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Phoenix Shot Tower

Coordinates: 39°17′26.6″N 76°36′19.7″W / 39.290722°N 76.605472°W / 39.290722; -76.605472
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shot Tower
Phoenix Shot Tower
Phoenix Shot Tower is located in Baltimore
Phoenix Shot Tower
Phoenix Shot Tower is located in Maryland
Phoenix Shot Tower
Phoenix Shot Tower is located in the United States
Phoenix Shot Tower
LocationBaltimore, Maryland
Coordinates39°17′26.6″N 76°36′19.7″W / 39.290722°N 76.605472°W / 39.290722; -76.605472
Built1828
NRHP reference No.69000373[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 1, 1969
Designated NHLNovember 11, 1971[2]
Designated BCL1975

The Phoenix Shot Tower, also known as the Old Baltimore Shot Tower, is a red brick shot tower, 234.25 feet (71.40 m) tall, located near the downtown, Jonestown (also known later as Old Town), and Little Italy communities of East Baltimore, in Maryland. The tower was built in less then 6 months.[3] When it was completed in 1828 it was the tallest structure in the United States.

The tower was originally the "Phoenix Shot Tower", then the "Merchants' Shot Tower", and is also sometimes called the "Old Baltimore Shot Tower".[4] It is the only surviving shot tower among four that existed in Baltimore.[5] The structure was designated a National Historic Landmark on November 11, 1971, and as a local Baltimore City Landmark on October 14, 1975.[2][6]

The Shot Tower lends its name to the nearby Shot Tower station on the Baltimore Metro subway line.[7] The original basketball team Baltimore Bullets was named in honor of the tower's role in producing shot, as was the team that became the Washington Wizards.[8]

Design

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The tower was built by Jacob Wolfe[9] using bricks manufactured by the Burns and Russell Company of Baltimore. Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a Roman Catholic lay leader, wealthiest man in America at that time and the only surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, laid its cornerstone on July 4, 1828.[10] It was completed the same year. With Charles Carroll's winter house being a block south of the tower.[11]

The circular brick structure's walls are 4.5 feet (1.4 m) thick from the bottom to about 50 feet (15 m) up; then they narrow in stages of 4 inches (10 cm) each, until reaching a thickness of 21 inches (53 cm) at the top.[9][12]The tower was constructed from roughly 1.1 million bricks.[13] The tower was constructed without scaffolding because the masons who worked on the tower worked from the interior instead of the exterior.[14]

The tower had two furnaces on the 13th floor and the other on the 14th floor.[15] The top of the tower is crenellated while the bottom of the tower has heavy metal doors.[16] Additionally the tower has windows randomly placed along its side to help light the stair case.[17]

Production

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Further information on this process: Shot tower

The method of making lead shot was created by William Watts and is named as the Watts Method.[18] This process was deemed more efficient compared to pouring lead into molds.[19] Because molten lead was dropped from a platform at the top of the tower, through a sieve-like device, into a vat of cold water at the bottom of the tower[4] to produce "drop shot" for muskets. When hardened, dried, and polished, the shot was sorted into 25-pound bags. The tower could produce 1,000,000 of these 25-pound bags per year but could double this if necessary making it one of the largest shot producers in the country.[20] The shot that was produced from the tower was typically used for things like small game hunting.[21]The size of mold shot the tower made were:

No.: 16,37,55,1C, AP, NP, 000, 00, 0, 1, 2, 3. (For Colt's Army Navy Pistol and Buck Shot)

For drop shot the tower made: TTT, TT, T, BBB, BB, B, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14.[22]

The tower stopped producing shot in 1892,[9] when a new method of making called the wind tower method caused the Watts Method to become obsolete.[23] It re-opened for a brief period of production at the beginning of the twentieth century, and then closed for good.[24]

History

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The Phoenix Tower directors were James Hooper Jr. of James Hooper and Sons, George N. Eaton of Eaton Bros and Co., George WM Brown, late Mayor of Baltimore, Francis A. Crook, Treasurer of Baltimore equitable society, William Wilson Jr. of Wilson, Burns and Co., George W. Corner, of James Corner and Sons. The president of the tower was Henry D. Harvey and the secretary was Lucien O’Connor.[25] The tower remained the tallest structure in the United States until 1846, when Trinity Church, New York on Wall Street was erected, and the tallest in Baltimore until the completion of the spire of the First Presbyterian Church at West Madison Street and Park Avenue in the Mount Vernon-Belvedere neighborhood in 1875.

Interior of the tower, looking down

In 1882 the interior of the tower was destroyed by a fire that could be seen for miles and according to sources the flames went up 300 feet into the air. but was quickly rebuilt and put back into production.[26] This can be seen by the change of color among the brick towards the top of the tower. Their is no evidence as to what caused the fire.[27]There were no deaths in the tower during its time of production, though there was one accident where two men were hauling lead to the top of the tower when the cable slipped and fell to the ground, but they survived with minimal injuries.[28]

The shot tower was originally owned by the Merchants' Shot Tower Company which closed in 1898.[29]

In 1921 the tower was purchased for $14,500 by the Union Oil Company, which planned to tear it down and put a gas station in its place. After strong objections by the community, by 1928 enough money had been raised to purchase the tower and present it to the City of Baltimore as one of its first preserved local historic landmarks.[9] The town had paid roughly between $17,000 and $22,000 in order to save the shot tower. The oil company was going to build a gas station in its place but since the town saved it the oil company put the gas station near the tower.[30]

Plaques at the Phoenix Shot Tower, formerly the Merchants Shot Tower, in Baltimore's Jonestown neighborhood

The tower was nominated by W. Brown Morton III who was an Architect to be on the national register of Historic places inventory in July of 1969. At the time the tower was owned by the Mayor and city council of Baltimore.[31] The Tower was then included in the national register on September 20th, 1969.[32]Then the tower was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971 and a bronze plaque was attached to the tower's brick wall at the base. By 1976 the tower was restored and turned into a museum though over time the tower would need more restoration over time.[33] In the early 1980s, the management, exhibits, and tours were combined with those of the former Peale Museum. In 1982 the tower was rehabilitated.[34] In 1985, other historic sites and homes were added to the newly created Baltimore City Life Museums system. The BCLM was closed in 1997, and in 2002 Carroll Museums Inc. was created to manage both the Carroll Mansion and the Shot Tower.[24]

The Tower Today

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The phoenix shot tower has recently been inspected by Johnson, Mirmiran and Thompson (JMT). This group inspected the structural integrity of the tower from the brick masonry as well as the timber walkways, stars rails, and minor electrical upgrades for lighting. According to their report the building is now owned by the city of Baltimore and is managed by the national park service.[35] Then after the inspection the tower received a restoration and rehabilitation to make it accessible to the public once again. The Plano Coudon Construction group went through and added a new electrical system, new lighting on each level, redid support beams, put in new metal railings that are fixed to the landing. Additionally they added in metal grates to cover exposed areas. They also added in more safety as patrons climb from the 14th level to the roof of the tower. These additions included higher metal railings, wire mesh, and trusses. Lastly they reinforced the railings on the roof and added lighting protection.[36] The tower is open to the public on the weekends during the summer months from 10AM to 12pm. [37]

References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Phoenix Shot Tower". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  3. ^ Wise, Marsha Wight. "Phoenix Shot Tower". Explore Baltimore Heritage. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Shot Tower", National Park Service, accessed May 6, 2007
  5. ^ "Baltimore City and County Mills A-C" (PDF). Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  6. ^ "Baltimore City's Designated Landmark List" (PDF). baltimorecity.gov. Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation Department of Planning. July 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  7. ^ "Info & Maps | METRO SUBWAYLINK | Owings Mills - Johns Hopkins | Maryland Transit Administration". www.mta.maryland.gov. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  8. ^ Vecsey, George (November 12, 1995). "Sports of The Times;Say Goodbye To 'Bullets' As Nickname". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d "An Engineer's Guide to Baltimore: Phoenix Shot Tower", accessed May 6, 2007 Archived March 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Baltimore Travel Itinerary-- Shot Tower". Archived from the original on September 17, 2007.
  11. ^ "Phoenix Shot Tower". Explore Baltimore. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  12. ^ Morton, W. Brown III (July 30, 1971). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination: Baltimore Shot Tower". National Park Service. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  13. ^ Wise, Marsha Wight. "Phoenix Shot Tower". Explore Baltimore Heritage. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  14. ^ "National Register Properties in Maryland". apps.mht.maryland.gov. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  15. ^ "The Phoenix Shot Tower". American Countryside. March 21, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  16. ^ "Historic Phoenix Shot Tower Inspection | JMT". JMT |. June 18, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  17. ^ "NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES". April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  18. ^ Wise, Marsha Wight. "Phoenix Shot Tower". Explore Baltimore Heritage. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  19. ^ Lipscombe, Trevor C.; Mungan, Carl E. (April 1, 2012). "The Physics of Shot Towers". The Physics Teacher. 50 (4): 218–220. doi:10.1119/1.3694072. ISSN 0031-921X.
  20. ^ "National Register Properties in Maryland". apps.mht.maryland.gov. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  21. ^ Wise, Marsha Wight. "Phoenix Shot Tower". Explore Baltimore Heritage. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  22. ^ "NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES". April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  23. ^ "Shot_Towers". web.archive.org. January 30, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  24. ^ a b Phoenix Shot Tower Archived June 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Carroll Museums, accessed May 6, 2007
  25. ^ "NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES". April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  26. ^ "The Phoenix Shot Tower". American Countryside. March 21, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  27. ^ "NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES". April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  28. ^ "The Phoenix Shot Tower". American Countryside. March 21, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  29. ^ "Baltimore (Phoenix) Shot Tower", National Park Service, accessed May 6, 2007
  30. ^ Wise, Marsha Wight. "Phoenix Shot Tower". Explore Baltimore Heritage. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  31. ^ "NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES". April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  32. ^ "NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES". April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  33. ^ "A Look at Trapshooting History". www.minnesotatrap.com. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  34. ^ "NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES". April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  35. ^ "Historic Phoenix Shot Tower Inspection | JMT". JMT |. June 18, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  36. ^ "Baltimore Phoenix Shot Tower". Plano Coudon. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  37. ^ "Phoenix Shot Tower". Carroll Mansion - Poe Baltimore. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
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