Telescope Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Telescope Hill |
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Telescope Hill Fire Tower
|
|
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 334 ft (102 m) |
| Geography | |
 Telescope Hill
Location in New York
|
|
| Location | Town of Brookhaven, New York, US, on border of Farmingville and Selden ZIP Codes. |
| Parent range | Ronkonkoma Moraine |
| Topo map | USGS Brookhaven |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Road |
Telescope Hill is a special place in the Town of Brookhaven on Long Island, New York. It's the highest spot in the whole town, standing at about 334 feet (102 meters) tall. You can find it right where the neighborhoods of Selden and Farmingville meet.
For many years, Telescope Hill was home to a very important fire observation station. This station helped spot wildfires from 1918 to 1959.
Contents
What is Telescope Hill Made Of?
Telescope Hill is part of something called the Ronkonkoma Moraine. Imagine a giant glacier (a huge sheet of ice) that moved across the land a long, long time ago. As the glacier moved, it pushed and carried rocks and dirt. When the glacier stopped, it left behind a big ridge of these materials. That ridge is the Ronkonkoma Moraine, and Telescope Hill is part of it.
The Fire Lookout Tower
Long ago, wildfires were a big problem on Long Island. To help find these fires quickly, special fire lookout towers were built. The very first one on Long Island was put up on Telescope Hill in 1918. It started working in March 1919.
How the Tower Helped
This tower was 60 feet tall and had a small room, called a cab, at the very top. From this high spot, observers could see for many miles. In just a few months in 1919, the Telescope Hill tower helped report 120 fires!
People were even allowed to climb the tower to see the amazing views.
Who Worked at the Tower?
The first person to watch for fires from the tower was Al Lucas. He worked there for two years. After him, Frank Forsyth took over and worked there until 1948. A man named Clarence Dare helped supervise all the fire observers in Suffolk County starting in 1922.
The Tower During World War II
During World War II, the tower became even more important. A new cab was built below the original one. The original cab was used by people watching for enemy planes or ships as part of Civil Defense. It's even said that enemy submarines were spotted three times from Telescope Hill during the war!
The Tower's End
As more people moved to the area and new ways to fight fires developed, the need for fire towers changed. The State stopped supporting fire towers on Long Island after 1959. The Telescope Hill tower was taken down in 1960.
Radio Tower Today
Even though the fire tower is gone, Telescope Hill is still an important spot. Today, it has radio towers at its top. These towers help broadcast radio signals, including for the radio station WALK-FM.
