Cairo Skywatch Tower - West Lafayette, IN
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 40° 32.444 W 086° 55.441
16T E 506434 N 4487779
A marker and monument, plus rickety replica of the tower, marking rural vigilance during the Cold War.
Waymark Code: WM19B8R
Location: Indiana, United States
Date Posted: 01/14/2024
Views: 1
From Wikipedia: "Cairo Skywatch Tower, also known as Delta Lima 3 Green Ground Observation Tower, is a historic watchtower located in Tippecanoe Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. It was built in 1952, and was a 40-foot tall wooden structure. It once had a glass-enclosed office. It was the first officially commissioned rural skywatch tower by the United States Air Force's Civilian Ground Observation Corps under the Operation Skywatch program." The current structure is a rebuilt replica.
Marker text: "U.S. Air Force commissioned observation tower August 16, 1952 for Operation Skywatch, part of Civilian Ground Observation Corps during Korean War. Constructed by community volunteers. Approximately ninety people alternated shifts to maintain twenty-four-hour watch for enemy planes because there was no national radar system.
Erected 1995 Indiana Historical Society"
There is a monument adjacent that shows 3 people watching the skies. Inscriptions say it was built in 1976, with the John Milton quote "They also serve who only stand and wait." A winged logo says "United States Air Force Observer - GOC." Other inscriptions say: "This is a unit of your Civil Defense" and "Skywarn."
Located on County Rd. 850 N. at Cairo in Tippecanoe Township.
County: Tippecanoe
Year Placed: 1995
Name: Cairo Skywatch Tower
ID#: 79.1995.1
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