The excellent view in all directions also has long been useful in spotting smoke. Beech Mountain’s first fire tower, erected in 1941, was a wooden one that deteriorated through the 1950s. It was replaced in 1962 by a three-story steel tower that’s now used only sparingly, but occasionally is staffed by volunteers who show it off to park visitors. In 1993, the tower site was registered on the list of National Historic Lookouts.