Tower time: Provide comments, give money toward restoring landmark

By: JENAY TATE / Editor and Publisher, Coalfield Progress

My earliest remembrance of the peak of High Knob is before there ever was a tower. It is one of those hazy memories grown incomplete over the years. I was too little to recall many details.

I was with my parents, climbing a hill to what seemed like the top of the world. At the very tip-top, a building with a lot of windows seemed to brush the sky. My father introduced me to the man inside who stood lookout for forest fires. He knew Smokey the Bear and he had a radio and he could talk to Smokey and people everywhere.

In 1978, while I was away at college, that 14-by-14-foot lookout was replaced with what many people today remember as High Knob tower. It was the place where people took their out-of-town visitors to see spectacular vistas of the mountains, to point out the five states that could be seen from there on a clear day. It was the place to which long-gone natives would return to recall their more peaceful times back home. It was the place where locals ventured to get away, to be alone, to be together.

My most recent remembrance recalls no peace. Like that of others, my memory is seared with the hellish vision of the tower in flames, burned by a suspected arsonist last Halloween.

Inspired by public sentiment and his own passion for High Knob, Ninth District Rep. Rick Boucher has led the way toward a rebuilding effort. Boucher vowed in December that the tower would be rebuilt.

Just last week, the newly formed High Knob Enhancement Corp. announced it is ready to fully launch the massive fund-raising effort that will be required to rebuild the tower. Already the city of Norton and Wise County have contributed, as has Dominion Virginia Power. But the committee still must raise upwards of an estimated $500,000.

The official public notice of the U.S. Forest Service’s intent to rebuild appears in today’s paper. The agency is seeking public comments, due no later than 30 days from tomorrow.

A letter available from Clinch District Ranger Ron Bush provides background about the proposal. Bush outlines eight common points that grew from meetings of a design committee task force. They wanted:

• A raised tower with interpretive display panels and a 360-degree view;

• A low-maintenance structure that does not require being staffed;

• An observation plaza with a stone tower;

• Natural vegetation to be preserved;

• Durable, fireproof materials to be used;

• A vehicle for showcasing historical and cultural items in the regional area;

• A simple structure not requiring a lot of equipment to be taken to the site; and

• A structure that would blend with the natural setting.

It’s a good starting point and gratitude is due to Boucher, the Forest Service and the citizens who have gotten the tower effort this far.

Now, it’s our turn. Citizens need to:

• Get complete information from the Clinch Ranger District office and offer comments on the tower proposal.

• Send a donation to the committee raising money to rebuild the tower. Donations may be sent to the High Knob Enhancement Corp., P.O. Box 125, St. Paul, Va. 24283. The group can be contacted by phone at 276/762-7500.

There are many worthy causes in this world today. Carve out a spot for this one.