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 in nearly fifty years, many remain standing across Indiana. Until about a decade ago, one loomed over AT&T’s central office on East Berry Street in Fort Wayne. 

When I was growing up, my family made countless trips from Muncie to Fort Wayne. To a kid stuck in the back seat, those seventy minutes felt endless! At least they did until we got to Warren and Zanesville, where a pair of tall steel towers loomed into view that bristled with strange fixtures that looked nothing like the typical radio or TV antennas. Years later, I found myself working in the shadow of one in Anderson. That daily view reignited a curiosity that had been quietly simmering for years!

In the 1950s and ’60s, AT&T built thousands of microwave relay towers for its Long Lines network. Although they’ve been out of use for nearly forty years, many still dot the landscape. One stands just southwest of Wauseon in Fulton County, Ohio. Seven years ago, I stumbled across it by accident!

I’ve been fascinated by AT&T’s old Long Line towers since I was a kid. I couldn’t help but start tracking them down once I finally learned what they were and realized I worked in the shadow of one! Some are more memorable than others, but the most impressive I’ve seen might be the one in Kouts. At 388 feet¹, it’s well within skyscraper territory. 

I had twelve days off over Christmas and New Years’. With all that time to spare, I was hoping to make it to the southwestern part of the state to nab photos of more Long Line towers! Unfortunately, a couple things over the holidays -like Norovirus- derailed my plan. As it stands, I’m out of photos to share!

From the 1940s through the sixties and seventies, 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 smack dab in the middle of downtown Terre Haute!

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 in nearly forty years, many remain standing across Indiana. One still stands outside of the Sullivan County community of Graysville.

From the 1940s through the sixties and seventies, 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 near the Owen County community of Freedom.

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 in nearly forty years, many remain standing across Indiana. One still stands in Owen County just outside Cloverdale.

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 outside the Morgan County hamlet of Wilbur.