AT&T built thousands of microwave relay towers in the 1950s and 60s as part of its transatlantic telecommunications system called the Long Lines network. It’s been forty years since they were used for in that capacity, but many still stand. Here’s one near Warren, Indiana.
AT&T’s Warren tower appears to have been built in 19701. The 281-foot tall, cable-stayed structure2 connected a tower in Marion fourteen miles southwest with another sixteen miles northeast near Zanesville3.
Technological improvements meant the Long Lines program was obsolete by the 1980s. After AT&T was broken up, a successor company sold the Point Isabel tower in 20014.
Back when it still featured its unusual horn antennae, the Warren Long Line tower piqued my interest in them! These days, it’s operated by Watch Communications, which focuses on wireless broadband, fiber internet, and TV5.
Sources Cited
1 Huntington County Office of Information & GIS Services. (2023). Parcel ID: 35-12-05-300-025.000-016. Huntington County, Indiana Assessor. map, Huntington, IN.
2 Transmitter Characteristics (n.d.). Antennasearch. Web. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
3 Long Lines Map and Information (n.d.). Web. Map. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
4 (See footnote 1).
5 (See footnote 2).
