OBSERVATION TOWER
For those who don’t know about this “tower” it was added to the roof of the Town Hall in 1942 during the Second World War. As the name implies it was built so that town residents could take turns watching for enemy planes.
There was a vote at the March 1942 Town Meeting to instruct the Town Clerk to extend to the citizens of the Town of Plympton a vote of appreciation for their help as observers at the tower.
I can recall my neighbor, Hilda Thomas, telling us of how she would take a lunch and binoculars and climb to the tower taking her turn watching for the enemy. We can only imagine how frightening this time must have been for the resident’s back then.
I can not recall any mention of a sighting, but I’m sure just the fact that there was a way to watch and be ready made the inhabitants feel safer.
The cost for this tower:
E. W. Harlow & Sons, building tower $486.81
Meserve Electric Co., installing wiring 39.80
C. F Jordan, installing furnace pipe to tower 35.11
Roland Minott, damage to glasses 12.00
Bernice Wadsworth, advertising bids for tower 9.00
Saunders Hardware & Paint Co.,
rope 8.05
$590.77
[Appropriation $650.00]
Story and Image Credit, Sue Basile
