrity, with missing cab windows. The trail remains in active recreational use.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:52.845435-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/03000998.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000998/336698e455-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000998/336698e455-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Catskill549","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wakely_Mountain_fire_tower,_Hamilton_County_NY.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Catskill549</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wakely_Mountain_fire_tower,_Hamilton_County_NY.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75313104","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakely_Mountain_Fire_Observation_Station","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7961115"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/hamilton-county/wakely-mountain-fire-observation-station-03000998/"}