The Ransom Water Tower is a former water tower in the LaSalle County, Illinois, village of Ransom

Ransom, Illinois

Ransom is a village in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 409 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is part of the subregion known as Streatorland.-History:...

. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

History

After a fire in the early 1890s the village of Ransom decided to construct a public waterworks

WaterWorks

WaterWorks is a water park owned by Cedar Fair, located at the back of Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. When it debuted in 1992, it was originally named Hurricane Reef...

 with a central water tower

Water tower

A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....

. The first meetings were held in 1893 and 1894. After some controversy over the size of the tank and tower a 45,000–50,000 gallon

Gallon

The gallon is a measure of volume. Historically it has had many different definitions, but there are three definitions in current use: the imperial gallon which is used in the United Kingdom and semi-officially within Canada, the United States liquid gallon and the lesser used United States dry...

 tank was constructed atop a brick

Brick

A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...

 water tower in 1896. The tower served the village from its construction until July 19, 1990.

Design

The Ransom Water Tower is located atop a hill, what was the highest point in the then-center of town. Upon its construction, a 40 foot brick tower was topped with a 28 feet (8.5 m) wooden water tank. The brick tower is a round, "barrel", tower. At its base it has a diameter of 29 feet 4 inches which tapers as the tower rises to a diameter of about 24 feet.

Historic significance

The tower is locally significant to the settlement of Ransom. It helped the village flourish after a devastating fire and attracted settlers and business growth to Ransom. The Ransom Water Tower was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 on November 2, 1990.

External links

• 1990 photograph, via Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
  Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
  The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Illinois. It is tasked with the duty of maintaining most State-owned historic sites within Illinois, and maximizing their educational and recreational value to visitors....
  
  
• Property Information Report: Ransom Water Tower, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency