Indiana had a (replica) fire lookout tower at the Indiana State Fair and fairgrounds for decades.
In 2025, Indiana DNR posted a series of posts about DNR’s history at the state fair as part of a 75th anniversary look back at history. Some of the facts on this page come from those posts.
Outdoor Indiana magazine had pictures and descriptions of the tower in numerous issues starting in the 1930s.
First location
IDNR post: “In 1934, the Division of Forestry erected an 80-foot fire tower west of the Forestry Building.” Pictures below seem to come from 1934 through about 1949.
The 1934 picture is the earliest picture I’ve seen. That tower had flags and lights on top that normally wouldn’t be on a tower.
Outdoor Indiana has pictures of that tower at that location in a few issues in the 1930s.
Second location
IDNR post: “The fire tower was deconstructed at the southwest side of the fairgrounds in 1951 and reconstructed behind the Conservation Building (future IDNR building) just before it was dedicated. Aerial photography shows that the tower was no longer present on the site by around 1975.”
Maps of State Fair tower
Topo quad: Indianapolis West
