By LEAH WEATHERSBY

In North Seattle, silent sentinels still stand that serve as reminders of a time when Americans lived in fear of the threat of enemy sneak attacks from the sky.

America was gripped first by World War II in the 1940s, only to be followed by the Cold War. In the 1950s and early '60s, in particular, the possibility of a nuclear attack seemed all too real.

Photos taken from that era show air raid drills taking place at local high schools with students hiding under desks or pressing against walls, theoretically to protect themselves. And there was a constant audio reminder of the threat: in Seattle, air raid sirens went off every Wednesday at noon.

According to Anne Frantilla, assistant city archivist with Seattle Municipal Archives, records suggest that a number of air raid sirens were installed throughout the city around 1942, although there are documents referencing air raid sirens dating as far back as far as 1934. Of course, sirens alone might only cause panic. In 1941, Chief Air Raid Warden Wellington Rupp started Seattle's own air raid warden organization.

During World War II, Air Raid Wardens were trained in handling bombs, gas attacks, fires and performing first aid, presumably so they could respond effectively after the sirens blared. Both woman and man participated in the program - official manuals suggested woman should be in charge of daytime operations because of "their greater availability," but "if the first lieutenant in the Precinct has arrived home from work and is available for duty, he is in charge of the precinct; if none of the men precinct officers are available for duty, woman precinct officers continue in charge."

While the air raid warden program was curtailed in 1944, sirens were back on the Seattle scene in 1951. Seattle had 63 sirens in storage left over from the war, enough at the time to warn about 75 percent of the City of their impending doom. In spring of 1951, sirens were hoisted at 11th Avenue NE and 41st Avenue E, and in the Fremont district, among other locations.

In 1952, the City began installing 21 new sirens, which replaced many other older, lower-horse-power models. The new system cost $91,000 and at the time, Seattle Mayor William Devin told the Seattle Times that the sirens would give the City "the best air-raid-warning system of any city of our size in America."

Perhaps one of the most noticeable air raid siren sites in North Seattle was the old John B. Allen Elementary School, now the Phinney Neighborhood Center. Seattle Public Schools' records suggest that those sirens were installed in 1953. While the City sunk thousands into the sirens in the 1950s, it seems the warning devices have literally been forgotten today.

Ed Medeiros, executive director of the Phinney Neighborhood Association, said that though he contacted a number of government agencies, he could find none who seemed interested in the Phinney Ridge siren's fate.

"In all my research, no one wanted to claim ownership," Medeiros said. Eventually, Medeiros hopes to use the tower as a stand-in tree for the annual Phinney-Greenwood Tree Lighting, and to use it as public art.

"We're hoping to have some sort of contest to develop it into an art project," Medeiros explained.

In North Seattle, another air raid siren tower can be seen along 1st Avenue NE, just south of NE 130th, on the west edge of Northacres Park in the Haller Lake neighborhood.

While Seattle's old air raid sirens have remained silent for decades, there are some parts of the state where the sirens are still being used. For example, in Carnation where a leak or break in the Tolt Dam could affect the town and the residents along the Tolt River, a Tolt Dam Failure Warning system, using computer-controlled sirens was installed in 1993. It replaced an older system.

Because of regular testing, the sound of sirens can still be heard in Washington.