Pinnacle Knob Firetower

Saturday, March 26, 2011 the historic Pinnacle Knob Fire Tower will be having an event “Life of a Firewatcher” from 10am -3pm.  Check out Cumberland Falls State Resort Park  Calendar of Events for details. parks.ky.gov/findparks/resortparks/cf/  

The historic public opening of the Pinnacle Knob Firetower was September 27, 2008.

Danny Blevins from The Forest Fire Lookout Association presented Cumberland Falls State Park Naturalist, Bret Smitley with a historial marker and certificate. The 14x14 cabin has been restored to its original state, complete with wood stove and alidade, a device for triangulating the location of a fire. The tower is 40 feet in height, and at an elevation of 1300 feet. The tower was originally constructed in 1937 by the U.S. Forest Service. It replaced a wooden tower built by the Civil Conservation Corp, that was previously located near the Dryland Bridge.  Reconstruction of the tower began in the Spring of 2008. 

I had the pleasure of working at the Visitors Center and giving tours at the park for three seasons from 2007-2009. This historic event was one of the highlights of those years.  As I used to say when guiding tours, “Cumberland Falls is one of the most unique places on planet earth.” 

 How would you like to begin your marriage in a 14x14 cabin forty feet in the air? That’s what the first firewatcher did! 

Photos by Valerie J. Thompson

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