The Long Lines site near Prairie Home, MO was part of the AT&T (Bell) Long Lines network between the 1950s and 1980s. The Prairie Home site relayed telephone and television signals during the time.
The tower is situated approximately three miles southwest of the small town of Prairie Home on Route J. Prairie Home is located in southern Cooper County, half-way between Saint Louis and Kansas City.
Due to the tower’s size, it can be seen from miles. It also has an indicator beacon light on the top in order to alert aircraft of its existence.
Due to it’s location (half-way between two major cities), the tower would’ve endured high traffic during its operation, especially since most cross-country telephone calls or television programs would have went through this tower.
The tower has a wide variety of horn antennas still installed from its Long Lines days, including multiple KS-15676 and Gabriel horns.
Prairie Home was connected to Slater to the northwest and to Holts Summit to the southeast. Television signals were sent to the Columbia station to the northeast.
The station appears to be non-functional. According to the FCC’s ASR database, the tower is currently owned by the Cooper County government. The AT&T sign near the front entrance to the base station has been painted over, and no other signs have been placed on the property. The station was likely abandoned by AT&T in the late 1980s or early 1990s as they replaced the microwave relay technology with fiber optics. While the station appears to be non-functional, it appears that a new air conditioning system was recently installed.
Additional smaller buildings are located near the base of the tower, behind the main concrete block building constructed back in the mid-1950s by the Bell System. The site is likely used for two-way radio communications by the county government, with the smaller buildings housing two-way radio/RF repeater equipment. There are multiple dipole array antennas located on the tower.
The purpose of the main building is still unknown, but it appears a new packaged air conditioning system (with exposed ductwork) was installed long after AT&T Long Lines sites were “turned down.”
White parabolic antennas, like those found at Slater and Dayton, were also found on the tower. The dishes at Dayton were confirmed to be used for wireless broadband internet service for subscribers in the area.
Update: Nov. 11, 2022
Three hops are shown for the Prairie Home site in the Maprad.io database: one south to Barnett, one southeast to Holts Summit (an original link), and another northeast to Columbia. It appears all three hops use the newer-style Gabriel “cornucopia” horns (it appears the original KS-15676 horns on the Holts Summit tower for the Prairie Home hop were replaced later and painted to conform to FAA obstruction requirements) and operate in the 6 GHz range.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the Maprad.io results is how recent the licenses are. The license for the hop to Barnett (WLK708) was effective Nov. 29, 2001 and canceled before the expected expiration of Feb. 1, 2010. The license for the hop to Holts Summit (WHT287) was effective June 11, 2004, and canceled before the expected expiration of Feb. 1, 2010. The license for the hop to Columbia (KPP57) was effective Oct. 21, 2014, and canceled before the expected expiration of Feb. 1, 2020, making it the last hop for the site online. (FCC records indicate the Cooper County government owned the Prairie Home site in that time span, so perhaps it was being leased to AT&T to keep the hop alive? At that time, in Oct. 2014, none of the other hops were still online, according to Maprad.io.)
There are no other hops shown for the site on Maprad.io.
Update: April 29, 2023
I have found one of Cooper County’s uses for the site randomly while doing some research for work.
The Cooper County Emergency Management Agency lists a weather station setup at “the old AT&T Tower on Route J,” named “Alpha 1 on their website. (You can view live conditions here.)
In addition to weather data, I strongly believe the site is also home to a two-way radio repeater system, which is typically operated by a county’s emergency management agency. Numerous dipole arrays found on the upper section of the tower substantiate this theory. However, Maprad.io shows no other results at the site. (Madrad.io isn’t 100 percent accurate, however, as I’ve heard of many other active sites being omitted from their database.)
A distant photo of the AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower located southwest of Prairie Home, Missouri. This photo was taken Nov. 3, 2023, from approximately 10 miles south of the site, in rural Moniteau County near Clarksburg. (It was taken using a 300mm telephoto lens on my Nikon D5600.)
Update: June 2, 2024
While out for a motorcycle ride, I noticed the Prairie Home AT&T Long Lines tower looked off. Unfortunately, the iconic KS-15676 and “cornucopia” horn-reflector antennas were recently removed and set aside the base of the tower, forming an “antenna graveyard.” However, this was the perfect opportunity to look at the massive antennas up close. The size of the antennas is always stunning.
The outhouse and some other out buildings were also moved around, and other parts of the tower — such as ice/hail guards — were also removed.
A former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower is seen without its horn antennas, which were recently removed, June 2, 2024, from approximately half a mile southwest on county road J-12-J.More antennas seen June 2, 2024, awaiting their final fate outside the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Prairie Home, Missouri.A KS-15676 horn-reflector antenna manufactured by Rohr Corporation of Chula Vista, California, for Western Electric is seen June 2, 2024, outside the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Prairie Home, Missouri.Dirt stuffed inside the end of a feed horn on one of the Western Electric/Rohr Corporation KS-15676 horn-reflector antennas seen June 2, 2024, outside the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Prairie Home, Missouri.The data tag for one of the KS-15676 horn-reflector antennas previously installed on the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Prairie Home, Missouri, is seen June 2, 2024. This particular antenna was manufactured for Western Electric, the equipment division of the Bell System, by Rohr Corporation of Chula Vista, California. Many other identical antennas — including several also found at this site — were manufactured by Goodyear Aircraft of Akron, Ohio.Another view of the base station for the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Prairie Home, Missouri, seen June 2, 2024, with the nearby “antenna graveyard” featuring antennas previously found on the tower.An “antenna graveyard” is seen June 2, 2024, surrounding the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Prairie Home, Missouri. The antennas were recently removed.Closeup of one of the Western Electric/Goodyear Aircraft KS-15676 parabolic reflector-horn antennas that was recently removed June 2, 2024, from the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower near Prairie Home, Missouri. Based on previous photos, this specific antenna was likely aimed toward the Slater site.The data plate on one of the KS-15676 horn-reflector antennas previously removed June 2, 2024, from the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Prairie Home, Missouri. This particular antenna was manufactured by Goodyear Aircraft of Akron, Ohio, for Western Electric. Other KS-15676 antennas, such as another found on this site, were manufactured by Rohr Corporation of Chula Vista, California.Another view of the “antenna graveyard” seen June 2, 2024, outside the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Prairie Home, Missouri. Seen here are the various KS-15676 horn antennas that were installed when the tower was built.Inside the shrouded parabolic antenna seen June 2, 2024, shortly after it was removed from the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower near Prairie Home, Missouri. The front-feed feed horn is seen in the middle with its feeding waveguide.A few of the massive parabolic refletor-horn antennas that was formerly used on the AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower near Prairie Home, Missouri, were seen in front of the site June 2, 2024. The site appeared to be an “antenna graveyard” with all of the recently-removed horn antennas and parabolic dishes lying on the ground around the tower, ready to be scrapped. These horn-reflectors in particular were manufactured by Gabriel.Base station for the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Prairie Home, Missouri, seen June 2, 2024. While all of the tower’s antennas have been removed (one of the KS-15676 horn antennas visible on the far left), the building appears to be untouched since my last visit about a year ago. Some outbuildings, such as a outhouse, have been moved.
Update: June 24, 2024
Thanks to perfect timing, my uncle and luck, I was able to salvage a couple of the antenna data tags off the large KS-15676 horn antennas removed from the Prairie Home site.
This past weekend, I met with the emergency management director for Cooper County at an event. We discussed the Long Lines site and the future of the 13 antennas found on the ground around the site, along with the site itself.
As expected, he confirmed Cooper County Emergency Management Agency uses the tower as a repeater site for local EMS, fire and law enforcement. The antennas were removed for network upgrades.
The director said he, along with crews who helped remove copper and equipment left behind by AT&T, was intrigued by the equipment inside the base station. He added each antenna weighed around 3,500 pounds (1,588 kg) and was 21-feet tall.
With the antennas no longer serving a purpose, a local excavating company will “crush” the aluminum antennas down to be hauled off by a recycling company. From there it could become a soda can, aircraft parts or a computer.
Removing the tags was not as easy as planned. I tried drilling out the four rivets holding each tag onto the antenna, but gave up after about 15 minutes of no success. I later returned with my uncle, an angle grinder, hammer and chisel to remove tags from three of the five KS-15676 antennas.
While removing the tags, I was approached by residents of the neighboring home. They recalled the site being active back when AT&T owned it.
Of the tags removed, two were from horns made by Goodyear Aircraft of Akron, Ohio, and one was from an antenna made by Rohr Corporation of Chula Vista, California. Four of the five KS-15676 antennas removed from the tower were made by Goodyear.
Prairie Home had five KS-15676 horn-reflector antennas, seven “cornucopia”/Gabriel horn-reflector antennas, and a single shrouded parabolic drum that was aimed toward Slater.
Results after 15 minutes of failing to drill the rivet on a data tag found on one of the KS-15676 horn antennas formerly installed on the AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower near Prairie Home, Missouri. It took a grinder and chisel to get the tag removed.
Photos: August 2022
The following photos were taken August 8, 2022, using my Nikon D5600 camera and the iPhone SE (2nd generation). I was able to get a variety of closer shots, including some zoomed-in close-up shots of the top.
A photo of the tower taken approximately 2,800 feet away from the north. The set of KS-15676 horns mounted on top pointing to the right hop to Slater, the set of newer Gabriel horns on top pointing to the left hop to Holts Summit. Lower Gabriel horn antennas pointed northeast hop to Columbia. A separate site with a parabolic antenna mounted on a far shorter tower across Highway J from the Long Lines site is used by a local utility company. (D5600)
The front of the relay site, as seen from its driveway. The pickup possibly belongs to the adjacent neighbors.The tower.The southern side of the concrete block building. The grill in the middle of the building, to the left of a power cutoff for the facility, is likely for ventilation air intake. The vent scoop to the right is likely for the generator air intake, evidenced by the generator muffler and exhaust mounted directly above. (D5600)An outhouse is also located on the southern edge of the site.The ubiquitous “WARNING” sign found on most former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay sites is also present at the southwestern corner of the building on the site.The front of the building has hardly changed since my last visit in 2018. The old AT&T sign appears to have been painted over (or has faded) more, and an ASR sign was added.A close-up of the top of the tower reveals a bunch of antennas, both old and new. The two KS-15676 (“Hogg horn”) antennas on the top platform pointed to the left hop to Slater (both have their weather covers damaged), while two other Gabriel horns (obstructed in this photo) on top hop to Holts Summit. An additional horn, or possibly multiple horns, would’ve also hopped to Holts Summit for spacial diversity to avoid interruption caused by interference. Lower horns pointed to the northeast, or pointing away from the camera in this photo, hop to Columbia. Newer dipole arrays are found on multiple spots on the tower, including in two spots in this photo: the top platform and the left outrigger platform below. These antennas are likely used by the county government, who currently owns the site, for two-way radio communication.Another photo of the top of the tower. The two KS-15676 horns on the top platform, with their weather covers damaged, hop to the northwest to Slater.Looking directly up the tower.The size of this tower always blows my mind. The photo doesn’t do it justice, but the tower is easily visible from more than five miles on a clear day. Standing next to the base of the tower to get these photos made me feel like a tiny ant. AT&T Long Lines had even larger towers, such as one in Illinois that had to be expanded to support additional antennas. Unlike that site, which had 11 hops, Prairie Home only had three hops: one to the northwest to Slater, a television-only hop to the northeast to Columbia, and a hop to the southeast to Holts Summit. The site was located on the Kansas City-St. Louis route.Writing can still be seen on the waveguide racks leading to the tower base.A photo of the rear of the building, including where waveguides would have once entered the building. On the northern side of the building is a fairly new packaged air conditioning unit along with some exposed ductwork and ventilation air intakes. The parabolic dish at the right of the building, located across Highway J, is owned by a utility company.A final view of the tower. Waveguides running down from individual horn antennas are visible but no longer connected to the building. (All have been cut at the base of the tower.) The small white parabolic dish in the middle of the tower could possibly be used for wireless broadband internet, like the Dayton, Missouri, site, and the dipole arrays higher on the tower are likely used for the county government’s two-way radio communication system. The site is currently owned by the county government.
Photos: May 2018
Pictures below taken May 30, 2018 using a Samsung Galaxy Express Prime 2.
A distant view of the Prairie Home tower, as seen from the southwest
A zoomed shot from the same location, southwest of the tower by half a mile
Viewing the tower from the north on Route J. Notice the damaged horns. (Photo taken August 9, 2018.)
The base station
A close shot of the base station entrance. The sign in the red circle is a former AT&T sign that has since been painted over.
A view of the tower. Notice the top two horns (the KS-15676 horn reflectors) have their lens damaged.
History – “AT&T Focus”
Tim Souder, an ex-Long Lines employee, posted these pictures of an article featured in the October 25, 1988 issue of Focus, an internal publication for AT&T employees, on a Long Lines Facebook group. Souder was featured on the cover and did some work at the Prairie Home site when it was in operation.
Special thanks to Tim Souder for sharing and granting permission to publish here.
Tim Souder, an ex-Long Lines employee who shared these photos on a Long Lines Facebook group, was featured on the cover of the October 25, 1988 issue of Focus, an AT&T internal publication.
“On The Road”, an article in the October 25, 1988 issue of Focus, features the Prairie Home site from when it was still in operation.
A closeup of the photo of the Prairie Home tower from 1988, when it was still in operation.The article mentions the small size of Prairie Home. Not much has changed.A closeup of the first few paragraphs of the article, which mentions the Prairie Home site.The article also has the Kansas City AT&T Central Office/Long Lines building in the background of a photo. The Prairie Home site was on the Kansas City-St. Louis route.
Among other local technicians responding to this particular post, Tim wrote the following in response to my modern photographs:
Hunters shot the damn things [fiberglass face on the KS-15676 horns] all the time causing 0 air pressure of the waveguide. We would have to either swing around from side or bail off from the top and hang out there and patch to get pressure back up. The newer Gabriel horns had a Teflon face and was pushed out… I’m sure they thought if they shot it would pop… they don’t. Just created work for us.
In “AT&T Long Lines – A Forgotten System,” I discuss my personal connection with the Slater, MO tower which this tower is linked to towards the northwest. I also discuss the history of the Long Lines network – specifically the microwave relay network – and its importance on telecommunications.
