Tower History

The following is an excerpt from an article written by George Hurley which appeared in the April, May, June 1996 issue of the Brooks Bird Club newsletter, The Mail Bag.

The tower dated to 1956 when the state built it to use as a fire lookout. In 1972, it was abandoned when planes took over the job of spotting fires. The Handlan Chapter, Brooks Bird Club, along with hawk watchers in Monroe County, took over its maintenance and upkeep. By this time, neglect and vandalism had taken its toll and the tower was in disrepair. Through a grant from the West Virginia Non-Game Wildlife Fund, materials were obtained in 1984 to strengthen the building's floor, reroof it, repair the deck around it, and paint it. A set of steps was erected to facilitate tower access. The Thomas Jefferson National Forest, under George Martin, District Ranger, furnished plastic panes to replace the broken glass. The Forest Service, Monroe County citizens and individuals, as well as Handlan Chapter people, provided the muscle to hand carry the materials from the road to the tower ... a one-mile trek. Major supervisions to rebuild came from George Koch and George Hurley of the Handlan Chapter. George Flouer coordinated much of the effort from his home in Union, W. Va. Others making major contributions included Bob and Sally Alm and Marg Flouer of Union; Gary Bert of Waiteville; Ken Anderson of Charleston; and the Monroe County Ruritan Clubbers. In all, over 150 party hours were required to complete the repairs.

Prior to the tower, hawk watchers sat on the bare rocks to tally the raptors. Earliest records start in 1952 when watchers from Charleston, Huntington, and Monroe County, principally, provided the vanguard of the fall jaunt to the mountain. Drs. Edeburn of Marshall University and Bibby of Concord College annually led groups of students to the mountain to tally the raptors. A group from the Handlan Chapter spent at least one weekend there annually. With the erection of the tower, attendance increased rapidly to several hundred daily visitors during mid-September. Several watchers, including George Hurley and George Flouer, have censused on the mountain almost every year since 1952.

Visitors to the site, named the Hanging Rock Raptor Migration Observatory, in addition to helping with the count, are told about bird migration and the value of raptors. Groups of students and other organizations visit the area as well. Conducted tours from Pipestem and Moncove Lake State Parks visit the tower. Other visitors include students and faculty from Virginia Tech and State University.

The trail to the tower has identification signs on many of the shrubs and plants. This is a project headed by Ken Anderson with major help given by Bob Alm and George Flouer. Records of the raptors counted are published by the Hawk Migration Association of North America and The Brooks Bird Club.

The US Forest Service acquired the tower and surrounding land in 1983, and both were incorporated into the adjoining Jefferson National Forest.

EXCERPTED FROM THE ALLEGHENY TRAIL WATCHABLE WILDLIFE GUIDE By Doug Wood, to be printed in 2001.

The following, brief history of the observatory will give you, the reader, an appreciation for this spot as a regional icon as well as a significant natural area. The state of WV built the observatory in the 1930s to function as a fire watch tower. After approximately 30 years of service, the building was scheduled for destruction, to be replaced by airborne observation.

The Mountain Resource Conservation & Development Area Office realized the potential significance of this structure and lobbied the U.S. Forest Service to purchase it from the state. Birders from the Handlan Chapter of the Brooks Bird Club were using the spot for scientific research into raptor migration and cooperated with the Forest Service in maintaining the building. A private landowner allowed the researchers access to the site. The WVSTA cooperated with the Forest Service in constructing the Allegheny Trail along the ridge from a parking area established by the Service beside Limestone Hill Road.

In the autumn of 1995, the Forest Service redecked the observatory and in February 1996, vandals burned the observatory down. The structure that withstood whatever Mother Nature could throw at it for 60 years succumbed to thoughtless teenagers. The public outcry, near and far, was great and the Forest Service's response to pleas to rebuild the observatory was relatively swift. However, the Service made clear that budget constraints would make it necessary for volunteers to pitch in and help prepare the site for new construction. Volunteers met the task head-on.

The "new" structure, designed similar to the original plans provided by a local resident who had helped build the "old" one, was dedicated on June 10, 1997, just in time to be included in the West Virginia Wildlife Viewing Guide by Mark Duda.