Shot Tower (Dubuque)
Encyclopedia
The Shot Tower located in Dubuque, Iowa
is one of the last remaining shot tower
s in the United States
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
and remains a recognized symbol of the city. At its location near the Mississippi River
, the Tower can be seen from the riverwalk and is currently undergoing extensive renovations. It stands 120'5" tall.
for the military. The invention of the shot tower enabled economical production of many nearly perfect lead spheres of the right size to fit in a musket
. To make the shot, molten lead was poured through a grate
at the top of the tower. The droplets that fell from the grate were of relatively uniform size, and the fall provided enough time for the liquid-metal droplet to form into a sphere before landing in the water below. The water cooled the lead to its solid state, retaining the spherical shape.
Advances in the manufacture of ammunition
led to the tower's eventual sale and repurposing as a watch tower for the nearby lumberyard. However, the tower was abandoned after a series of fires in 1911 destroyed the local lumber industry and damaged the tower’s wooden interior. In 1976, the tower was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Tuckpointing
and repairs soon followed, and in 2004, the Shot Tower became part of ongoing riverfront renovations.
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
is one of the last remaining shot tower
Shot tower
thumb|The Shot Tower, Bristol, EnglandA shot tower is a tower designed for the production of shot balls by freefall of molten lead, which is then caught in a water basin. The shot is used for projectiles in firearms.-Process:...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is listed on the 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...
and remains a recognized symbol of the city. At its location near the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, the Tower can be seen from the riverwalk and is currently undergoing extensive renovations. It stands 120'5" tall.
History
The tower was built in 1856 to provide lead shotLead shot
Lead shot is a collective term for small balls of lead. These were the original projectiles for muskets and early rifles, but today lead shot is fired primarily from shotguns. It is also used for a variety of other purposes...
for the military. The invention of the shot tower enabled economical production of many nearly perfect lead spheres of the right size to fit in a musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
. To make the shot, molten lead was poured through a grate
Grate
*A grate is a frame of iron bars to hold fuel for a fire.*It may also refer to a covering of a drain, also called a grating.*The act of using a grater, a kitchen utensil.- People :*Don Grate US sportsman....
at the top of the tower. The droplets that fell from the grate were of relatively uniform size, and the fall provided enough time for the liquid-metal droplet to form into a sphere before landing in the water below. The water cooled the lead to its solid state, retaining the spherical shape.
Advances in the manufacture of ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
led to the tower's eventual sale and repurposing as a watch tower for the nearby lumberyard. However, the tower was abandoned after a series of fires in 1911 destroyed the local lumber industry and damaged the tower’s wooden interior. In 1976, the tower was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Tuckpointing
Tuckpointing
Tuckpointing is a way of using two contrasting colours of mortar in brickwork, one colour matching the bricks themselves, to give an artificial impression that very fine joints have been made.-History:...
and repairs soon followed, and in 2004, the Shot Tower became part of ongoing riverfront renovations.
External links
- Listing, drawing, and photographs, Survey number HABS IA-30-8 at the Historic American Buildings SurveyHistoric American Buildings SurveyThe Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
(Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
) - History of early drop towers