There is always that North Star guiding us, marking our progress towards home. For the past century, that particular star has been the light inside the Albert K. Memorial Tower on Sky Top, standing sentinel on the crest of the Shawangunk Ridge, guiding us, mooring us and reminding us, gently, every now and again, to look upwards, skywards, towards the mountain and all things possible.
This past weekend, members of the Smiley family and local dignitaries gathered at the base of the 60-foot-tall stone edifice to celebrate its 100th-year anniversary. A beacon in the Hudson Valley, the Sky Top tower can be seen from miles in each direction. After climbing all 100 stone steps to the open-air platform at the top, visitors are able to see six states on a clear day: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Eric Gullickson, president of Mohonk Mountain House and fifth-generation Smiley family member, noted that in 1919, “New York State was proposing to build a steel tower for fire observation on this spot, because the old fire towers did not stand the test of time.” Members of the Smiley family and their guests objected strongly to the harsh design of a steel fire tower and instead lobbied the state to allow them to build a stone structure that would be crafted from the conglomerate rock found on the mountaintop. “A committee of Smiley family members, friends and guests was formed, and together they came up with a design for a memorial tower that would be dedicated to [Mohonk Mountain House founder] Albert Smiley, who had died in 1912,” Gullickson explained.
The project manager was Bruce Smiley, and the stone was harvested from a quarry just to the north of the Tower, where there is now a 1.3-million-gallon reservoir that can be drawn upon in case of fire. According to Gullickson, the tower took two years to build and was officially christened in 1923.
“It served as fire lookout until 1971,” he said, “and each of the four corners of the viewing platform at the top of the tower is aligned with a direction: north, south, east and west. This tower has served as a symbol of inspiration to our family, our guests, our neighbors, and is also the result of bold vision of people who cared deeply for this land.”
One thing that Gullickson hears often and always delights him is people saying that when they first see the tower, they “know they’re almost home. I feel the same way.”
Adding that in “typical Smiley family fashion, we weren’t planning on doing anything about the 100th anniversary,” Gullickson said that Dan Torres, assistant to congressman Pat Ryan, said that “We had to do something. So, thank you all for coming and for getting us up here to mark this occasion and for being such good friends to the Mountain House.”
Congressman Ryan stood up in front of the scalloped iron gates at the entrance to the Tower and said that he was “thrilled to be here,” noting that his own two sons point to the tower and know they’re home when they see it. “It’s so cool to think that one day I will be able to hike up here with my two sons.”
Ryan said that he had not intended on wearing a suit to the hike to the tower, and explained that the First Lady had decided to visit the area on short notice, which required a bit of dressing up. “It’s been a celebratory day, and after all that’s been happening in DC these past two weeks, I’m happy to be home and be reminded how important it is to take a few moments to enjoy the beauty of this landscape and get some perspective.”
The congressman thanked Gullickson, Mohonk Mountain House CEO Tom Smiley and the entire Smiley family for being such great stewards of the land, but also “such good employers. Yes, there is an important spiritual and cultural component to this tower that we all feel; but Mohonk is also one of our largest employers, and you serve as a leader in our business community in the way that you treat your employees and your neighbors.”
Ryan handed over a copy of a proclamation recognizing the anniversary and the history of the Smiley Memorial Tower, saying with a laugh, “It contains the extended remarks I was able to make on the house floor. That’s the great thing about my job: I can talk about the special places and people that comprise the 800,000 constituents I’m privileged to represent, and anyone who is watching C-SPAN at the moment gets to hear it… I do hope that this tower stands for at least another 100 years, so that our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren can experience the beauty and joy it’s brought all of us to sojourn up here.”
County executive Jen Metzger concurred with Congressman Ryan, saying that hikes to the Sky Top tower had been treasured moments with her family and children over the years. She also noted that Mohonk helps to drive ecotourism, and also acknowledged the presence and important work that Ulster County Tourism director Lisa Berger does on behalf of the county. Metzger added her gratitude to the Smiley family’s “112-year history of collecting daily weather and environmental data that serves as such a rich and critical contribution to our understanding of climate change.”
Congressman Ryan and County Executive Metzger were joined by New Paltz village mayor Tim Rogers and town supervisor Neil Bettez to celebrate and mark the stone structure’s centennial milestone.
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