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feet in diameter. Lancet-arched windows let light into the tower. Originally, a tank 20 feet deep sat atop the tower, built of 3-inch cypress and holding 100,000 gallons of water. A pumping station was built just southwest of the tower, powered by steam-operated Smith and Vale pumps. The resulting system could shoot a two-inch stream of water 130 feet high. Seven miles of water mains were laid through the city feeding 72 hydrants. For the fire protection, the city paid a tax to the consortium. The water-works also tried to entice homeowners to give up their private wells and switch to city water, offering free pipe to the curb for the first 100 patrons.
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Now, the stone water tower is a visible community landmark offering excellent photo opportunities for camera buffs. The area surrounding the tower has been developed into Water Tower Park with an ADA accessible walkway. The Water Works Pump House has been completely restored and currently houses the
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Chicago to design the system, and J.B. Kinley designed the tower. It sits on one of the high points of town, with limestone walls 36 feet tall. The walls are octagonal, 36 feet in diameter at the base with walls eight feet thick. As the walls rise, they taper in four stages with the top stage 30
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By 1929 the water system served 25,000 customers, but the tower was outdated. A modern (for the time) steel tower was built nearby, with a 200,000 gallon tank. The metal tank was removed from the old tower, the stairs inside were removed, and demolition of the stone walls began, but the walls were
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Finally in 1885 a consortium of local businessmen agreed to finance a private water works project. The financiers were: C.H. Morse, W.H. Wheeler, J.B. Peet, E.C. Allen, C.B. Salmon, and C.H. Parker. They hired
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City of Beloit Parks and
Leisure Services offices and Friends of Riverfront offices. Also, visitors are welcome to stop in during business hours. The
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In Beloit's younger days, the city's fire protection consisted of two volunteer companies with hoses and mobile pumps that drew water from the
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article stated that the tower was "once regarded as the finest piece of masonry in the west". In 1983 it was listed on the
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In 1914 the cypress tank collapsed. The water-works replaced it with a metal tank of the same size, built by the
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well-built, and demolition was deemed too expensive. After demolition was given up, a
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University and college buildings listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
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Water towers on the
National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin
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List of jails and prisons on the
National Register of Historic Places
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at the base of the bluff now acts as the Beloit
Visitor Center.
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National
Register of Historic Places in Rock County, Wisconsin
251:"Old Stone Water Tower, 'Built Too Well,' Still Stands Today"
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Old stone water tower, 'built too well', allowed to stand
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Beloit
Visitor Center: A City Symbol Stands Proud Again
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History of the
National Register of Historic Places
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163:Company, right in Beloit. On top of the tank was a
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507:List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state
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204:: NRHP-listed octagonal water tower in Illinois
930:Buildings and structures in Beloit, Wisconsin
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225:. Wisconsin Historical Society. January 2012
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447:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
282:Intensive Survey Form: Beloit Water Tower
35:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
960:Octagonal buildings in the United States
284:. State Historical Society of Wisconsin
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179:National Register of Historic Places
862:National Historic Preservation Act
167:, and a flag pole on top of that.
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202:Paxton Water Tower and Pump House
955:1889 establishments in Wisconsin
935:Infrastructure completed in 1889
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280:Richard P. Hartung (July 1981).
253:. Beloit Daily News. 1935-10-17
815:Federated States of Micronesia
461:Architectural style categories
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374:Wisconsin Historical Society
338:. 2015-09-01. Archived from
16:United States historic place
135:and from private wells and
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867:Historic Preservation Fund
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364:Stone Octagon Water Tower
88:NRHP reference
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940:Towers completed in 1889
789:Northern Mariana Islands
784:Minor Outlying Islands
767:Lists by insular areas
481:Keeper of the Register
486:National Park Service
466:Contributing property
124:completed in 1889 in
841:District of Columbia
308:"Beloit Water Tower"
223:"Beloit Water Tower"
153:Fairbanks, Morse Co.
402:42.5091°N 89.0305°W
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312:LandmarkHunter.com
112:Beloit water tower
52:Beloit water tower
27:Beloit water tower
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471:Historic district
407:42.5091; -89.0305
366:(with photograph)
174:Beloit Daily News
161:Eclipse Wind Mill
126:Beloit, Wisconsin
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698:Pennsylvania
678:North Dakota
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344:. Retrieved
340:the original
336:Visit Beloit
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315:. Retrieved
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286:. Retrieved
255:. Retrieved
227:. Retrieved
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73:J. B. Kinley
834:Other areas
794:Puerto Rico
628:Mississippi
543:Connecticut
405: /
122:water tower
924:Categories
743:Washington
663:New Mexico
658:New Jersey
533:California
393:89°01′50″W
390:42°30′33″N
346:2017-02-15
317:2017-02-15
295:six photos
288:2019-11-29
257:2019-11-29
229:2019-11-29
209:References
190:pump house
141:diphtheria
133:Rock River
83:Beloit MRA
753:Wisconsin
718:Tennessee
623:Minnesota
598:Louisiana
119:limestone
116:octagonal
70:Architect
909:Category
738:Virginia
688:Oklahoma
668:New York
643:Nebraska
633:Missouri
618:Michigan
608:Maryland
593:Kentucky
573:Illinois
548:Delaware
538:Colorado
528:Arkansas
196:See also
137:cisterns
95:83003410
58:Location
855:Related
758:Wyoming
733:Vermont
638:Montana
578:Indiana
558:Georgia
553:Florida
523:Arizona
513:Alabama
693:Oregon
648:Nevada
588:Kansas
563:Hawaii
518:Alaska
454:Topics
165:cupola
825:Palau
723:Texas
603:Maine
568:Idaho
293:With
779:Guam
728:Utah
683:Ohio
583:Iowa
143:and
110:The
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90:No.
79:MPS
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266:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
