The decommissioned AT&T Long Lines radio tower in Alexandria, OH.

This station was once one of thousands of radio towers installed by AT&T for their long lines telecommunications network. At one time, every telephone call and television signal was beamed through thousands of these towers to connect the US coast to coast. Alexandria was a station that was a repeater, connecting New California, Columbus, and Newcastle, OH with its six horn antennas. Each antenna was 5,000lbs and sealed to protect it from nuclear fallout. Some of these towers were even hardened to survive a near direct nuclear blast (I don't believe Alexandria's was hardened to that degree). AT&T was determined to keep the telecom system running, even in the midst of World War Three!

Unfortunately, fiber optic communications spelled doom to the old long lines system. Built in the 1950's through the 1960's, it was simply overwhelmed by the growing demand for more bandwidth, something that fiber optic could provide. By the early 1990's, AT&T began shutting down the microwave system, selling off most of their towers to American Tower LLC who subsequently leased them out to other operators who turned them into cell phone towers. Some stations were outright abandoned, and some AT sold off to private citizens- one tower and its underground bunker was turned into a vacation home.

A few of the old microwave towers were still at work in the late 2000's, and a few might be in operation, but their days are unfortunately numbered.

Alexandria's antennas have fallen silent, but in its heyday, was a crucial link linking Ohio, and the rest of the USA together.