About
Fighting Forest Fires is a historical marker in Deep Creek Lake State Park, off State Park Road at Brant Road in Swanton, honoring the volunteer forest wardens and fire lookout towers that once protected Maryland's woods. It's an easy add-on for hikers heading up the park's Fire Tower Trail or visiting the Discovery Center.
Maryland's First Organized Firefighting
Maryland created the office of State Forester in 1906, and its first holder, Fred W. Besley, made forest fires an early priority. The marker credits him with building the state's first systematic program for fighting them. Starting in 1910, Besley commissioned volunteers called forest wardens, and roughly 650 were active by 1935. Wardens organized firefighting crews, posted fire warnings, enforced forestry laws and scheduled the observers who staffed the lookout towers.
The Thayerville Tower
The marker points to the Thayerville Forest Fire Lookout Tower on Meadow Mountain, one of 34 lookout towers in use across Maryland in 1944. Towers like it let observers spot smoke early and call in crews. Today the surviving towers stand as reminders of early forest conservation, and a companion sign, Fighting Forest Fires Is a Hard Job, stands a few steps away.
Finding the Marker
The plaque was placed in 2006 by Maryland Forestry and Parks during the agency's centennial; it was dedicated that October with State Forest and Parks centennial committee members, DNR staff and members of Besley's family on hand. Per HMDB, start at the park administration building where State Park Road meets Brant Road and walk about 0.2 miles along the Fire Tower Trail. The Deep Creek Lake Discovery Center and markers on the history of the lake are about 0.2 miles away.
Bring sturdy shoes and make the climb toward the tower part of your visit.
Address
77 Brant Rd, Swanton, MD 21561