This image is the cover for the book Blue Ridge Fire Towers

Blue Ridge Fire Towers

Fire lookout towers have graced the highest peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains for more than a century. Early mountaineers and conservationists began constructing lookouts during the late 1800s. By the 1930s, states and the federal government had built thousands of towers around the country, many in the Blue Ridge. While technology allowed forestry services to use other means for early detection of fires, many towers still stand as a testament to their significance. Author Robert Sorrell details the fascinating history of the lookouts in the Blue Ridge's forests.

Robert Sorrell

A newspaper journalist and author for more than a decade, Robert Sorrell is a graduate of East Tennessee State University. He has worked as a part- and fulltime newspaper reporter at the Erwin Record, Elizabethton Star and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Bristol Herald Courier. In addition, Robert has authored numerous stories for regional and national magazines, including Grit Magazine, Georgia Magazine and Blue Ridge Country.

The History Press