AT&T built thousands of microwave relay towers as part of its Long Line communications network in the 50s and 60s. Although they haven’t been used as part of it in nearly forty years, many remain standing across Indiana. One pierces the sky in the Dearborn County community of Manchester.
The Long Line tower at Manchester was built in 19641 and stands 217 feet tall2. When in use, it relayed a signal twenty-three miles southeast to East Enterprise from Mt. Carmel, twenty miles northeast3.
AT&T deaccessioned most of its towers around the year 2000 after the Long Lines program ended, . Today, the Manchester tower is owned by Communication Properties, LLC. Verizon uses it as a cell phone tower4.
Sources Cited
1 Parcel 15-04-24-100-009.000-019 (2024). Office of the Assessor. Dearborn County [Lawrenceburg]. Web. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
2 Transmitter Characteristics (n.d.). Antennasearch. Web. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
3 Long Lines Map and Information (n.d.). Web. Map. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
4 (See footnote 2).
