I can only imagine the employment opportunities these towers afforded. Those dropping the molten lead to be formed into balls (henceforth known as "ballers") working at the direction of supervisors (shot-callers, if you will)

...

I'll see myself out.

They built a shopping centre around one in Melbourne. It's pretty impressive.



https://en.m.wikip...oop%27s_Shot_Tower

It was nice to see the shot tower from my home town of Dubuque, Iowa listed on that website.

That's the only shot tower (to my knowledge) I've ever seen in person. If other shot towers are anything like it, there really wouldn't be much to explore inside one. Maybe a staircase to the top. The tower itself doesn't have a very wide footprint. The one in Dubuque was used as a security lookout tower for a lumber yard after the lead shot business ended. To my knowledge, a fire gutted the slim interior decades ago, and the structure was fixed up and stabilized to preserve its beautiful place on the Dubuque Mississippi River front.

Curious detail about the Dubuque Shot Tower -- during the era of making shot, the owner sold the shot tower with the condition he wouldn't make lead shot using any other towers. He complied with the agreement, but continued making lead shot anyways. He continued making shot balls by dropping the molten lead down one of the many deep mine shafts that pepper the landscape around Dubuque!

Posted by Clockwork It was nice to see the shot tower from my home town of Dubuque, Iowa listed on that website.... ... the structure was fixed up and stabilized to preserve its beautiful place on the Dubuque Mississippi River front.

I feel it should be noted the pictures on that website are all taken from within the industrial rail yard where the shot tower sits. This doesn't suggest a "beautiful place on the river front". However, if you look closely at the photo, there is a railroad bridge visible behind the tower. That bridge was built by Andrew Carnegie and it goes across the Mississippi River. To the south of that (direction right in the photo) you can see the red brick Dubuque Star Brewery Building, which faces the river. See the UER Database entry for the Star Brewery here: http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=25586
The entire area is on the riverfront, and within walking distance of the Smithsonian River Museum, destination brewery, Diamond Jo casino, and other visitor amenities.

Posted by Clockwork

Mmmm... handsome.

Posted by Technomancer I can only imagine the employment opportunities these towers afforded. Those dropping the molten lead to be formed into balls (henceforth known as "ballers") working at the direction of supervisors (shot-callers, if you will) ... I'll see myself out.

The question still remains as to whether or not any of them had 20 inch blades on their Impalas.

This Factory in eastern Arkansas is still going strong I used to pass it all the time. I wonder if they still use their shot tower for anything?

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