In about 1935, Marshall H. Ensor moved the converted three legged windmill tower from East of the driveway to very near the new radio room and added a second four legged converted windmill tower 246 feet Southwest of the first one. Both towers were 80 feet tall and he wanted more height than that, so he cleverly added ten feet of local Osage Orange (hedge) tree trunks at the base of the towers where they became new legs and were free of cost which angle iron was not.

There became, over the last ten or so years, a growing and noticeable Eastward tilt of the tower near the house. Many people voiced the opinion that the tower may fall unexpectedly. Just the thought of that sad event spurred us to action. Several ideas came forth as to what we could or should do about the problem. If possible, we wanted to retain the odd but effective Ensor solution to added height, so keeping the hedge post legs became our goal. A few weeks prior to June 2003, our member, Harry Krout, his son Joe, and Joe’s friend Craig Seibert, visited the Museum one day when I was there. Some ideas of how the tower correction might be achieved were tossed back and forth. I wasn’t sure anything would become of our conversation, until the middle of June, when Harry suggested I call Craig and ask if he really had a plan and willingness to help our cause. For the record, Craig had nearly twenty years invested with the Kansas City Power and Light and much experience with poles and tall things that needed help. So you know how happy I was to have him volunteer his knowledge and resources to help out.

As 9 AM Saturday arrived, so did Craig Seibert, Harry and Son-Joe Krout, Dan Reed, NØZIZ, followed by Larry Thomas, WAØGWA, and myself. Craig surprised everyone by driving up the long gravel driveway in a big Kansas City Power and Light work truck. I expected a pickup with scaffold sections loaded in it, but became aware that that was ‘Plan B’. Instead we saw the arrival of ‘Plan A,’ complete with hydraulic hoist and the works. Craig pulled within a few feet of the East tower leg, which was the sunken one. First in order was a stabilizing of the North leg, which on close inspection only the day before, showed a split visible from below ground to 20 inches above, and though nearly surrounded by bushes, by placing your head close to the house, you could see clear through the 8" post. The day before, I dug away the surrounding soil to the depth of the pole, where the cement base was. There I found the pole was severely missing substance. It was, however, in contact with the cement base.

After lashing a 4" by 6" fir pole to the side of the rotted North pole, and attaching a safety rope from it to a tree trunk in that direction, Craig attached his truck hoist to the first joint where the East post and metal tower met. I expected to see the pole and concrete base both rise together. However, upon being lifted, the pole slid up slowly from the grasp of the cement base, leaving it unmoved where it was. I rushed to a vantage point South of the action for a few photos showing the tower movement. When I returned, Craig was taking one last measurement visually, using a hand held plumb. " It’s as good as it’s going to get," he said. Next, Craig with Larry Thomas’ help, placed a galvanized ‘C’ channel angled from the top of the cement base to the side of the leg above ground. They fastened two half inch through bolts and then Joe applied the large red plastic bucket- (cement form), which Harry had fetched from the nearest supply store. Inverted, with bottom sawed out and split down the side, we who mixed the cement in my old but trusty wheelbarrow began filling the form. Others replaced the dirt taken from the hole the previous day. All felt a satisfying feeling of accomplishment. The finishing touch was replacing sod and watering it. The time was now twelve noon and only three hours was needed to correct the listing tower.

The next weekend was Field Day and there was a considerable activity at the Ensor Museum. But on Sunday afternoon when a local club left the area with high spirit from all they accomplished, I finished the task of strengthening the North tower leg. The North leg is the one very near the radio room in the old house, and where the substantial ground system terminates. All tower legs are individually grounded using flex cable nearly a half inch thick. But this one also feeds two 24" deep pairs of 1/4" copper wires, having opposing direction of travel parallel to the house foundation. Being careful to not damage the wiring, I applied 1/2" rebar in 3 places, then lowered a 12" X 4’ split form and filled it with several mixed bags of reinforced concrete, at the same time back filling the hole with compacted dirt.

The last thirty minutes of my work was very bothering due to an approaching thunderstorm. I don’t mind saying that the thought of being so near this lightning magnet had me hurrying double time. As luck had it I was able to speed my packing of wheelbarrow, shovels, and stuff into my nearby vehicle and depart just as a heavy rain washed the area known as Bonita, Kansas. A geographical location of high plains that are closer to the sky than elsewhere in Kansas. A feeling of pride is with me knowing due to the efforts of a few caring folks, we are assured of that remarkable tower keeping its place in the air next to the W9BSP Radio Room of the Ensor Museum in Olathe, Kansas.