Restoration ceremony set for Lynn landmark

LYNN – The Stone Tower – among the city’s most prominent landmarks – will be rededicated Aug. 13 following more than $250,000 in historic preservation work.The restoration was made possible by more than $125,000 in private funds donated in memory of the late George and Julia Richardson, Lynn residents devoted to the city and the Lynn Woods reservation.Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, the Office of Economic and Community Development and the Richardson family invite the public to attend the 4 p.m. dedication at the base of the tower.A free bus will leave from the Pennybrook Road entrance of the woods at 3:30 p.m. Walkers can make their way to the tower from the Great Woods Road entrance, following the shorter but steeper road to the site.The Richardson family will be recognized for their philanthropy, as will those responsible for procuring state grants and private donations, mostly through the Friends of Lynn Woods. Invitations to family and friends are in the mail, according to Ann (Richardson) Davis of Las Vegas, the honored couple’s daughter.”My father was an immigrant from Scotland and my mother was a Lynn schoolteacher. We lived on Verdmont Avenue in Happy Valley. This was money left from their estate and we debated what to do with it,” said Davis, referring to discussions that included her brother George of Lynnfield and sister Grace of New York City. “We considered a scholarship but came up with the idea of restoring the tower. My dad often took us for walks in Lynn Woods, and my mother being a teacher, we thought that would tie in with giving students and Scouts a place to go on field trips.”After nearly five years of planning and work, the restoration has come to fruition. “Even the metal spiral staircase,” she said. “We went all over the country to find somebody who could install it. Lots of time and effort went into this project. Eventually we hope to get some picnic tables up there. We want people to explore the tower because we remember how exciting it was to climb up and see Boston. In those days, there were no high-rises.”Perched atop Burrill Hill, the highest point in the city at 283 feet above sea level, the tower was built under the federal Work Progress Administration, part of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal program to restart the nation’s economy and end the Great Depression. Construction began in December 1935 and was completed in September 1936. Unlike the Steel Tower on neighboring Mt. Gilead, the Stone Tower never served as a fire-watch platform.Two other towers previously stood on the site, both constructed of wood. The second was torn down in 1934.The Stone Tower originally was capped by a wooden watch house, which historians theorize was most likely blown off during a hurricane shortly after the tower was completed, according to Lynn Woods Ranger Daniel Small, noting that it will not be replaced during this phase of the renovations.Small explained that details are still being worked out, but public access to the tower will likely mirror the Dungeon Rock schedule – Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The structure would close in November and reopen after the April snowmelt.The tower had fallen into disrepair and was left to the mercy of vandals and hoodlums, Small said. As part of the restoration project, mounds of trash were removed along with abandoned cars. “I wanted it repaired so that I would have another destination for school, Scout and summer camp field trips,” he said. “Dungeon Rock is popular and always a hit with the kids, but it’s only a half mile from the Pennybrook Road parking lot. That makes a one-mile round trip, which isn’t far enough for kids older than 10. The tower is a mile from the parking lot, so that would make a two-mile hike, which is the perfect distance. We can hike to the tower and then stop at Dungeon Rock on the way back,” he said.Community Development Director James Marsh and his colleague, John Moberger, the city facilities manager, were in