Sixty and seventy years ago, AT&T built thousands of Long Line towers as part of its transcontinental microwave communications network. It’s been decades since they were used for their original purpose, but one still stands just south of Mishawaka.
The tower in Mishawaka appears to have been built in 19671. Rising 248 feet2, the tower served as sort of a hub. It relayed signals 25 miles southeast to Goshen; twenty-nine miles to a tower in Jones, Michigan; and twenty-nine miles northwest to LaPorte. It also absorbed signals from central offices in South Bend and Elkhart3.
After the Long Lines program ended, a successor to AT&T sold most of the towers around 2000. Today, Mishawka’s is still owned by AT&T4. An AT&T van even drove up as I took pictures!
Sources Cited
1 Parcel 71-09-29-226-001.000-031 (2024). Office of the Assessor. St. Joseph County [South Bend]. Web. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
2 Long Lines Map and Information (n.d.). Web. Map. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
3 Transmitter Characteristics (n.d.). Antennasearch. Web. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
4 (See footnote 1).
