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 looms over Bethesda Cemetery just east of the Morgan County community of Monrovia.

I’ve been fascinated by AT&T’s old Long Line towers since childhood, but I only started writing about them a little over a year ago. Since then, a few people have asked how to tell them apart from cell phone towers or other types of communications infrastructure. There are some unmistakable clues to spot them!

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 Clark County community of Henryville.

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 of Versailles in Ripley County. 

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 still scrapes the sky near the Jennings County community of Paris Crossing.

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 town of East Enterprise.

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 Lawrenceburg, the seat of Dearborn County.

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 near the community of Lena in Parke County. The journey to find it took my mom and me through all of God’s creation, but we eventually found it.

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.

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 imposing example is near Danville in the community of Montclair.