FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Buchanan County, Virginia

High Knob-Leemaster Lookout

Also known as High Knob-Leemaster (Buchanan High Knob)

Buchanan County tower at 2,250 ft: a 110-foot Aermotor built in the early 1930s on the Coal Heritage Trail; standing, run by a named individual, on the Register since 2017.

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
Standing
Type
Cab on a tower110-foot Aermotor towerThe design: Aermotor
Built of
SteelGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
Built
1930
Height
110 ft (33.5 m)
Elevation
2,250 ft (686 m)
Agency
Arthur Stiltner
Land
Unknown
Location
Buchanan County, Virginia
Coordinates
37.18605, −82.14917
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 9 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-va-high-knob-leemaster

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. 1930 BuiltRegister gives only 'early 1930s'; 1930 stands in for that period, not a confirmed yearSource: nhlr.org
  2. No record between 1930 and 2017
  3. 2017 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered January 23, 2017 as US 1170, VA 36Source: nhlr.org
  4. TodayStandingIt still stands, as far as our sources know.

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 High Knob-Leemaster Lookout stands in Buchanan County, Virginia, at an elevation of 2,250 feet (686 m).1 Its name pairs High Knob with Leemaster, an unincorporated community in the same county.1,2 Wikipedia notes that the community's post office ran from 1905 until 1972.2

The Register describes a 110-foot tower of Aermotor make, raised in the early 1930s.1 The Register places it on the Coal Heritage Trail in the state's southwest, and names the Bearwallow tower as its sister.1

The sources I read do not describe its staffing or any named fire.1,3

The Association lists the tower as standing.3 The Register registered it on January 23, 2017, as US 1170 and VA 36.1 The Association's list also includes other towers named High Knob, in Rockingham and Wise counties, so check the county before planning a trip.3

The Register names an individual, not an agency, as the administrator.1 It gives no access arrangement or rental information.1 Because the administrator is a named individual, ask before going, and do not climb the tower.

  1. High Knob-Leemaster Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/va/high-knob-leemaster-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  2. Leemaster, Virginia, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leemaster,_Virginia (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  3. Virginia - Forest Fire Lookout Association, firelookout.org, https://firelookout.org/lookouts/us/va/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩

Photos

Photo of High Knob-Leemaster Lookout
Photo: Kristin Reynolds, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source

Photos keep their own rights and are shown with credit. Is one of these yours? You can ask for a different credit or for removal.

Sources

  1. National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) Gave us: name, location, county, elevation, what it is built of, 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. Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA) - US lookout lists Gave us: type, status, register numbers, links Forest Fire Lookout Association (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  3. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, height, status, 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.