Volunteers Unlock Ethan Allen Tower

S. Ashworth/VPR

Burlington's Ethan Allen Tower sits atop Indian Rock, a craggy bluff that rises almost 300 feet near the shores of Lake Champlain.  The castle-like structure was built in 1905 to honor Ethan Allen, and is made out of native stone, known as "Mallet's Bay Marble." 

In 1974 the City of Burlington was forced to close the tower because of safety concerns.  But within a decade, a group of citizens had come together to help rehab the 39-foot tower, and open it back up to the public.  About 25 local residents have taken responsibility for locking and unlocking the tower daily.  They call themselves the Tower Keypers, and we caught up with one of their members and with the city's parks department early one recent morning.