Warren County Fire Tower
Why it's listed
Rising 100 feet from a forest clearing south of Warrenton, this steel fire tower was erected in 1932 on land leased from a local farm family. Its four-sided bolted truss frame, made of Aermotor Company members, carries eighty-eight steps to a seven-foot-square cab, where the original alidade, a surveying instrument for pinpointing fires, still stands. Earlie Haithcock and Albert Hardy assembled it, and Haithcock served as the first operator. After his death, his widow Bessie Haithcock trained and began work in 1945 as the first woman fire tower operator in North Carolina. In her first year she spotted a major fire near Vaughn that threatened hundreds of acres of timber. As the only fire tower in Warren County, it guarded the pulpwood and lumber industry and reflects the statewide tower program of the 1920s and 1930s. Operations ended in 1993, and the tower now serves as an educational exhibit. It was recognized for local conservation efforts from 1932 to 1950.
Significance in brief: It is the only fire tower in Warren County and was central to detecting and suppressing forest fires in a county without rural fire departments until 1956. It protected the local lumber and pulpwood economy and represents North Carolina's statewide fire tower program begun in the 1920s. It is also tied to Bessie Haithcock, the first woman fire tower operator in the state.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 00000164, listed March 3, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 4.5 mi. S of Warrenton on NC 58 S, Liberia |
|---|---|
| County | Warren County |
| Listed | March 3, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000164 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1932-1950 |
| Architect / builder | Aermotor, Inc. |
| Architectural style | Other |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Conservation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Last used as a lookout in spring 1993; it now serves as an educational exhibit on the history of firefighting in Warren County, run by the Bessie Haithcock Forestry Headquarters. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 36.36100, -78.08070 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 00000164.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q22061119
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.