Built in 1934 (National Park Service rustic). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
One of 61 National Register listings published here for Franklin County · listed in 1985 · category: Building · built in 1934, National Park Service rustic, by Civilian Conservation Corps, National Park Service.
Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 88 fires within 5 miles of Meramec State Park Lookout House/Observation Tower between 1992 and 2018, burning about 465 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 7 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 62 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 13 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 7 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 September 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 24 September 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 23 September 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 9 July 2017 | Debris and open burning | 35 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 22 July 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 20 July 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Missouri Department of Conservation | 177965-03627-07202018-2026 |
| 11 July 2011 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 1 July 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 40 workings within 5 miles of Meramec State Park Lookout House/Observation Tower: 39 past producers, 1 unknown. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Lead, Iron, Copper, Copper, Lead. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbeyville Mines | Lead, Iron, Barium-Barite | Past Producer | ||
| Copper Hollow Mine | Iron, Copper | Past Producer | ||
| Darby Mine | Lead, Zinc | Past Producer | ||
| Silver Hollow Mine | Copper, Iron | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - S&G | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Bredell Mines | Copper | Past Producer | ||
| Brendel and Gamble Mine | Copper, Lead | Past Producer | ||
| Rueppele Copper Mine | Sulfur-Pyrite | Past Producer | ||
| Rueppele Mine | Sulfur-Pyrite | Past Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sullivan, the town this property stands in, in 55 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 24 hail, 23 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood, 2 tornado. The reports record 11 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | 11 hurt | A microburst caused minor damage at Sullivan Regional Airport. A small section of one hanger was removed with a door of a nearby hanger also sustaining damage. Also, one private aircraft sustained minor damage. The AWOS recorded a wind gust of 101 mph with this microburst. Further downstream the damage from the microburst was sporadic. About a mile east southeast of the airport, south of I-44, the winds destroyed a vacant mobile home and caused considerable damage to 5 other mobile homes. One of the mobile homes had a large tree land on it, but only caused minor roof damage. No one was inside the destroyed mobile home at the time. However, three residents of the trailer park were taken to the hospital with minor injuries and eight other people walked into the hospital to be treated for minor injuries as well. |
| May 2024 | Flash Flood | Sullivan | $10,000 | Multiple sources including the Department of Highways, law enforcement, and emergency management reported flooding in and around Sullivan, Stanton, Gerald, and Piney Park. Reports include water running over over roadways and deep pooling in yards in Sullivan and in the Melody Lakes subdivision near Gerald. Water was reported across east and westbound I-44 at mile marker 230. Missouri State Highway Patrol closed Highway 185 at East Vine in Sullivan due to a water rescue. They also closed Highway K and Chapel Hill Road near Piney Park. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | $5,000 | A couple of power lines were downed by thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| November 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | $2,500 | County officials reported a mobile home damaged in Sullivan after it was blown over at a construction faciliity. A building was leveled and numerous windows blown out at Sullivan Pottery on the east side of town. At least six large trees were blown down 1/2 mile north of Highway 50 on County Road EE between Union and Beaufort. Shingles and an awning were blown off several homes nearby. Power lines were blown down over much of the county keeping at least one school district from opening the next day. |
| March 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | Thunderstorm winds downed multiple trees in Franklin County. One fell onto East Vine Street near the Sullivan Country Club, and another fell onto a home in Sullivan. The other two trees fell in Washington and Union, but were not reported to have hit anything. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Sullivan | - | Stones varied from pea sized to quarter sized. |
| May 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Sullivan | - | A tornado touched down at Sullivan High School causing minor damage to the walkway roof cover. Then it tracked to the northeast, crossing East Vine Street, snapping off several tree limbs and uprooting a pine tree. Then it heavily damaged a restaurant before crossing Highway 185. Some of the debris from the restaurant was lofted into the trees across the highway. It uprooted several more trees and snapped off numerous tree limbs before lifting and dissipating just past the end of Elm Springs Hill Drive. Overall, the tornado was rated EF1 with a path length of 0.31 miles and a max path width of 150 yards. No deaths or injuries were reported. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | A large tree was reportedly snapped at its base. Other tree branches were reported to be down in Sullivan. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Sullivan | - | A swath of 1 to 1.75 inch hail was reported from Sullivan to Lonedell. Other cities include Stanton, Anaconda, St. Clair, Piney Park, and Mount Hope. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees on the east side of Sullivan. One tree fell onto Highway 185 near entrance to Meramec State Park. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | As a storm moved east northeast across southern Franklin county, it produced a wide swath of damaging winds. Numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down. One large tree was blown down in Sullivan. Also, numerous trees were blown down along Highway 185, Highway K and Highway 30 between Sullivan and St. Clair. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees around town. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous large tree limbs. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down several power poles along the service road. |
| April 2017 | Flood | Sullivan | - | The Meramec River at Sullivan and Pacific rose above major stage during the day on April 30th. Numerous roads were flooded, as well as, several camp grounds and parks. In Pacific, numerous homes and businesses were flooded. |
| May 2017 | Flood | Sullivan | - | The Meramec River at Pacific rose above major stage during the day on May 1st. Also, the Bourbeuse River at Union crested 3 feet above major stage during the day on May 2nd. Numerous roads were flooded, as well as, several camp grounds and parks. In Pacific, numerous homes and businesses were flooded. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down a large tree. |
| April 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | Another microburst caused significant tree damage in Meramec State Park. |
| June 2013 | Flash Flood | Sullivan | - | Up to five inches of rain fell in a short amount of time causing flash flooding. Several roads were flooded including Shawnee Ford Road, north northwest of Japan. Also, Highway AC near Boone Creek Bridge had several feet of water over it. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down two large trees on the east side of town blocking a road for awhile. |
| December 2009 | Hail | Sullivan | - | Brief period of quarter sized hail with intermixed smaller hail fell at Meramec State Park. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | A large hotel sign was blown down by thunderstorm winds in Sullivan. |
| September 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | Thunderstorm winds damaged a large section of roof on a hotel on the north side of Sullivan, just north of Interstate 44. No injuries were reported. |
| February 2006 | Hail | Sullivan | - | A storm spotter reported nickel size hail just west of Sullivan. |
| November 2005 | Hail | Sullivan | - | Storm spotters reported 3/4 inch hail. |
| September 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Sullivan | - | The County Sheriff office reported a brief tornado just west of Sullivan along I-44. Some highway billboards were blown down and trees uprooted. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | The County sheriff reported power lines down in Sullivan. |
| February 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | Storm spotters reported trees down. |
| April 1998 | Hail | Sullivan | - | Severe storm spotters reported 1 1/2 inch hail. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | Sullivan police reported power lines down from thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| May 1995 | Hail | Sullivan | - | Golf ball-size hail was reported. |
| September 1995 | Hail | Sullivan | - | Public reported penny-size hail. |
| April 1993 | Hail | Sullivan | - | Numerous trees were blown down and a barn roof destroyed in Japan. The county Emergency Management office also reported 0.75-inch-diameter hail along with wind gusts to 58 mph. Many trees were downed and electric poles blown over across central and eastern sections of the county. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| April 2026 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| March 2025 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| March 2025 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| May 2018 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| January 2012 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| December 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| January 2008 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| September 2006 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| September 2006 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Flash Flood | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| September 2003 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| September 2003 | Funnel Cloud | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sullivan | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meramec State Park Shelter House | 0.2 miles | 1985 | |
| Meramec State Park Pump House | 0.3 miles | 1985 | |
| Meramec State Park Beach Area Historic District | 0.5 miles | 1991 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 85000530 in Record Group 79. |
| Franklin County | All 61 listed properties in this county. |
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