WILLIAMS HILL
Illinois - Pope County - Shawnee National Forest
c.1942: "Williams Hill Lookout Station, U.S. Forest Service; 60 feet steel tower. Altitude of 1065 feet, 2 miles due west of Herod. The highest point in Southern Illinois." ("Illinois Ozark Region - Historic Development of County Names, etc.....)
March 22, 1948: "Plans for the third annual Easter Sunrise service, sponsored by the American Sunday School Union, are well under way, according to word received from Rev. James G. Johnson, field missionary.
For the past two years the service has been held at the High Knob Tower in Hardin county. Due to better facilities the location has been changed this year to the Williams Hill Tower. Williams Hill is one of the most colorful spots in southern Illinois, located in the 'foothills of the Ozarks' with an elevation of 1,065 feet. It is located in the northeast corner of Pope county near Saline, Gallatin and Hardin county lines. (The Daily Register)
March 30, 1955: "The annual outdoor Easter service sponsored by Rev. James G. Johnson, field missionary of the American Sunday School Union, will be held again this year at Williams Hill tower. The service will be held on Easter Sunday, April 10, at 3 p.m.
The services began 10 years ago, starting with a sunrise service on High Knob. During recent years they have been changed to Williams Hill and to the afternoon in order to permit people to attend their own local sunrise services." (The Daily Register)
July 3, 1958: "If you want to make a short, inspirational scene trip over the holidays, I recommend Williams Hill for a quickie.
Just climb the lookout tower and start looking. On a pretty day the sight is amazing. Williams Hill, an elevation of 1,065 feet, is the highest point in southern Illinois and second highest hill in the state. It's just three or four miles west of Herod and Hero0d is only 14 miles south of Harrisburg on Route 34.
I hadn't been to Williams Hill in years. The two buildings have been moved away and the lookout tower is not manned by the U.S. Forest Service in the summer.
But the place is neat as a pin. In the grove is a fine, clean, picnic area, well kept, with three picnic tables, four places to cook, and trash cans and a garbage pit that you are expected to use.
I climbed to the top of the lookout tower on some new steps, but you can't get into the little building atop the sructure because it is kept locked.
The scenery you get from up here, however, is inspiring. The wind is really wind at the height and you're glad there's a piece of framework on which to hold, but the look is worth every thing.
There are plantations and what look like millions of dark green trees. All around is rolling country and the hills to the east and south, especially to the east, look like great mountain ranges in a hazy distance.
Patches of cleared areas show farmhouses with barn roofs gleaming in the sun. I wish I had had binoculars.
A pleasant drive, if there's not too much traffic, is to turn right when leaving the lookout tower and following the good rock road for eight miles to the new Route 145 near Delwood." - By Timotheus T. - (The Daily Independent)
August 18, 1972: An advertisement was published in the 'Southern Illinoisan' for bids for the sale of this and seven other steel lookout towers on the Shawnee National Forest.