Great Boars Head Base-End Station - Location 138

B5/2 S5/2 and B1/1 S1/1 Fort Dearborn

This six-story concrete tower was completed in April 1943 on a government-owned 0.41 acre site as a Base-End Station for Fort Dearborn. The adjacent house pre-existed the war, and has since been slightly modified from its original configuration. The tower's sixth story level (with DPF) was used for Battery 204 (B1 S1), and the fifth story level was used for Battery Seaman (B5 S5). The roof deck was used for the anti-aircraft intelligence service (AAIS OP 4). Searchlight position #1 was located on the opposite side of the house from the tower.

The tower was later used by MIT-Lincoln Labs and the U.S. Air Force for development of the Experimental SAGE Subsector (ESS) System from 1952 to 1960, using an SCR-784 radar unit mounted on the roof.

The interior of the top level of the tower. The three patched holes in the wall are from the various pieces of equipment (ie. telephone, time-interval bell, etc.) that were once installed during wartime. Most of the electrical fixtures inside still existed when this photo was taken. The property owners were in the process of remodeling the interior.

photo courtesy of Mark Foster - 2003

A close-up view of the tower on Great Boars Head, looking south from North Beach.

A color postcard of Great Boars Head, early 1960s.
Note the large water standpipe, which was a conspicuous landmark for many decades.

Another color postcard of Great Boars Head, early 1960s.

photos courtesy of Frank Mastrovita - MITRE
via Tom Page - Online Air Defense Museum

GPS for Base-End Station B1 (MY5166) - N 42° 55.108 W 070° 47.757 (NAD 83)
GPS for Base-End Station B5 (MY5167) - N 42° 55.108 W 070° 47.758 (NAD 83)
GPS for Location 138 Benchmark (MY0278) - N 42° 55.075 W 070° 47.703 (NAD 83)

Located at 48 Dumas Ave., Great Boars Head, Hampton Beach, NH.
Private Property!

Hampton ESS site from the Online Air Defense Museum.

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