Sixty and seventy years ago, AT&T built thousands of microwave relay towers as part of its transcontinental Long Line communications network. It’s been a long time since they were used in that capacity, but many of the towers still stand. One stands outside of Sheridan, Indiana.
Sheridan’s Long Line tower was built in 19631. At a height of 285 feet2, it relayed a signal from AT&T’s central office in Indianapolis to a tower twenty miles northwest near Michigantown3. The structure retains one fan-shaped KS-15676 horn antenna and three SHX10A antennae today.
After the Long Lines program ended, most of the old towers were sold by an AT&T successor. Nevertheless, the tower at Sheridan remains the company’s property4.
Sources Cited
1 Parcel 29-01-34-000-010.000-001 (2024). Office of the Assessor. Hamilton County [Noblesville]. Web. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
2 Transmitter Characteristics (n.d.). Antennasearch. Web. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
3 Long Lines Map and Information (n.d.). Web. Map. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
4 (See footnote 2).
