Pulpit Rock Tower

Pulpit Rock Tower is an eight-story concrete structure on the Atlantic coast of Rye that rises approximately 73 feet above sea level. The thick reinforced walls contain a spiral staircase leading to an observation platform at the top.

The tower was built in 1943 as part of a coastal defense network watching over Portsmouth Harbor. It was one of several posts in a system designed to detect and report approaching threats from the ocean.

The tower represents a chapter in military defense when this coastline needed protection from threats at sea. It shows how communities were organized to watch over their waters and keep people safe.

The tower is accessible to visitors only during special events like Memorial Day and can be reached via a footpath from Neptune Drive. Parking is available near the entrance for those planning to visit.

The tower still contains its original concrete spiral staircase, which has survived intact for more than eighty years. Historic telephone lines that once connected to Fort Dearborn remain inside the structure as reminders of how soldiers communicated during wartime.

GPS coordinates: 43.03330,-70.72110

Latest update: December 14, 2025 17:41