Lynn’s iconic Stone Tower nears fund-raising goal for restoration

LYNN – During the early days of the 20th century, travel was often difficult and expensive, but even the poorer residents of Lynn could get a glimpse of what lay beyond their immediate environs by climbing one of the many towers sited atop the city’s high grounds.Most of those structures were fire towers made of wood and today are little more than memories, but the Stone Tower – built in 1935-36 through the federal government’s Work Progress Administration (WPA) as a public observation platform – is still standing and about to benefit from its pending restoration.The impetus to save a piece of local history from extinction began when John Moberger, a community facilities manager at the city’s Office of Economic and Community Development, received a request from private donors seeking to contribute to a project that would benefit Lynn children and honor their parents.The Stone Tower was selected because of its historical value and its role as a destination for hundreds of children on school field trips into the Lynn Woods Reservation. It was also a favorite playground for the anonymous donors during their childhood.According to city Development Director James Marsh, the accepted project bid totaled $253,000. The anonymous donors contributed $125,000. The Massachusetts Historical Commission gave $50,000 and later added another $40,000. The Friends of Lynn Woods raised $10,000 while revenue from Hollywood movie-making companies shooting scenes in the city brought in $9,000.”At this point, we have $19,000 to go and it hasn’t cost the city a dime,” said Marsh. “We’re hoping people will donate what they can. We’d like to get the whole project done by mid-summer and open it to the public.”On Wednesday, joggers and dog walkers passed beneath the tower, which sits on Burrill Hill, the highest point in Lynn. “There’s no place higher in the city,” said Dan Small, the Lynn Woods park ranger. “You can see miles in every direction.”Constructed during the Great Depression, the 48-foot octagonal Stone Tower proved an ideal WPA project since plenty of native rock and other materials were readily available, helping to keep down the cost. Work began in December 1935 and was finished the following September.The original tower was topped with a wooden watch house, complete with shutters that could be swung open for viewing. It has been generally presumed that the watch house was destroyed by a hurricane during the 1950s. Once abandoned, vandals caused additional damage during the ensuing decades. Rocks were carried to the upper floors and thrown out to damage the steps, hip wall and buttresses. More damage was done to the spiral staircase and rainwater sped up the process of decay, Small said.The restoration project was given the go-ahead after engineers and architects determined the structure was sound, anchored on bedrock and could indeed be saved.”This is another one of the city’s jewels that has been neglected over the years,” said Marsh. “Lynn Woods is one of the jewels.”According to Small, the rise in gasoline prices and the national economic downturn has led to a spike in visitors to the woods. “Dog walkers are No. 1, but lots of people ride bikes, hike and run on the trails,” he said. “People often don’t realize that the woods is three times the size of New York’s Central Park. There are 2,300 acres, but when you add the open conservation and state land around it, along with the utility easements, it’s closer to 3,000 acres.”To put it in perspective, Nahant would fit six times into the Lynn park.Looking out from the Stone Tower windows after a climb up the spiral cast-iron stairs, Small said, “This is the last broken thing in the park. And now we’re going to fix that, too.”The wall around Pine Grove Cemetery, the clubhouse at Lawrence Gannon Municipal Golf Course and the pillars at the Lynn Woods Reservation entrances were all built during the same period as the Stone Tower.Friends of Lynn Woods is accepting tax-deductible contributions fo