Peninsula State Park observation tower to close immediately due to safety concerns
FISH CREEK, Wis. - The observation tower located in Peninsula State Park, known as Eagle Tower, will be closed immediately because of public safety concerns related to structural deficiency issues according to Kelli Bruns, park superintendent.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources decided to close the tower to the public after receiving an inspection report on May 20, 2015 from a company hired to conduct a detailed inspection of the structure earlier this spring. The report recommended the tower be closed to all public use because of the poor structural condition of wooden beams supporting three observation platforms and a staircase as a result of decay. The inspection involved removing and analyzing wooden cores from the tower support beams.
Eagle Tower was originally built as a forest fire observation platform in 1914 using logs cut in the park and without the use of machinery. In the 1930s, the tower was rebuilt by the Civilian Conservation Corps. In the late 1970s and again in the mid-90s, portions of the structure were refurbished. The 75-foot tall tower offers extraordinary views of Green Bay and even the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It stands 225 feet above the water.
The 3,776-acre Peninsula State Park is located in the Door County Peninsula between the villages of Fish Creek and Ephraim. Considered Wisconsin's most complete park, Peninsula offers 468 campsites, three group camps, a summer theater, an 18-hole golf course, sand beach, bike trails, a lighthouse and 8 miles of Door County shoreline. For more information about the park, search the Department of Natural Resources website, dnr.wi.gov, for keyword "Peninsula."
Further study of the inspection report will determine the future of the structure.