EAA Chapter 431 to dedicate Beacon Tower Memorial

Cynthia L. Miller photo
This is a photo of a replica of the Clarence Covered Bridge, one of the last known covered bridges in use in Wisconsin. The replica was built by the Brodhead Jaycees in 1984 over Norwegian Creek on the Sugar River Bike Trail.

BRODHEAD – Chapter 431 of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) at the Brodhead Airport will dedicate a memorial to charter members of the chapter who have “Flown West” (passed away). The dedication will take place on Saturday, July 18, at 10:30 a.m. The memorial resides in the replica generator shed near the newly erected Airway Beacon Tower along Airport Road.
The memorial will eventually honor all Chapter 431 members, as well as the founders and early pioneers of the Brodhead Airport who have “Flown West.” The dedication takes place during the annual Pietenpol/Hatz Reunion at the airport, and will feature a short speech and tours of the project. Friends of Brodhead Airport and other persons interested in the project are welcome to attend.
The historic beacon tower was once used as an air navigation aid to early airmail and airline pilots in the 1920s and 30s before modern navigation methods were used. Spaced approximately every 20 miles along route between major cities, these towers once dotted the landscape. In fact, for years one stood on the corner of Riemer Road and Decatur-Sylvester Road in Decatur Township, on the route between Chicago and St. Paul, Minn.
EAA Chapter 431 acquired a beacon tower several years ago and it was recently restored as an Eagle Scout project by Sebastian Adams. It is a replica built to original plans. The adjacent generator shed was also built as an Eagle Scout project to Holden Whitledge. Landscaping and fencing around the tower was completed as a third Eagle Scout project by Brett Hammon.
For more information on EAA Chapter 431, or the Brodhead Airport, visit www.eaa43.or or contact them at 608-897-1175 or webmaster@eaa431.org.