Great Hill Tower - MAINTENANCE - July 2026 - UPDATES

UPDATE, Tuesday July 28: The Great Hill Fire Tower is open again for use. The outside clapboards have been replaced, along with other repairs, and the whole thing has been primed and painted - except the inside of the cabin, which TCC volunteers will take care of soon. 

The Town owns the Tower (built in the mid-1930s), but not the land its on; that's State Forest. And the TCC has long been responsible for its maintenance. Last year, the Tower was evaluated and found structurally sound, and extraneous antennas & outdated solar panels were removed. And now it has been well maintained, as needed every ~20 years.  We were fortunate that the weather was ideal for the past 3 weeks - mostly dry and pleasant - which helped keep the project on schedule.

Thanks to the contractor, Kyle, of Tamworth House & Masonry Repair, for a job well done.  And thanks for your patience during this project. 

Now, go take a hike, and enjoy the views once again!

UPDATE, Wednesday July 22: Kyle of Tamworth House & Masonry Repair, LLC is making progress on the tower's exterior restoration, replacing the wooden cabin siding and trim.

UPDATE, Friday, July 17: The steel frame preparation (grinding, sanding) and priming (brown primer) is pretty much completed. Photo shows Kyle of Tamworth House & Masonry Repair, LLC on Wednesday, just before applying primer to the last of the prepared steel.

UPDATE, Friday, July 10: Surface preparation is complete on the lower half of the steel structure, and it has been primed (brown primer). Photo by Kyle, Tamworth House & Masonry Repair, LLC.

Starting Monday, July 6, 2026, the Great Hill Fire Tower is CLOSED for maintenance, for 3 weeks (or possibly a bit longer). The Conservation Commission, which manages the Tower for the Town of Tamworth, has hired a contractor to complete carpentry repairs and paint the whole structure. The perimeter around the Tower and the Tower itself will be closed for safety. Signs about the closure are being posted at trailheads. All trails to and across the top of Great Hill will remain open.