Information about this tower site
Names: Lincoln City, Lincoln, Lincoln Park
Location: Lincoln State Park
County: Spencer (the only tower in this county)
Topo quad: Santa Claus
Condition: Standing; climbable up into cab. Fun climb and great view.
Maps of the Lincoln tower
Above: Santa Claus topo quad, 1960, excerpt
Links about the Lincoln tower
NGS datasheet for LINCOLN PARK LOOKOUT TOWER mark (this is the only place I’ve ever seen it referred to as ‘Lincoln Park’) and datasheet for the co-located FIRE mark
Living New Deal page about Lincoln State Park Fire Tower
Structural Survey numbers 004-574-15006, 006-574-09005, 147-574-22009
Data
| Coordinates | Latitude | Longitude |
| My coordinates (unofficial) | 38.095829 | -86.990497 |
| NGS LINCOLN PARK LOOKOUT TOWER (JA1844) (Google Maps) | 38 05 48.30166(N) | 086 59 24.36412(W) |
History of the Lincoln tower
The above picture was seen on the wall at the Lincoln State Park nature center in June 2024. Cropped from my picture is a handwritten note that says “circa 1937”. This suggests that the tower existed in 1937.
The Spencer County cultural map from 1936 does not show the tower, suggesting the tower wasn’t built yet. Many of the other oldest towers do appear on those maps.
One of the structural survey pages notes: “The structure is significant because it was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which played a major role in the initial development of this park. The CCC constructed numerous fire towers on state lands in Indiana, many of which have been demolished. This tower is typical of those the CCC constructed and is representative of their work in conservation and recreational development in the 1930’s.”
A July-August 1982 article in OI mentions: “A tall fire tower enables vista viewing.”
Personal photos of Lincoln tower
