FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Randolph County, Alabama

Potash Lookout Tower

Randolph County, AL 'Tin Shop Tower' built by the Alabama Forestry Commission in 1949 or 1950 (NHLR sources differ); NHLR-registered 2009 as US 861. Current condition not confirmed.

Status unknown: We do not know yet whether it still stands. The Register does not say whether the tower still stands or what condition it is in; the 'standing' status in our record is not confirmed by any source read

Visit & stay

Not rentable. As far as we know, this lookout cannot be booked for overnight stays.

Access

Access unknown

We do not know the access rules. Check with the land manager before you go.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
Unknown
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Status unknown sources disagree
Type
Cab on a tower100' Aermotor with 7'x7' metal cabThe design: Aermotor
Built of
SteelGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
Built
1950
Height
100 ft (30.5 m)
Elevation
1,332 ft (406 m)
Agency
Alabama Forestry Commission
Land
Unknown
Location
Randolph County, Alabama
Coordinates
33.24866, −85.38372
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 9 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-al-potash

View from the cab

What you see from the cab: every ridge out to about 93 miles, the named peaks in sight, and other fire lookouts within view, worked out from terrain data in your browser.

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Or see what it could see on the map: the ground in its line of sight.

History

Then and now

  1. 1950 BuiltBuilt field lists 1950; the NHLR description says the Alabama Forestry Commission constructed it in 1949Source: nhlr.org
  2. No record between 1950 and 2009
  3. 2009 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered January 7, 2009 as US 861, AL 39; nominated by Thomas KaufmannSource: nhlr.org
  4. TodayStatus unknownWe do not know whether it still stands.

Old maps of this spot

USGS topographic maps from the years a lookout stood may show it, often as a small symbol labelled “Lookout”. See the old topo maps around it on the Firefinder map, or find every scanned sheet of this spot on USGS TopoView (click the spot there to list them, with dates and downloads).

Story

Researched 9 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

The Potash Lookout Tower is in Randolph County, Alabama.1 The Register says locals call it the Tin Shop Tower, a name we could not trace further.1 The Alabama Forestry Commission constructed it.1 The Register gives two dates: its description says 1949, and its built field says 1950.1 We found no source that settles which is right.

It is a 100-foot Aermotor with a 7-by-7-foot metal cab.1 The Register does not name the exact model. A 1819 News profile says the Aermotor MC-39 was the most common steel lookout model in Alabama's forests, followed by the LS-40, and that other models were also put up in the state.2

The Register lists the tower as US 861 and AL 39.1 It was registered on January 7, 2009, and the site sits at 1,332 feet, or 406 meters.1

We found no source that names anyone who staffed the tower or any fire it watched. The 1819 News profile says that when a lookout stopped being staffed, the structure stayed standing. It gives the most common explanation for the decline as aircraft spotting fires more efficiently.2

The Register does not say whether the tower still stands, what condition it is in, or whether the public can visit.1 It names the Alabama Forestry Commission as administrator.1 Check with the agency before going near the site.

  1. Potash Lookout Tower, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/al/potash-lookout-tower/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  2. Thomas Kaufmann: Keeping Alabama's historic lookout towers, 1819 News, https://1819news.com/news/item/thomas-kaufmann-keeping-alabamas-historic-lookout-towers (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩

Photos

Photo of Potash Lookout Tower
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source

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Where sources disagree

We show disagreements between sources instead of quietly picking one. If you know which is right, please tell us.

  • Sources disagree on whether it still stands.

    • Firefinder research: Status unknown
    • NHLR: Standing

    Research (2026-10-09) gives unknown where the source records give standing. The page shows the researched status; please tell us if it is wrong.

Sources

  1. National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) Gave us: name, location, county, elevation, type, what it is built of, status, register numbers, agency, dates, photos, links National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved (American Resources, Inc.); facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  2. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, height, status, agency, staffing, dates, links, fact-check Firefinder research (sources cited in the story footnotes) · Our own research notes; each fact cites its source in the lookout's story

More about this lookout elsewhere

Firefinder takes facts (places, dates, numbers) from these sources and writes its own words. See all sources and licences.