Safety inspectors drop in on Gettysburg's three observation towers, which have been in use for more than 125 years

Inspectors take a close look at the Culp's Hill tower (NPS photos)

Engineering assessments of three observation towers at Gettysburg National Military Park have been competed, officials said.

“Although they are more than 100 years old, there are no issues with any of the towers. These assessments will help guide us with any future work,” park spokesman Jason Martz told the Civil War Picket in an email Friday.

Crews conducted standard safety inspections of the West Confederate, Culp’s Hill and Oak Ridge towers, which were built in 1895-1896. They were concluded earlier this week.

The inspections took place via vertical access (rappelling) and by hypsometric laser scanning, officials said in a news release ahead of the work.

For generations, park visitors have climbed stairs to reach the top of the metal structures.

A report during their construction said: “These are all solid and well-built structures, and, located as they are, they afford the observer a complete and satisfactory view of the entire scene of the great battle and enable him to get a consistent and accurate idea of it as a whole.”

Three other towers on the battlefield were removed years ago, for differing reasons.

-- The Ziegler's Grove tower was removed in 1961 when the Cyclorama building superseded it.

-- The Big Round Top tower was removed in 1968. It was deemed dangerous and obsolete, Martz wrote in an email.

-- Most famously, the colossal Gettysburg National Tower, which was considered an eyesore and an intrusion by many, was demolished by the park in 2000. Erected in 1974, the nearly 400 foot tower was on private land, later acquired by the government. The sound of firing by replica cannons signaled the blast that brought the tower down to cheers.