The Snake Ridge Lookout Tower, originally built in 1939, was one of many fire lookout towers built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Construction typically included a 75-100 foot steel tower with either wooden steps or a steel ladder, a log guard station with an outhouse and garage to house the lookout, and telephone lines to the tower. These towers were actively used until the 1970s and were manned during spring and fall when fires were most prevalent. Of the original eight towers on the forest, only the Shawnee Lookout Tower near New Straitsville remains at its original location. Shawnee, Snake Ridge, and Iron Point towers once stood on the Athens Ranger District, while Kimble, Long Hollow, New Castle, Pilot Knob, and Telegraph towers stood on the Ironton Ranger District. The New Castle Lookout was the first on the forest and began as a platform built on top of a tree trunk before it was replaced by a metal structure.