Water Towers: Landmarks with a Purpose

While driving, I'm often struck by the unusual and the interesting. I also notice the once common landmarks that are slowly disappearing or changing in our landscape. Water towers are one of those changing features. At one time every small town in America, and large cities for that matter, had water towers.

Was a water tower just a landmark or did it serve a purpose?!

Water towers come in many different shapes and sizes. Early water towers were usually built of stone with an inside standpipe that would hold water. One of the most famous historic stone water towers is the Chicago Water Tower, located on Michigan Avenue. This water tower is so recognized that the Chicago Convention and Visitors Bureau placed a welcome center there. The tower was featured in the finale of the 2004 season of CBS' "Amazing Race".

It is reputed that there are only seven historic standpipe water towers left in the United States. St. Louis, Missouri, is privileged to have three of these still standing. Two are of Victorian style while the third appears to be a column from a giant building. These monuments are a constant reminder of bygone days. All three are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Other early water towers were built of wood. Many of these wood water towers served railroads, especially during the days of steam locomotives. The water towers were placed along the railroad right of way so that railroad engineers would always have a fresh supply of water for their steam engines. One railroad water tower of significant interest is the Illinois Central Railroad Water Tower near Kinmundy, Illinois. This historic wood water tower, made of cypress, was built in 1885 as a place for steam engines to resupply. This 100,000 gallon cypress water tower served the Illinois Center Railroad steam engines until 1953. The City of Kinmundy purchased the tower, pump station and lake from the railroad in 1960 and continued to use the lake and tower as a source of city water until 2000, when a new lake was put in. After 115 years of continuous service, the tower was abandoned.

Old town water towers usually had four legs with the tank at the top. Many of the older water towers are being replaced by what I call "golf ball on a tee" water towers. These newer towers have a ball shaped tank on top of a pedestal. The following three towers are from communities in Illinois. The Mascoutah tower bears the image of a Native American; Abraham Lincoln's profile is on the Vandalia tower; Wood River shows the explorers Lewis and Clark.

Town water towers usually had the name of the town painted on the side of the tank. Some localities have slogans, images or mascots on the sides of them. Water towers even come in different shapes, many representing the area where they are found. There are peach shaped towers in Alabama and Georgia, a pineapple shaped one in Hawaii and a Ketchup Bottle shaped tower in Collinsville, Illinois (built to supply water to the ketchup factory below.) Today, it has been repainted and stands as a reminder of an earlier time.

Where have you noticed an unusual or interesting water tower?