Bramley Mountain Fire Tower

After four years of dedication, collaboration, and your support, we are delighted to announce that Bramley Mountain Fire Tower has been completed! On Tuesday, November 19th, 2024, the construction of the iconic structure officially concluded, a well-earned achievement for our community. 
 
While we await the final certificate of occupancy before opening to the public, we couldn’t wait to share this exciting news. Hikers can already catch a glimpse of the majestic tower from the trail below the summit, and its striking silhouette can be seen from various points across the Delaware River Valley. For a particularly breathtaking view, head to Route 10 between Bloomville and Hoag’s Crossing!

Moonrise alongside the restored fire tower. Photo: Bob Moses

Click here to see pictures of the construction process….

We’ve been asked why did it cost so much to return the tower to Bramley Mountain when we already had all the parts of the tower and they are in good shape? Good question!  Here are some of the things we needed to pay for to restore and reconstruct the tower :

• 12 to 14 cross brace pieces that had pack rust because of insufficient galvanizing at the time of the original construction needed to be replaced
• All tower components needed to be picked up from the Clark Farm and brought to a facility to be sand blasted to remove the old paint and then hot dip galvanized to insure they will withstand the elements for decades to come. Of course, they then needed to be transported back to Delhi.
• New supporting footers need to be constructed for the tower
• All bolts and fasteners were replaced with new ones to insure strength and safety
• Wooden stair treads and landings were replaced with non-skid metal treads and landings, again for safety as well as for longevity
• Safety fencing needed to be purchased for each flight of stairs
• We also needed to pay for labor and equipment to transport the tower components and other materials to the top of the mountain and to do the reconstruction work.

Fire Tower History
When one takes in the view of the Catskill forest from a fire tower in 2020, they see a heavily forested, lush, green and healthy landscape. That was not the case in the early 1900’s. At that time, the Catskill landscape consisted of farm buildings, homes and businesses that were built of wood and heated with wood. The logging business and the tanning industry were working in the forest, harvesting trees and bark on a daily basis. Communication systems were poor, with the telephone in its infancy. Transportation was still by foot, horse, and rail. Trains passed through the forests with coal sparks flying from their stacks and from the wheels on the rails. This scene was played out throughout New York State. read more.....

Bramley’s tower was closed at the end of 1970, and in 1975 the DEC sold the tower for $50 to a local dairy farmer, Pete Clark, of Delhi. Mr. Clark and his helpers took the tower down with great care, saving all parts and even coding many as to their placement. The Clarks hoped to put the tower up on a hill on their farm, but they were never able to accomplish this.

In 1997, a group of Delhi and Bovina residents formed the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower Club, in the hope of restoring the tower to Bramley Mountain. The group raised funds with the goal of purchasing the summit parcel and right-of-way on the old access road as the first steps in their project, but they were unable to come to an agreement with the parcel’s owner. In the end, the funds raised were donated instead to the restoration of the Mt. Utsayantha tower. read more ….

The Bramley Mountain Trail is one of the most popular hiking options in the western Catskills. It was designed and built by the Catskill Mountain Club, in partnership with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection.  Located on a NYCDEP parcel in the Towns of Delhi and Bovina, it totals about 4 miles in length.  The complete loop visits the 2817’ summit with its site of a former fire tower, a beautiful abandoned bluestone quarry, and the impressive cliffs and caves that lie between. read more ….

We will be using people counters/trail counters to collect trail usage data. This data will help us understand the usage of the trail including most popular days and times and will allow us to understand the impact the Fire Tower has on the usage of the trail. We will be using TRAFx Infrared Trail Counters.

The Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower

The Friends are an all-volunteer 501c3 corporation, formed to restore and reconstruct the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower which was decommissioned by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in 1970 and removed in 1975. The Friends will also be responsible for managing the tower once returned to the summit of Bramley Mountain, handling any needed maintenance and providing stewards who will staff the tower on weekends from Memorial Day through Indigenous People’s Day, stewards will be present at the summit. The stewards will provide Historical information about the tower, Basic outdoor education and Information about the surrounding area.

Serving on the Friends’ board of directors are Ann Roberti, President, Rick Roberts, Vice-President, Ryan Naatz, Treasurer and John Sandman, Secretary. They are joined by Amy Beveridge, Wendell George, Jillienne LaFever, Laurie Rankin, and Jeff Senterman.

Read more about the Project Participants

Read more about the history of the Fire Tower

Read more about our generous major supporters

(This is the most recent news. Click the News Link in the menu bar to see the all the news about the project.)

Send email inquiries to info@BramleyMountainFireTower.org

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