Located at what is now the beautiful Halibut Point State Park, the Babson Farm Quarry operated from 1840-1929. The 450 million year old granite quarried here paved thousands of city streets and built bridges, tunnels, monuments, warehouses, and buildings, such as Boston's Custom House Tower. The demise of the granite industry came as a result of concrete, steel, and asphault being used as much cheaper building materials. Today the quarry has filled by natural underground springs to a depth of about 10 fathoms (60 feet) but during quarrying operations, water had to be continuously pumped out of the quarry day and night. Other local quarrys have become valuable water supplies. The quarry and surronding property are now managed by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Trustees of Reservations.
When some inland visitors first see Halibut Point State Park's fire control tower they say, "Now that's what a lighthouse looks like". That's exactly what the authorities wanted you to think during World War II, especially if you were a Nazi spy. The tower and attached building were camouflaged to look like a lighthouse and keeper's quarters. Some other towers were constructed to look like church steeples. In reality, they were part of an elaborate coastal defense network designed to keep a lookout for enemy warships and planes. The fire tower had nothing to do with spotting forest fires and everything to do with directing artillery fire at any enemy target that approached the coast. Rising 149 feet above sea level, the Halibut Point tower has sweeping views of Massachusetts Bay all the way to Maine. Constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1941 and 1942 and initially staffed by the Army Coast Artillery Corps, the tower played a role in the nation's defense into the 1950s, when it became a classified radar research facility used by the U.S. Air Force in conjunction with MIT's Lincoln Lab. Now the structure is empty, but during World War II, each room of the tower was manned by six men observing the seas with heavy-duty scopes. The tower was one of the last of its kind to be built and was manned for only 11 months. There's no official evidence that German U-boats or other warships were ever spotted off the coast of Cape Ann during World War II but some people in Lanesville say they have anecdotal evidence of such sightings. During World War II, sightings by crews in the coastal towers were called in to batteries in Nahant and Portsmouth, N.H., where the observations could be used to triangulate the position of the enemy ship. Today the Halibut Point Tower is the only remaining WWll fire control tower that is open to the public.
The cache itself is a small container containing a log book and pencil. It is big enough to host small traveling items. The cache location may not be user friendly in the winter while ice and snow are present. Use your best judgment. Please allow enough time to enjoy this wonderful place and visit the other caches in the Park as well. The Park is open from 8:00-8:00 (or dusk, which ever comes first) year round. You can climb the tower and check out the neat stuff in the visitors center when it is open. The parking lot has a nominal fee. *PLEASE DONT LEAVE COMMENT AND PHOTO SPOILERS*, Thanks.......Enjoy!
