The 100th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Forest Fire Wardens was celebrated in Tamaqua's Owl Creek section Saturday by focusing on the aspects of the job that have made the wardens indispensable for a century.

"We have camp fire safety, burn barrel safety, debris burning safety plus Smoky Bear," said Mark Bower, Tamaqua, a state forest fire warden and chief of Tamaqua South Ward Fire Company. A wide array of other educational programs and opportunities were showcased throughout the day.

Central to the event were tours of an authentic fire tower, recently restored by volunteers of South Ward Fire Company.

Built in 1920, the 85-foot-high tower was a fixture in central Schuylkill County, where it was positioned on Mount Pleasant near the Joe Zerbey Airport, Foster Township.

But the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry dismantled it in the late 1990s. It was then moved to the DCNR Weiser District office in Cressona and used for a time to train firefighters and educate visitors.

When the future appeared bleak for the important piece of forest fire fighting history, Tamaqua volunteers stepped forward to salvage it and place it at the Owl Creek Reservoir for educational opportunities and community enrichment.

Demonstrations on how it was used were presented by Warden Charles W. Helms, Minersville.