Shot Tower Nat'l Register HistoPlauving Services Department
City Hall
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 520014864
(563) 589~IZt0 office
(563) 5894221 fax
(563) 690-6678 TDD
planning@cityofdubuque.org
January 17,2003
The Honorable Mayorand City Council Members
City of Dubuque
City HalI-50W. 13th Street
Dubuque, lA 52001
RE:To place the George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower (Commercial Street and
Riverfront) on the National Register of Historic Places with a level of national
significance.
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:
The City of Dubuque Historic Preservation Commission has reviewed the above-cited
request. The application, staff report and related material are attached for your review.
Discussion
Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens spoke in favor the request. She noted that
the Shot Tower is already listed on the National Register of Historic Places with a level
of state significance. She indicated this nomination would amend the existing level of
significance from state to national. Staff reviewed the nomination, and the criteria for
significance.
There were no public comments.
The Historic Preservation Commission discussed the request, noting that it meets
criteria for placement on the National Register of Historic Places with a level of national
significance.
Recommendation
By a vote of 5 to 0, the Histodc Preservation Commission recommends the nomination
of the George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower to the National Register of Historic
Places with a level of national significance based on criteria A and C.
A simply majority vote is needed for the City Council to concur with the recommendation.
Respectfully submitted,
Christopher Wand, Chairperson
Histodc Preservation Commission
Attachments
CLG NATIONAL REGlSTER REVIEW
CLG Name City of Dubuoue Date of Public Meeting
Property Name Georae W. Rooers Comoanv Shot Tower (Revised. exoanded and
uodated/. Commercial Street and River Front, Dubuque, Dubuque County
1. For Historic Preservation Commission:
)~' Recommendation of National Register eligibility
Signature[] Recomme~/~~]r~~.~.~~ineligibility
(/ /
Reason(s) for recommendation:
Date
2. For Chief Elected Local Official:
[] Recommendation of National Register eligibility
[] Recommendation of National Register ineligibility
Signature
Reason(s) for recommendation:
Date
3. Professional Evaluation Name
[] Recommendation of National Register eligibility
[] Recommendation of National Register ineJigibility
Signature
Reason(s) for recommendation:
Date
RETURN TO: State Historical Society of iowa, A'CfN: National Register Coordinator, 600 E.
Locust, Des Moines, iA 50319
CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
MEMORANDUM
January 7,2003
TO:Historic Preservation Commission
FROM:Wally Wernimont, Assistant Planner
SUBJECT: National Register Amendment for the George W. Rogers
Company Shot Tower at Commercial Street and Riverfront
The State Nominations Review Committee plans to consider the George W.
Rogers Company Shot Tower at Commercial Street and Riverfront for
nomination to the National Register of Historic Places with a level of national
significance during their February 2003 meeting. As a participant of the Certified
Local Government Program, the City of Dubuque is required to review and
comment on the proposed National Register nominations of properties within its
jurisdiction. The State has provided copies of the nomination, photographs, and
review form for this application.
The Commission should review this amendment at a public meeting, which is
slated for January 16, 2003. The State is requesting the Commission review the
amendment, and then comment on whether the nominated property meets the
significance criteria (A,B,C, or D) for listing on the National Register of Historic
Places for a level of national significance. The application indicates that the
property is significant under criteria A and C with a level of national significance.
Please review the attached documents and be prepared to recommend whether
the property in question should be listed or not with a level of national
significance.
enclosures
STATE
HISTORICAL
Society of
IOWA
A Division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
January 2, 2003
City of Dubuque
City Hall
13th And Central
Dubuque, IA 52002
CITY OF DUBUQUE
PLANNING SERVICES DEPARTMENT
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower (Revised, expanded and updated), Commercial Street and River Front,
Dubuque, Dubuque County
Dear Friends:
We are pleased to inform you that the above named property will be considered by the State National Register Nominations
Review Committee for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places on February 14, 2003. The National Register
is the Federal Govermnant's official list of historic properties worthy of preservation. Listing in the National Register
provides recognition and assists in preserving our Nation's heritage. Listing of the property provides recognition of the
community's historic importance and assures protective review of Federal projects that might adversely affect the character of
the historic property. Listing in the National Register does not mean that limitations will be placed on the properties by the
Federal government. Public visitation rights are not required of owners. The Federal government will not attach restrictive
covenants to the properties or seek to acquire them.
Listing in the National Register results in:
· Consideration in the planning for Federal} federally licensed, and federally assisted ptojectsl SectiOn i 06 Of the
National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 requires Federal agencies allow the Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation an opportunity to comment on projects affecting historic properties listed in the National Register. For
further information please refer to 36 CFR 800.
Eligibility for Federal tax provisions. Ifa property is listed in the National Register, certain Federal tax provisions
may apply. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 revises the historic preservation tax incentives authorized by Congress in
the Tax Reform Act of 1976, the Revenue Act of t978, the Tax Treatment Extension Act of 1980, the Economic
Recovery Tax Act of t981, and Tax Reform Act of 1984, and as of January 1, 1987, provides for a 20 percent
investment tax credit with a full adjustment to basis for rehabilitating historic commercial, industrial, and rental
residential buildings. Tlie former 15 percent and 20 percent investment Tax Credits (ITCs for rehahilimtion of older
commercial buildings are combined into a single 10 percent ITC for commercial or industrial buildings built before
1936. The Tax Treatment Extension Act of 1980 provides Federal tax deductions for charitable contributions for
conservation purposes of partial interests in historically important land areas or structures. Whether these
provisions are advantageous to a propcu-[y owner is dependent upon the particular circmstances of the property and
the owner. Because tax aspects outlined above are complex, individuals should consult legal counsel or the
appropriate local Internal Revenue Service office for assistance in determining the tax consequences of the above
provisions. For further information please refer to 36 CFR 67 and Treasury Regulation Sections 1.48-12 (ITCs) and
1.170A- 14 (charitable contributions).
· Consideration of historic values in the decision to issue a surface coal mining permit where coal is located, in accord
with the Surface Mining and Control Act of 1977. For further information please refer to 30 CFR 700 et seq.
· Qualification for Federal and State grants for lfistoric preservation when funds are available.
600 EAST LOCUST STP-EET, DES MOP'IES, IA 50319-0290 P: (515) 281-5111
City of Dubuque
danuary 2, 2003
Page 2
Eligibility for State Tax Credits for rehabilitation. Properties listed on the National Register, eligible for listing on
the National Register or Barns constructed before 1937 are eligible to apply for a 25 percent state tax credit for
rehabilitation. The cost of a 24-month qualified rehabilitation project would exceed either $25,000 or 25 percent of
the fair market value for a residential property or ham less the land before rehabilitation. For commercial properties,
the rehabilitation project would exceed 50 percent of the assessed value of the property less the land before
rehabilitation - whichever is less. The State Historic Preservation office must approve the rehabilitation work before
an mount of tax credits will be reserved for yom project. There are limited credits available each year, so let us
know if you want the application informafiom
Owners of private properties nominated to the National Register of Historic Places have an oppommity to concur in or object
to listing in accord with the National Historic Preservation Act and 36 CFR 60. Any owner or partial owner of private
property who chooses to object to listing is required to submit to the State Historic Preservation Officer a notarized statement
certifying that the party is the sole or paitial owncr of the private property and objects to the listing. Each owner or partial
owner of private property has one vote regardless of what part of the property that party owns. If a majority of private
property owners object, a property will not be listed; however, the State Historic Preservation Officer shall submit the
nomination to the Keeper of the National Register for a determhiation of the eligibility of the property for listing in the
National Register. If the property is then determined eligible for listing, although not formally listed, Federal agencies will
be required to allow the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation an opportunity to comment before the agency may fund,
license, or assist a project which will affect the property. If you choose to object to the listing of your property, the notarized
objection must be submitted to the State Historical Society of Iowa, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines, IA 50313 not more than 75
days from the date of this notice.
If you wish to comment on the nomination of the property to the National Register, please send your comments to the State
Historical Society of Iowa before the State Nomination Review Committee meets on February 14, 2003. A copy of the
nomination and information on the National Register are available firom http://www, cr.nps.gov/nr/research/.
You are invited to attend the State Nomination Review Comm/ttee meeting at which the nomination will be considered. The
meeting will take place in New Historical Building, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines, in classrooms A&B, 3rd floor West. A
meeting agenda is enclosed.
Unfortunately, due to state budget cuts, our grants have been temporarily frozen for at least one year.
Should you have any questions about the National Register of Historic Places, Tax Incentives or about flfis nomination in
particular, please feel free to contact me by telephone at 515-281-4137 or by e-mag at beth.foster~dca.state.ia.us. You may
enjoy visiting the National Register website at http://www, cr.nps.gov/nr/hidex.hm~
Sincerely,
&~ ~ for
'Lowell Soike
Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer
STATE NATZONAL REGTSTER NOMZNATTON REVTEW COMMZTTEE
February 14, 2003
AGENDA
The February meeting of the State Nomination Review Committee (SNRC) will be held at the New
Historical Building, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines, in classrooms A&B, 3rd floor West.
Tf you are representing a particular nominated property, please arrive one half-hour before the
nomination is scheduled on the agenda. Due to the unpredictable length of time it takes to review each
nomination the times on the agenda may change. You may, il: you wish, request to speak in favor of or in
opposition to that nomination. You can simply be available to answer any Committee questions if you
wish to do so.
Refreshments will be available for all that attend Committee meetings. Slides are used to better aid the
public in following Committee proceedings. The Committee can determine to nominate, to defer judgment
or to reject any particular nomination. Accepted nominations are forwarded for National Park Service for
review and probable listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
9: 00a Refreshments
OLD BUSINESS
9:15a Minutes/Announcements
NEW BUSINESS
9:30 Architectural and Historical Resources of the Nevada Central Business District
9:45 Nevada Downtown Historic District, portions of 900 to 1200 blocks of 6th Street and side streets,
Nevada, Story County
10:15 Chicago & Northwestern Passenger Depot, 3727 Perkins Avenue, Wall Lake, Sac County
10:30 The Sanford, Arthur and Stella, House, 1925 Summit, Sioux City, Woodbury County
10:45 Break
11:00 George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower (Revised, expanded and updated), Commercial Street and
River Front~ Dubuque, Dubuque County
11:15 Grant Wood's "Fall Plowing" Rural Historic Landscape District, 0.5 mi. n. of jct. Matsel Lane and
Stone City Road, Viola vicinity, Linn County
11:30 Henyon-Kasper-Duffy House and Barn, 2520 Highway i NE, Solon vicinity, Johnson County
11:45 Oleson Park Music Pavilion, 1400 OIeson Park Avenue, Fort Dodge, IA 50501
12:00 Adjourn
The Historical Division of the Deparvment of Cultural Affairs
STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF IOWA
Where past meets future
December 10, 2002
American Gothic House
Eldon
Blood Run NHL
Larchwood
Centennial Building
Iowa City
Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop
Marshalltown
Abbie Gardner Cabin
Arnolds Park
Iowa Historical Building
Des Moines
Monrauk Governor's Home
Union Sunday School
Clermont Museum
Clermont
Plum Grove Governor's Hpme
Iowa City
Toolesboro Indian Mounds
Toolesboro
Western Historic Trails Center
Council Bluffs
Wally Wernimont
City of Dubuque HPC
Planning Service Department
City of Dubuque City Hall
50 W. 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
RE: George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower (Revised, expanded and
updated), Commercial Street and River Front, Dubuque, Dubuque
County
Dear Mr. Wernimont:
The State Nominations Review Committee (SNRC) plans to consider the property
referenced above for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places during
their February 14, 2003 meeting. As a participant in the Certified Local Government
Program, City of Dubuque is required to review and comment on proposed National
Register nominations of properties within its jurisdiction. The State is required to
provide you with a 60-day period for the your review, unless we mutually agree to
expedite the process. I am contacting you to ask that you initiate the review process
for the Historic Preservation Commission. Enclosed are copies of the nomination,
photographs, and the review form. The review process will require the following:
· The Historic Preservation Commission should schedule the review during one of
their meetings. Send a formal invitation to the Mayor and to the property
owner/owners with a copy of the nomination. If they are not familiar with the
National Register, be sure to include an explanation. Make sure that a copy of the
nomination is available for public review prior to the meeting. For example, leave
a review copy at the courthouse or public library. Indicate in your meeting
announcement that a review copy of the nomination is available and where the
review copy can be found.
· The question to answer when reviewing the nomination is whether the nominated
property meets the National Register of Historic Places significance criteria. If the
Commission feels that the nomination makes the case for meeting significance
criteria, the Commission should check the box recommending that the property
be listed. If the Commission feels that the property does not meet the
significance criteria, then check the box recommending that the property not be
listed. The Mayor should use the same approach when reviewing the nomination.
· You might want to invite the individual who prepared the nomination to attend
the public meeting and present the nomination. Keep a record of the meeting
(copy of notice, agenda, minutes, list of attendees). At the conclusion of the
meeting, the Commission should make a motion regarding their recommendation.
The Chairman of the Commission will complete Item #1; the Commission's
portion of the review form. Be sure to fill in the date of the public meeting, sign
IOWA HISTORICAL BUILDING
600 East Locust · Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0290
Phone: (515) 281-6412 · Fax: (515) 242-6498 or (515) 282-0502
www. uiowa.edu/" shsi/index,htm
the signature line and record any comments that were made. If the Mayor
attended the public meeting, inquire if he/she is prepared to complete Item #2
on the review form.
In the event that the Mayor was unable to attend the meeting. The Commission
Chairman should forward the Review form to the Mayor for review and comment.
Have the Mayor sign the form and return them to the Historic Preservation
Commission.
item #3 on the Review form asks for the review and comment of a preservation
professional. If your commission does not have a professionally qualified historian
or architectural historian who can complete this part of the form, you may leave
item #3 blank and I will arrange to have a State staff member complete that part
of the form.
· After you have completed Items #1 through #2 (through #3 if a preservation
professional is available), please make a copy of the completed review forms for
your file and send the original copies of the completed forms to me. The forms
need to be returned at least two weeks before the State Nominations Review
Committee meeting so they may be processed and mailed to the State
Nominations Review Committee to be reviewed before their February 14, 2003
meeting.
· The Commission should keep the nomination and photographs. File them
together in your inventory, as you will need the information for future reference.
If a State preservation professional was needed .to complete Item #3 on the
review form, I will return a copy to the commission for filing.
If the Historic Preservation Commission and the Mayor disagree with one another on
the property's National Register eligibility, both views will be presented to SNRC for
their consideration during review of the nomination. If both the Historic Preservation
Commission (by Commission majority) and the Mayor do not consider the property
eligible for National Register listing, we must halt the nomination. Be advised that
when a nomination is halted, the property owner, the person who prepared the
nomination or any interested party may appeal the decision. In addition, the
nomination will still go forward to the National Park Service for an official
"Determination of Eligibility."
Please contact Kerry McGrath at 515/281-6826 with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Foster Hill, Tax Incentive Programs Manager/
National Register Coordinator
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-0018
(Oct. 1990)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Registration Form
This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in How to Complete the National
Register of Historic Places Registration Form (National Register Bulletin 16A). Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering
the information requested. ]f an item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural
c~assiRcation, materials and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional entries and narrative
items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a}, Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete ali items.
1, Name of ProperS/
historic name George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower (Revised, expanded and updated)
other names/site number Dubuque Shot Tower
2. Location
street & number
iN/Al not for publication
city or town Dubuque iN/Al vicinity
state Iowa code IA county Dubuque code 061 zip code 52002
3. State/Federal Agency Certification
As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, [ hereby certify that this iX] nomination [
] request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of
Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property
iX] meets [_] does not meet the National Register criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant
iX] nationally iX] statewide iX] locally. (L] see continuation sheet for additional comments).
Signature of certifying official/Title Date
State or Federal agency and bureau
in my opinion, the property iX] meets L] does not meet the National Register criteria. (L] See continuation sheet for additional
comments.)
Signature of certifying official/Title Date
State or Federal agency and bureau
4. National Park Service Certification
hereby certify that the property is: Signature of the Keeper Date of Action
[J entered in the National Register.
L] See continuation sheet.
El determined eligible for the
National Register.
L] See continuation sheet.
[_] determined not eligible for the
National Register.
El removed from the National
Register.
El other, (explain:)
George W. Roqers Company Shot Tower
Name of ProperW
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
5. Classification
Ownership of Property
{Check as many boxes as apply) (Check only one box)
L] private X[~] building(s)
[XI public-local [~ district
L] public-State El site
L] public-Federal L] structure
El object
Category of Property Number of Resources within ProperW
(Do not include previously listed resources in the count.)
Contributing Noncontributing
buildings
sites
1 structures
objects
1 0 Total
Name of related multiple property listing
{Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing.)
Number of contributing resources previously listed
in the National Register
N/A
0
Current Functions
(Enter categories from instructions)
Recreation and Culture/monument/marker
6. Function or Use
Historic Functions
{Enter categories from instructions)
IndustrWProcessinq/Extraction/manufacturinq facility
]nd ust ry/Processinq/Extraction;comm unicatio ns facility
7. Description
Architectural Classification
(Enter categories from instructions)
Mid-10~ Century/Exotic Revival
~4aterials
(Enter categories from instructions)
foundation stone
walls stone
brick
roof N/A
other
Narrat'we Description
(Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets.)
George W. Roqers Companv Shot Tower
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
8. Statement of Significance
Applicable National Register Criteria
(Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property
for National Register listing.)
Areas of Significance
(Enter categories from instructions)
[ X ] A Property is associated with events that have made
a significant contribution to the broad patterns of
Industry
Architecture
our history.
[_] B Property is associated with the lives of persons
significant in our past.
r x ] c Property embodies the distinctive characteristics
of a type, period, or method of construction or
represents the work of a master, or possesses
high artistic values, or represents a significant and
distinguishable entity whose components lack
individual distinction.
Period of Significance
1856-1953
[_] D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield,
information important in prehistory or history.
Criteria Considerations
(Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.)
Significant Dates
1856 (see Continuation Sheet)
Property is:
[~ A owned by a religious institution or used for
religious purposes.
[_] B removed from its original location.
[~ C a birthplace or grave.
[,~ D a cemetery.
Significant Person
(Complete if Criterion B is marked above)
N/A
Cultural Affiliation
N/A
reconstructed building, object, or structure,
commemorative property.
less than 50 years of age or achieved significance
within the past 50 years.
Architect/Builder
Unknown
Narrative Statement of Significance
(Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.)
9. Iqaior Bibliographical References
Bibliography
(Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.)
Previous documentation on file (NPS):
[_] preliminary determination of individual listing
(36 CFR 67) has been requested
iX] previously listed in the National Register
r._] previously determined eligible by the National
Register
[_] designated a National Historic Landmark
iX] recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey
#
U recorded by Historic American Engineering
Record #
Primary location of additional data:
iX] State Historic Preservation Office
U Other State agency
[_1 Federal agency
[_] LocaI government
[_] University
[._] Other
Name of repository:
George W. Roqers Company Shot Tower Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State
10. Geographical Data
Acreage of Property less than one acre
UTIq References
(Place additiona~ UTM references on a continuation sheet,)
11115] [6]9]2]7]0]0] [4]7]0]7]7]8]0] 2[ ] ] [ ] ] ] ] ] ] [ ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing
3[ ] ] [ ] ] ] ] ] ] [ ] ] ] ] ] ] ] 4[ ] ] [ ] ] ] ] ] ] [ ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
[1 See continuation sheet
Verbal Boundary Description
(Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.)
Boundary Justification
(Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.)
1 1. Form Prepared By
name/title James E. Jacobsen
organization History Pays Historic Preservation Consulting1 Firm
street & number 4411 Inqersoll Avenue
date October 25, 2002
telephone 515-274-3625
Additional Documentation
Submit the following items with the complete form:
Continuation Sheets
~,taps
A USGS map (7,5 or 1 5 minute series) indicating the property's Iocetion.
A Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources.
Photographs
Representative black and white photographs of the property,
Additional i~ms
(Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items)
Property Owner
(Complete this item at the request of SHPO or FPO.)
name City of Dubuque
street & number City Hall, 13th & Central telephone
city or town Dubuque state iA zip code 52002
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate
properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a
benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U,S,C, 470 et seq.).
Esth.ated Bm'den Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including time for reviewing
instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of
this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of
Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Projects {1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503.
city or town Des Moines state IA zip code §0312
NPS Form 10~9OO a
(8-86)
United SCares Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Approve/NO. 1024-0018
lqational Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 7 Page 1
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
1. Additional Significant Dates:
1872, 1877, 1881, 1911
7. Narrative Description:
Descriptive Sunmary:
The Dubuque Shot Tower consists ora tapered square-cut masonry hollow column form. The whole structure stands
120 feet five inches above the current ground level. Seven stories (82'11") are of Galena Dolemite stone construction, and the
uppermost three stories (37'6") are built of soft red brick. There is strong evidence that some of the orig/nally exposed column
base is now buried, as is an estimated 15-20 feet of stone foundation.
The load-bearing masonry walls are progressively reduced from a base width of three feet to just one foot at the top of
the tower. The base measures 19'2" square, while the cap measures 12'4" square. The square interior shaft is a consistently
square 13'2" x 13'2".
The structure's exterior walls are of a somewhat varied construction. While each floor level is provided with four
identical rectangular window openings, the majority of which have plain stone lintels. The three lowermost levels of the
stonework utilized stone voissoirs, save for the entrance. The lintels are set flush while stone sills project beyond the wall
plane. A number of the stone lintels have untrimmed ends, an indication that stone refuse was being used to reduce construction
costs. The stonewalls comprise small scale white limestone and is laid in a random ashlar manner. Heavier quoin stones
strengthen the comers of the stonework. The brickwork is of varied colors and is laid in alternating running and rowlock brick
COurses.
The tower is located on Dubuque's former riverfront, on the northwest corner of Fourth and Commarcial streets. Its
monumental scale and its prominent location made the tower a community icon. After 1887 the city's vehicular traffic passed
by the tower to the south when the first Mississippi R/ver bridge was opened. This is the only Iowa example of a shot tower and
it survives today as the only Midwestcrn pre-Civil War example of its type.
Significant dates which mark the history of the stracture are 1856, original construction; 1872, the addition of the
rooftop statue (removed 1881 ); 1877-maj or renovation (apparently the construction of a permanent interior spiral stairway);
1881, the conversion of the shot tower into to ftre watch tower (construction of a frame glassed observation tower as a tenth
floor); and 1911, the gutting of the tower by fire.
Detailed Description:
Like many early icons, the Shot Tower has been the continuous recipient of historical interest, but until very recently,
few researchers bothered to dig beyond the readily available and oft-rehashed body of tower information. Primary sources were
ignored and the structure itself was never thoroughly investigated. Conflicting physical statistics and a dearth of solid historical
data typify available tower accounts.
This nomination amendment effort provides the opportunity to clarify confusing points and to isolate the key
"unknowns" which deserve further exploration. This effort builds upon and continues excellent work recently completed by
Ronald Balmer, IIW Engineers & Surveyors, P.C., of Dubuque (refer to bibliography).
1 For convenience, the traditional name, "Dubuque Shot Tower" will be used in the text of this amended nomination, in lieu of the longer
historical name, "George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower."
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 7 Page 2
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
Dubuque County, Iowa
The most significant "unknown" involves the foundation supports end the base of the tower. The HABS-HAER
drawings depict seven stone floor levels and further depict a rounded well opening at the base. The same source depicts end
measures a four-stage stone spread footings with a six-feet width. The drawing however notes "exact condition of footing
undetermined." If the HABS team did indeed have access to the base of the tower and were able to directly describe the
reported "well" then their drawings are accurate. Hypothesis on their part is more probable. Ronald Balmer proposes that some
considerable portion of the base is now buried, given that the original floodplain level as of c.1856 was much lower than is the
present-day ground level. Balmer's hypothesis is driven by varied elevations which are given for the slracture. A detailed
description penned in late 1856 gave the elevation as 150 feet, 30 more feet than are to be presently accounted for. It is highly
doubtful that the buildings were able to reach bedrock at this site Iocated in the middle of the Mississippi River valley. Lacking
that support, wood pilings capped with a stone foundation would have been probable. Obviously hopes for productive historical
archeology are pinned on the presence of these buried floor levels. The present base is filled with flood sediments and there is
no indication of the well described during the 1930s.
Lesser mysteries involve the reason for the switch from stone to brick construction at the seventh floor level, and the
question of whether the stone walls are solid or consist of a filled interior end exterior wall building system.
Overall Plan and Massing:
The Shot Tower plan consists ora plain, tapered column that is square in section. Figure I depicts the most accurate
rendition of the structure's overall form and scale. The lower seven stories were laid up in rubble stone, while the upper three
floors were of brick construction.
Exterior Walls:
The structure represented an expensive construction project for its day but a number of physical characteristics hint at
en effort to limit those costs. A number of the stone lintels were untrimmed at least in part, an indication that the stone was
reused or was flawed surplus from other building sites. The stonework is of smallscale rubble constmctiun with rendom ashlar
coursing. One might expect a use of Iarger stones in the lower portion of the stone wall, and certainly larger corner stone quoins
are mandated in stone construction. The non-use of standard, large squared building stone is a surprise, given the record
vertical scale of the building plen. The white limestone is atypical of Dubuque stone construction, the quarry source being from
the Illinois side of the Mississippi River (Galena Dolemite).
The stone wall is probably of solid stone construction given that small-scale stone is used in the outer shell. A hollow
wall or rubble filled construction method would mandate the use ora more substential and regularly coursed exterior stone
shell. The wall tapers progressively back towards a hollow interior shaft (13'2" square). At the column base the walls are three
feet thick. At the cap of the stonework, the walls measure 20 inches in thickness. At the uppermost level, the brick walls are
just seven inches thick, or the width of two layers of brick.
Figure 2 illustrates a number of stone,vail characteristics. Most notable is the nature of the stone itself and the coursing.
The crude stone voussoir arch is used on the lowermost three stories of the tower. The plain stone lintels are used above that
point. This switch, during construction, represents either the belated availability of the surplus and imperfect lintels, or the
realization that the lintels promised a stronger tower. The cast concrete sill end wood louver infill both date from the repair
work of the 1960s.
NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No, 1024 0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 7 Page 3
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated}
Dubuque County, Iowa
]~E$ T OI~AT101'I *
.TOP.
· DETAIL. OF.
~;CTIObI.A'-A.' .ENTP,~AIqCE ·
· P LAlq * 0t- * FI P~T * FLO 01t?
· P LAbl. OF.TYPICAL. FLOOR,.
· H 0 I~TH · ELEVATIO~I .
.SHOT, TO%T.K., · DUBUQUE, IOWA, : ~", [;iO-81 ~,,, ....... t
Figure I: Histor/c American Buildings Survey scaled drawing, 1934
(Library of Congress, HABS-HAER Collection)
Figure 2: Exterior stonework, window and voissoir arch example, third floor, north face
(photo by IlW)
NPS Form lO-90&a
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 7 Page 4
George W. Rogers Gompany Shot Tower_{revised, expanded and updated)
OM~.4pproval No,
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 3: Exterior brickwork example, eighth floor, north face
(photo by IIW)
Figure 3 illustrates the exterior brickwork coursing. The brick coursing consists of patterns of alternating rowlock and
stretcher rows, and of double stretcher rows between rowlock courses. In this image, the former is used in the lower two-thirds
of the view, the latter above that level. The double stretcher course brick coursing pattern is used on the upper half of the
brickwork. As Figure 3 indicates, this is a good coursing method to tie the exterior wall plane into the back wall, but it is more
vulnerable to vertical cracks due to the extensive use of rowlock brick courses. Another cause of structural failure is the
inclusion of cut brick in the middle of the courses. The cut brick enabled the obelisk form to be built, but placement in the
center of the course produced a weaker vertical joint.
Stone voussiors were used on the lowermost three floors, while stone lintels were uniformly employed above that point,
apparently as a means of strengthening the structure. Figure 2 indicates that these arches were narrow and rudimentary, lacking
spring or keystones. The stone lintels are longer, and consist of plain stones which were set flush with the exterior wall plain.
The original window lintels are not identified, and might have been of wooden construction. It is known that the original lintels
were set flush as were the lintels and the 1960s work replaced these with projecting concrete sills which were then thought to be
protective of the walls and openings. The original window infill, if any was employed, is also undetermined.
Four sets of tie rods and cast iron star bolt anchors, were added to the tower in 1960. Three paired sets tie together the
north and south walls at the fifth, seventh and ninth floor levels. The fourth set ties together the east and west walls at the base
of the ninth floor (see Figure 5 below).
A broad concrete collar was cast around the base of the structure in 1960. It stands about three feet high and is a foot
thick. The base around the tower is recessed. A stone retaining wall encircles the base in an elongated off center rectangle.
The commemorative plaque is above the east door (see Figure 4 below).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 7 Page 5
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 4: Shot Tower base detail, view to the northwest, August 2002, photo by James Jacobsen
A concrete cap roof with a hatchway was added to the tower in 1960 and replacement br/ck was used to reconstruct the
lost upper portion of the ninth floor. The change in brick color at tiffs level indicates that the surviving wall was demolished
down to or even below the sill level. Five short lightning rods were spaced across top of the structure at this same time.
Figure 5: upper detail, south tower face, August 2002, photo by James Jacobsen
NPS Form
{8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Approval No.
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 7 Page 6
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Interior Notes:
The sWacture interior has been largely ignored until very recently. The interior shaft has yet to be closely examined to
locate any joist holes for the stairway and floor systems. It would appear that the interior walls were largely "tuck-pointed"
with a generous coating of concrete, and that all voids were filled and obliterated. All of the interior arches were also
reinforced with cast in place large concrete lintels. The window and door sidewalls are angled inwards so that the openings are
wider on the plane of the inter/or wall than they are at the exterior wall plane. The base of the structure is filled with guano and
flood sediments above the ground level. No sub-surface investigation has been made of these materials. The "well" measured
and identified in 1934 is not apparent. No investigation has been made of the foundation system and there is a good chance that
there is at least one additional floor level buried in the sediments.
Figure 6: Interior view, 1959
(Telegraph-Herald, October 25, 1959)
Figure 6 presents an interior v/ew of the tower. Note that the interior wails are fairly vertical. There are no obvious
joist voids from floors or ladder or stair mounts although there is a vague pattern of two principal joint holes at each floor level.
These voids were all filled in when the tower interior was renovated in 1960, so there is no evidence of them at present. Note
that the stone lintels are decorative touches only for the exterior front of each opening. The bulk of each opening comprises
stone voussoir arch work behind each lintel. These arches were damaged on the interior wall plane by the 1911 tire. This photo
cannot be made today due to the concrete cap atop the tower. As of 1959 the roofless tower and open windows allowed for
plenty of interior light.
NPS Form 10-900 a
(8 80}
United States Department of the Interior
Hational Park Service
National Re ister of Historic Places
Continuation Shee
Section number 7 Page 7
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_{revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Physical History:
The following timeline and physical changes relate to the present-day Shot Tower structure.
1856: original construction.
It is assumed that the present structure was built at one point in time, and that the brick and stone sections were
originally envisioned as built. The original tower cap was likely a frame hip roof form. The uppermost lintels and
brickwork were lost in the 1911 fire.
1858: The birds eye view depicts the tower at its present height, or at least with its stone and brick sections in place. An
attached frame structure is also shown.
The historical accounts (refer to Section 8, below) indicate that a frame building was added in the spring of 1857. A
lithograph shows this building standing on silks. The 1856 tour of the facility shows that the steam engine was in a
separate adjacent building (there wasn't room for a steam engine within the tower). If this is the case, then initial the
ten-foot ascent was into this building, rather than the tower itself. All evidence indicates that this facility was designed
for a small-scale, seasonal operation with a small workforce. The original tower ascent was made by a series of ladders.
The January 1862 collapse of the floor of the frame building appears to indicate that a raised building on stilts was still
in use. The 1861 lithograph (see below), which shows a two-story frame building is so inaccumte as to the tower, there
is no reason to think that the building is accurately portrayed either.
1874-81: A statue of Andrew Jackson was placed atop the tower. The wood and iron reinforced statue was removed due to
deterioration, when the lumber company acquired the tower in 1881. No images showing the statue in place have been found.
Photos from this period are inconclusive as to whether the adjacent frame building was extant.
The statue was a private venture and a surprise to the community. A steeplejack put the statue in place, so the statue
~vas apparently lifted up on the outside of the tower. It otherwise had to pass up within the structure, being raised in
either way by block and tackle. A substantial statue of any size would have required a large workforce. The
implication is that the tower had an intact roof that could support the statue. No image of the statue in place has been
found. Articles from 1873 and 1879 indicate that the original wooden stairway, probably a squared off spiral
arrangement, remained in place but was deteriorating. This stair system likely replaced the original ladders c.1857-59.
1881: The Standard Lumber yard acquired the structure and began to use it as a fire-watchtower.
1887: The "observatory" atop the tower was replaced. The adjacent vehicular bridge to Illinois was completed and the tower
was suddenly a prominent icon (Herald, November 24, 1887).
The addition of the observatory appears to be directly related to the new public visibility of the tower. The newspaper
account stated "the watchman will begin his solitary vigil" implying that the fire sentry box was a new use for the
tower. It is known that the lumber company owned the structure from 1881 onwards and used it for this purpose. The
same account also adds "It is a grand spot for a view," an implication that there was some opportunity for public
visitation. Photos show both a hip roof cap (1889) and a flat roof addition on the structure.
1911: The tower was gutted in the famous Standard Lumber fire. The uppermost brickwork and window lintels were lost and
the interior gutted.
NPS Form 10-900 a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 7 Page 8
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
The structure had wooden covers on its windows at the time of the fire. The fire burned from the top down and gutted
the structure.
i915: 23ae tower site was purchased for use as a park.
Nothing appears to have been done beyond acquisition of the property.
c. 1937: HAB S-HAER documentation of the tower.
The structure was effechvely abandoned and its state was that of the post-fire ruin. The windows and rooftop were
open. The site was not overgrown, which indicates that some groundcover control was in place.
1960: The tower exterior was tuck-pointed and in some places stuccoed with concrete. The tower base was excavated and
fenced as a park. The stair system was replaced and public tours were briefly held. Wooden louvers were placed inside the
windows and concrete sills replaced lost stone sills.
The municipal Dock Board Office was responsible for the tower. By this time the structure was located in the center of
the unpaved and undeveloped Commercial Street extension. The Dock Board deterrrfined to repair the tower in mid-
April and contracted w/th George B. Jackson & Sons to complete a work plan that was developed by Bartels&
McMahan Engineering Conrpany. The work included spot tuck-pointing, the emplacement of cast concrete lintels and
sills, casting a concrete roof cap with a 30"x60" trap door opening, the installation of security iron grills (2.5" openings)
on the lowermost openings, casting a 12"x1'6" concrete base around the structure foundation, waterproofing the
exterior with a silicon coating, adding eight tie rods, a "five point two ground" lightning rod system, and replacing (and
staining) failed or lost brickwork. Inside the tower, concrete bulkheads reinforced each stone window and door arch
and filled voids at the tops of these openings. The entire interior wail surface was coated with a concrete mixture.
1960: The Dock Board approved leaving the area around the tower open for use as a small park. Subsequent to this the tower
gained a cast iron fence, commemorative plaque, and a concrete foundation circle around/ts base.
1963: The tower gained a historical marker at the behest of the Dubuque Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution:
1969: The city floodwall was built, providing protection for the tower. The floodwall encourages and makes possible the
construction of warehousing immediately adjacent to the tower. Railroad spurs are also laid close to the tower.
1986-87: Active consideration was made cfa proposal to move the tower into the downtown based on a market/development
study conducted by a team from the University of Wiscunsin on behalf of the Greater Dubuque Downtown Committee.
Municipal funding for planned 1991 tuck pointing work was reduced.
[November 17] 1991: A railroad car damaged the foundation with damages valued at $5 - 10,000. The railroad paid the repair
bill and the city did the work.
2001: Structural evaluation by IIW.
Location:
When originally constructed, the Shot Tower occupied the northern end of a riverfront Ievee, a site that was well east
from the city proper. The site was actually in the river when it is platted on the original town plat map. It appears that the
NPS Form lO-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the ln~erior
lqational Park Service
OM~.4pproval No. 1024-0018
National Re ister of Historic Places
Continuation Shee
Section number 7 Page 9
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
tilling process that made the Shot Tower construction possible, took place in the mid-1850s. It is also possible that the tower
builders were able to utilize a semi-dry caisson construction method to construct the foundation. The reason for this tower
location is undetermined. The site was well away from lead and fuel sources and construction was certainly impeded by the
need to ship stone and brick to this point.
From 1856 until the 1870s, the tower was part ora warehousing and shipping context. The levee was reached from the
north via an extension of Seventh Street. By the early 1860s the Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad had elevated trackage that
ran behind the tower. The addition of the railroad bridge, completed December 15, 1868, caused the trestling of the railroad
line nmning mediately south of the tower. Over time this trestle was buried or replaced with a built up levee. By the early
1880s the are between the tower and the city was raised and platted and lumberyards occupied a vast area around and to the
west of it. A large brewery was in operation mediately south of the tower and tracks. The Dubuque Star Brewery building
(1898) remains there today (see Figure 35). The 1887 completion of the first Mississippi River vehicular bridge coincided with
the eastward extension of Fourth Street. That street was thereafter a prominent entreporte into the city. The 1911 Standard
Lumber fire marked the end ora generation of massive lumber yards in the city and the tower has stood in quiet undisturbed
isolation, apart from rail and road traffic, until fairly recently (Oldt, pp. 637-39).
R~ad
Figure 7: HABS Iocational map
(Library of Congress, HABS-HAER Collection)
Figure 7 depicts the relationship of the tower site to the river, railroad and Fourth Street. It also shows that like most
Dubuque buildings, the tower was sited without regard to the compass. The Peavey Company Warehouse which stands quite
close to the tower, dates to c.1969. Figure 6 shows the relationsh/p between the warehouse and tower.
NPS Form 10 900 a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 7 Page 10
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 8: present day appearance of the Shot Tower, view to the southeast
(photo by IlW, 2001)
Figure 8 shows the present-day setting of the tower with the Peavey Warehouse in the background. The comer of the
brewery building is visible at lower left, as is the railroad track wh/ch runs immediately south of the tower. Also visible is the
1960 concrete cap.
Figure 9: Aerial view of the tower, view to the north (photo by IIW, 2001)
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
Hational Park Service
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
National Re ister of Historic Places
Continuation Shee
Section number 7 Page 11
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Designer end Contractor:
Neither the architect/designer or the contractor are mentioned in the numerous contemporary Shot Tower accounts. It is
probable that the structure was architect designed, given the need for a solid foundation on a difficult building site, and
particularly given the unusual form that was given the tower, the obelisk or tetragonal form. It is more than likely that an
architect, who was unfamiliar with shot towers and their technology, produced en exotic revival style obelisk, one that was too
short to accomplish its purpose. The 1856 state census reported just two architects in Dubuque but there were at least four in
the city. Two were in a new partnership, these being John Francis Rague (1799-1877) and John N. Moody. Taey first
advertised their new firm on October 17, 1856. Architect John D. Abbey first advertised his services on April 30, 1856.
Architect F. G. Brendt was announced as a "newcomer" on November 7, 1856. He favored the Italianate style but was
apparently not in the city when the Shot Tower was designed. Rague is a strong cendidate, given his design the very next year
of an Egyptien style County Jail at Dubuque and his French heritage. He came to Dubuque in 1854 (Hoffmen, Express &
Herald, April 30, October 17, 1856; Daily Republican, November 7, 1856; August 26, 1857).
As for the contractor, the 1856 state census recorded six builders, a dozen stone masons end 43 bricklayers as residing
in Dubuque. What is certain is that the Shot Tower stonework is an example of impressive craftsmanship. The stonework is
not typical of Dubuque stonework of the period, which is more rigorously coursed and it required considerable skill to attain the
obelisk form using stone rubble. The changes from stone voussiors to lintels, end the change from stone to brick, hint at a
stringent economy of construction. The structure was also built very quickly, but the contractor is unidentified.
NPS Form ~0-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 12
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
8. Significance Statement:
Significance Summary:
This nomination amendment changes the level of significance for the Dubuque Shot Tower to national significance (no
level of significance was established in the original 1976 listing). The Dubuque Shot Tower is nationally significant under
Criterion C because it is a rare and unique surviving example ufthe shot tower property type. It is the only tapered square
obelisk shot tower example. It is the only surviving mid-19th Century example of its type and the only surviving shot tower that
represents lead shot production technology of its time.
The Shot Tower is the only surviving pre-Civil War Dubuque industrial structure and it is directly associated with the
later phase uf Dubuque's important lead mirfing industry. It was lead that first determined the city's location and which made
possible its explosive growth as the state's first city. Lead-derived wealth was the basis of a city heritage of financial self-
sufficiency that enabled it to weather bad financial times even as growth on the part of its competitors was slowed or briefly
halted. As a key Mississippi River industrial power, the city dominated an up-river market and settlement process. It naturally
competed with rival downriver cities, notably Galena, Illinois, and St. Louis. The Shot Tower represents the direct competition
between the two cities in the marketing ufprocessed lead.
The Shot Tower is a rare survivor for its type and period, and its survival is quite wondrous. It was very nearly
purposely demolished in 1862 when it's St. Louis r/vals obtained ownership of it. The tower survived the threats of fire,
collision and abandonment. By the early i870s it was celebmted for its prominent location and its already-ach/eyed landmark
status. Infilling between the levee and the city proper drew the tower closer to public association and the completion of the
1887 vehicular bridge across the Mississippi River linked the city's principal vehicular gateway, Fourth Street, with the tower.
There is some indication that the tower served as a viewing point for residents along with its role as a fire lookout tower for the
lumber mill interests. Local interest in developing the tower as a park and historical resource date to c.1915. It was to have
been used to honor the late U.S. Senator Allison. The tower was a photographic icon throughout the next several generations
and it was documented by HABS-HAER in 1934, a clear indication that the tower was then deemed to have some national
significance. The tower was stabilized and restored in 1960 and marked in 1963. Its chances for a much-belated development
as an available and properly maintained and interpreted kistorical property are only now certain as Dubuque takes action to
develop a riverfi:ont walkway area.
Dubuque emerged early on as Iowa's premier city by all key measures, population, industry and ~vealth. Its early
dominance was the direct result of its lead-mining wealth. Dubuque and particularly the Catholic Church which was the seat of
the Archbishop in Dubuque, dominated and largely directed the early settlement of much of northern and ~vestem Iowa and the
Upper Mississippi River region generally. While the Shot Tower enjoyed dubious and fitful success during 1856-58 as a
producer of lead shot, it was briefly refurbished for use during the first year of the Civil War. The Shot Tower is consequently
directly associated with the settlement of the state, the development of the state's lead-mining industry, and its efforts to
mobilize its military resources in response to the Civil War.
The National Shot Tower Histor/caI Context:
The best historical source on American shot towers was penned by Dr. Carey P. McCord for the IndustrialMedicine
and Surgery Journal in 1958. This unusual publication was an appropriate one for the topic given the direct association
between the tox/c lead shot industry and human health. Dr. McCord's thesis was that no other industrial process had survived
so long with so little fundamental change in its process. The actual technology of shot malting will be treated later on but
suffice it to say that for 200 plus years, the process of producing lead shot could be accomplished using the same structures and
pretty much the same equipment.
NPS Form 10-900-a
18-86}
United States Department of the Interior
Hational Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 13
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
OMB Approval No. 1024~0Q18
Dubuque County, Iowa
The shot tower was a commonplace landmark in American urban centers by the early 1800s. Shot towers vied with
church steeples and public buildings as visual landmarks and it was said that nobody bad to inquire where the local shot tower
was. At its height, the American shot tower industry counted 25 towers in operation. They acquired symbolic importance early
on and commonly were the locations of important local celebrations. The Beck tower in Philadelphia was the venue for a
massive torchlight celebration of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, on February 15, 1815, the conclusion of the War of 1812.
Edgar Allan Poe was so intrigued by the Phoenix/Merchants' Philadelphia shot tower that he placed an advertisement promising
that a man would attempt to fly from the top of the tower to the Lazarette Lighthouse on the bay. A huge crowd gathered and
finally realized that the promised feat was scheduled for All Fools Day (1839). Many of the early shot towers which survived
into the 20th century were acquired as monuments by local governments (McCord, pp. 622-24).
Based upon visually documented American shot towers, extant and non-extant, American shot towers can apparently be
divided into three general architectural groupings, defined by form and chronology. The first period dates from the late 186
Century through post-1845. Many of the earliest American shot towers were built in direct response to the Embargo Acts of
1807-09 which halted the importation of English produced lead shot, or to meet munitions needs created by the subsequent War
of 1812. The second em dates from the middle-196 Century, and represents later shot towers which were built between Chicago
and San Francisco. This second era is defined architecturally by the elaboration of the basic shot tower form. The tower is
clearly separate and visible, but it is more highly ornamented. The final phase was a late 196 Century-World War I one which
w/messed the incorporation of shot tower structures into larger industrial complexes. It this final period, the tower is only
partly visible in the form cfa rooftop feature, or it is more rarely completely contained within a larger factory building. Phase
III dates from the mid-1880s.
Many American shot towers combined shall drops and shorter head buildings. The latter lengthened the drop and
housed related equipment and furnaces. These are not tree shot towers if one accepts the premise that a shot tower must be
fully visible in an architectural sense. The tower is the production process. Some towers were augmented with fairly deep
wells, but the towers still comprised the vast majority of the overall dropping distance. While all shot towers are included in
this contextual overview, only hue shot towers are considered in comparison with the Dubuque Shot Tower. There is only one
surviving example of the combination shaft and head bnllding arrangement, that being the New River, Virginia example. One
other tower has been reconshucted (Spring Green, Wisconsin).
Phase I Shot Towers:
Phase I shot towers are notable for their absolutely functional designs. Most assume the form of exaggerated
smokestacks and there was never any public recognition of them akin to that awarded lighthouses. All known early American
shot towers had designs which produced strong and tail buildings, both requisite for the towers' purpose. The round form was
the easiest and strongest to achieve these ends.
NPS Form 10 900-a
(8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
Hational Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 14
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
Dubuque County, iowa
Figure 10: Walker Shot Tower, Chester, Pennsylvania
0.1799-1800
The earliest surviving Amer/can tree shot tower was the Walker-Parker tower in Chester, Pennsylvania, which is
attributed to 1799-1800. While research is continuing, this would be a very early building date. The rotund tower is not of great
height, and likely is associated with a shaft.
Figure 11: Jackson or New River Shot Tower (1807)
The next tower was the Virginia example shown above (Figure 11). Only three American shot towers employed a
square or obelisk form. This form was not only difficult to build, it was also a weaker one for achieving the desired high
NP$ Form ~O-900-a OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 15
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated) Dubuque County, Iowa
elevation needed. The tower is so short, it appears to be a true square in plan, rather than a tapered obelisk form. The 75' high
tower (it is h/gher than the photo indicates) was matched with an equally deep shaft.
Figure 12 Sparks-Bishop Shot Tower, Philadelphia (1808)
The next two shot towers were finished in 1808, within a week of each other, these being the Sparks and Becks shot
towers, both built in Philadelphia. The Sparks Shot Tower (Figure 12) is claimed to be the earliest surviving American shot
tower and it boasts of a having the longest actual production history of any American shot tower. That history is also directly
associated with all of America's 19th Century wars. Its form is that of a tapered brick cylinder, and it is the only other American
shot tower that has four window openings at each floor level, other than the Dubuque example. The tower is reduced by 50
percent (30 feet to 15 feet diameter) from its base to its cap. The turret with broad overhang is unique to American shot towers.
Its association with the original design and construction is undetermined.
Figure 13: Paul Beck's Philadelphia Shot Tower, image drawn c.1812
(Thomas Birch, artist, American Philosoph/cal Society)
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 16
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
OMB Approval NO. 1024
Dubuque County, Iowa
Beck's shot tower is the only other tree obelisk American example. Architecturally, it had a base, column and cap
demarcation. Its windows were placed at stair landings so the openings on each face were offset vertically with adjacent ones.
Built in 1808, the form could well have had a conscious link with the emerging Egyptian Style, but this would have been very
early, the American onset of that style being generally dated to c.1835.
The zenith of American shot towers appears to date to the first quarter of the 19m Century. Every urban center had a
tower and collectively the number of towers far exceeded market needs. Dr. McCord suggests that just two towers could have
met domestic shot needs, at full production. Needless to say, many towers survived only because they could command local
markets. Many failed in the face of foreign competition, reopened in 1811 and resumed after 1815 at the end of the War of
1812 and in the face of the fmancial panic of 1819. Shot prices were particularly depressed from 1810 through 1820. When
cheap British-made shot once again flooded the American rrmrket in early 1811 for example, Missouri shot makers learned that
even the Philadelphia shot towers had halted production in the face of plummeting shot prices. Western shot towers were
numerous with five towers in operation in Jefferson County, Missouri, immediately south of St. Louis. All of these were frame
towers set atop a high bluff line, and they date to c.1809-1814. These served the western American military needs during the
war. Other western shot towers were established in New Orleans and St. Louis (Missouri Gazette, January 24, 1811).
Figure 14: Phoenix/Merchants' Shot Tower, Baltimore (1828) (HABS photo, 1936, Library of Congress)
Moses Austin is generally credited with producing the first lead shot in America. At any rate the Austins had a long-
term association with lead mining and shot-making, in an odyssey that linked Pennsylvania, Virginia and Missouri, between
1791 and 1809. Moses and Stephen Austin, brothers, successively developed lead rrfining interests in the Wytheville Virginia
area during the early 1790s, and then in Missouri, in a five-county area that was immediately south of St. Louis. The first actual
shot tower in that region dated to 1809 and was built near Herculaneum, a Mississippi River lead shipping point, by John N.
Maclot. The Austins established a second tower in that same area. Two additional towers were established in 1814 by
Christian Wilt and John Honey. These last-two named were still in operations as late as 1818. All of these, save for Maclot's,
simply used high bluffs, in lieu of actual towers, so they were not tree "shot towers." Maclot added a supplemental tower in
1810 so that he could produce the larger caliber of shot. Thomas Jefferson owned the Natural Bridge, Rockbridge County,
NPS Form 10~900-a
United States Department of the Interior
Hational Park SerOce
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 17
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Virginia, and leased it for use as a shot tower e.1809 (215' drop) (Cormer, pp. 1-5; Swartzlow, part four, p. 201; Missouri
Historical Review, October 1937, p. 83).2
Dr. McCord rated the Phoenix Shot Tower (Figure 12) as the most imposing American shot tower and the tallest shot
tower structure. The tower's construction was deemed important enough to have the last surviving signer of the Declaration of
Independence, Charles Carroll, dedicate its cornerstone on June 2, 1828. The tower is another tapered brick/iron cylinder shot
tower example, one that is devoid of any regular fenestration pattern. The Phoenix also represents the upward physical
limitation of shot towers with its height of 217 feet (many accounts claim 234 feet but this includes an underground shaft). In
its day it was the tallest structure in the country prior to the completion of the Washington Monument. Note the general lack of
fenestration on the tower, with the few windows being apparently aligned on just one side (these are 9/9 double hung sash).
The tower was built without the use of scaffolding. The wail thickness is reduced fi:om 4.5 feet at the base to 20 inches at the
top. The crenelated cap and uppermost brickwork on the tower is not documented and is laid up in a different brick and mortar
than is the rest of the structure. It might date to a post-1878 ftre reconstruction or to the 1928 rehabilitation of the tower. The
tower was gutted by fire in 1878, but was repaired and was used for another ten years to produce shot. Reflective of changing
shot tower technology, the refurbished tower contained a narrow round central metal chute within which the shot descended.
HABS determSned that the two uppermost floors were of iron construction, while the roof was of concrete (National Register
Nomination, 1971; HABS documentation).
Figure 15: Youle's Shot Tower, New York City (non-extant) (1823)
(Fainting by Jasper F. Cropsey, 1845)
Youle's New York City shot tower was one of three towers in that city. It had a tapered octagonal brick form, a
projecting octagonal turret cap, and fenestration apparently on its southern exposure.
2 2]xe five M~ssouri Counties were Jefferson, Washington, Saint Genevieve and St. Francois and Madison. After the Civil War, lead mining
and processing operations shifted to southwestern Missouri, and the nearby corners of Arkansas and what would become Oklahoma (Shot
Making In Missouri, p. 269; Swartzlow, part 1, p. 187; Gibson, pp. 315-18).
NPS Form 10-900 a
United States Department of the Interior
National Parle Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 18
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 16: St. Louis Shot Tower (1845-47) (non-extant)
The first St. Louis Shot Tower was brdlt in early 1840 and stood 150 feet tall. No image of that tower has been found.
The second St. Lords Shot Tower (Figure 12) was started in 1844 and ach/eyed an elevation of 175 ora planned 195 feet when
it collapsed. A replacement tower was built closer to the river (Figure 12), the owner, Ferdinand Kermett, being satisfied with a
175-feet height. Kennett retired in 1854 and the St. Louis Shot Tower Company was formed in 1858. The tower was a tapered
brick cylinder with a slightly projecting turret cap. Fenestration consisted of a single vertical row of elongated narrow
windows. The St. Louis towers closely resembled those of the first phase, although an 1852 photograph of the second tower
(Figure 40) depicts a crenellated cap, which implies an architeetural affectation. This would qualify it as a Phase II shot tower.
(Figure 39) clearly shows a broad pot-lid like rounded cap (Dacus, pp. 336-338; Shot-Making In Missouri, p. 269).
Phase II Shot Towers:
Phase II shot towers attempted to combine some stylistic influence with a functional design. To this end, the Dubuque
Shot Tower was executed in the Egyptian obelisk form embrace the last of the simply designed functional examples as well as
much more ornate examples. The defining characteristic for most of these towers is still the free-standing tower, usually loosely
attached to related buildings. Six or eight-sided towers were also favored, perhaps reflecting an effort to look more like
romanticized light houses. Commonly, these structures were recognized community landmarks and sported large American
flags as did the Selby tower in San Francisco.
NPS Form 10 900-a
[8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 19
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower~(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, iowa
Figure 17: Selby Shot Tower, San Francisco (non-extant) (1864)
The Selby Shot Tower is the earliest known example of the incorporation of the shot tower form into a larger industrial
plant (assuming that this is what Figure 17 depicts). The tapered six-sided brick tower was sirrfilar to a hghthouse design, with
vertical divisions and a square tower base (like a church steeple). Windows sported ornate lintels and spiraled around the
tower, perhaps matching an interior spiral stair system. Thomas Selby was a San Francisco hardware dealer who needed a
supply of birdshot. His lead was apparently locally produced and his cheaper lead source, in lieu of imported bulk lead shipped
by sea, enabled him to dominate the area lead market. (www.owensvalleyhistorv.com).
The Phase II towers were all located in the western portion of the country, a west that by this time included the
California coast, and the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Their development was in direct response to the new found lead
deposits in the western states. The earlier eastern towers felt the impact of this development as their lead source was
eliminated.
Up to 1848, the receipts of lead from the west were sufficient for the wants of the manufacturers of this
country. Then the news of the gold of California made a draft upon the labor of the states, and the miners of the
West soon left, and the quantity of lead from there began decreasing, and importing from foreign countries
commenced, and has gradually increased.
One reason for the dropping off of lead supplies was regional consumption by these more westerly tower operations. They
likely enjoyed considerably cheaper lead supplies than did their eastern counterparts. With the exception of the St. Louis and
Wisconsin towers, there were no other western shot towers known to have been in operation as of 1853. Wythe County,
Virginia, Pbiladelphia and Baltimore each had a single tower while New York had two towers in operation. Total national lead
consumption was put at 150,000 to 200,000 pigs of lead (75 pound units) with a lead shot production of 5,000 tons annually
(Baltimore, lllustratedNews, April 16, 1853).
NPS Form
(8 86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 20
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 18: Chicago Shot Tower
This image of the Chicago shot tower is poor because it comes from a shot bag image. Still, the round tapered tower is
a massive one and it is associated with a larger factory site very similar to the St. Louis shot tower. The company was
established in 1867 after the closing of the Dubuque Shot Tower. It survived the great Chicago fire but its final year of
operation is undetermined.
Phase III Shot Towers:
Phase III shot towers were the products of larger industrial ammunition companies and the tower form was combined
wirh a broader factory base. The towers are stylistically distinguished with belt courses, stone trim and elaborate caps. As
appears to be true of most shot towers, these towers have broadly projecting caps. By this time, the shot tower process involved
the use of forced air which blew against the dropping shot. This presumably lengthened the fall of the balls and improved their
final form. Inm'easingly the towers produced only the smallest grade of buck or shotgun shot.
Figure 19: Peters Carthdge Company Shot Tower (1915)
The Peters Shot Tower is square in form but is not tapered and it is incorporated into what is basically a flourmill-Iike
factory base. While the photo is unclear, it appears that concrete or stone was used to ornament the window openings or a
NPS Form 10-90~a
(8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 21
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated) Dubuque County, Iowa
series of vertical panels of differing sizes. The roof is possibly a rounded turret, and has a high profile. A "P" is emblazoned on
the upper front of the tower (www.ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/kadima/about.htm).
Figure 20: Remington Shot Tower, Bridgeport, CT
The Remington and Winchester shot towers are additional c.Wofld War I industrial plant examples of later shot towers.
These towers quite likely employed the new technique of dropping hot lead into a strong updraft of forced air. This process
improved the product quality be effectively increasing the "drop." It is possible that these towers were largely ornamental, and
promoted the larger ammurfition-producing role played by these major national arms and ammunition companies.
Figure 21: Winchester Shot Tower, New Haven, CT
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Sendce
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 22
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
OMB.Approve/No. 1024-0018
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 22: Colonial Ammunition Shot Tower, Auckland, New Zealand (1914)
Figure 22 is included because it nicely illustrates the absolute minimal structure necessary to create a shot tower
function, a tower, an upper platform, and a centered circular drop shaft. The central shaft feature was incorporated into at least
one American shot tower (see above). The Auckland example represents a return to function over form as far as shot towers
went.
Shot towers are used today to produce shotgun shot. The term "shot tower" was also used in conjunction with early
above-ground nuclear testing in the American West. The form was sufficiently recognizable that many tall buildings are called
shot towers but never performed that function. The best examples of this is found at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio, where the
main administrative building, with a centered front tower, bore this title. A house in Austin Texas, now demolished, was also
so called. An appendix listing ali known true American shot towers is to be found at the end of this section.
Master List of American Shot Towers, Extant and Non-extant
(Bold indicates that the tower is extant'
Name Location Date Form Status History
Walker, i Chester, PA 1799-i800 round, short Extant, Surviving 25-pounds shotbag
Parker & Co. tower altered by
(Phase 1I) elevator
addition
New River Austinville, VA 1807 shaft, square extant, Built by English-bom imm/grant Thomas
/Jackson towar, 150' HABS Jackson, lead from Austinville mines. Still
(Phase Ir) total drop documented in business by 1853.
Thomas Carpenter St., 1808 142', round, extant, Functioned 1812-1903, associated with
Sparks/John Philadelphia tapered, ASME War of 1812 as well as subsequent wars
Bishop tun'et cap landmark Four generations of the Sparks family
(phase I) operated the tower for nearly 100 years.
The initial market was for hunters and co-
owner Bishop, a Quaker, sold out his
interest when war-related production
began.
NPS Form 10-900 a
(8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Approval No, I024~0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 23
George W. Ro§er$ Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated) Dubuque County, Iowa
Thomas Beck 21st & Cherry 1808 Obelisk with non-extant Out of business and demolished by 1823
Shot Tower Streets, near base, flared (McCord)
(Phase 1) Schuylkill cap
River,
Philadelphia,
PA
John Maclot Herculaneum, 1809 Wooden ~ non-extant First of a series of towers replace bluff
(Phase I) MO tower on dropp/ng process. Out ofbusiness by
bluff 1853.
Moses Austin/ Herculaneum, 1810 or same as non-extant Lead from Mine a Breton, 1787-
J. H. Alford MO 1814 above 1817.Purchased by St. Louis Shot
Co. Company 1836. There were as many as
(Phase 1) four towers. Austin family bankrupt by
1920. Out of business by 1853.
Witt Honey South of c.1814 same as non-extant (Steward)
Shot Tower Riverside, above
Jefferson Co.
MO
Sm/th T. Shot below Selma, c. 1814 same as non-extant (Steward)
Tower Jefferson Co., above
MO
Rush's Shot Harlow Island, c.1814 real tower? non-extant (Steward)
Tower Jefferson Co.,
MO
Globe Shot Philadelphia Unknown Unknown? non-extant Surviving 25-pounds shot bag. Not
Tower operating as of 1853.
Company
(Phase II?)
George East River & 1821-23 octagonal, base only First built 1821, rebuilt 1823, last surv/ving
Youle's 53~a, New York 25' well survives of three New York City shot towers.
(Phase I) Operating as of 1853, along w/th one other
New York City tower.
Wolfe Shot North Bay 1823 Unknown non-extant demolished 1845 (McCord)
Tower Street,
i (Phase I) Baltimore, MD
Phoenix Shot Fayette St., 1828 round over extant, Jacob Wolfe was the builder/owner.
Tower/ Baltimore shaft, 215', HABS, Functioned 1828-94. The Merchant's
Merchant's 234' total, National Company operated the tower as second
Shot Tower erennelated Historic owner, until it closed. The tower was
Company Landmark saved from demolition in 1921 and is
(Phase Io associated with an original build/ng.
Unknown Eautaw Street, Unknown Unknown non-extant demolished 1851 after damage by fire
tower Baltimore, MD (McCord)
(Phase I)
Fatham's Shot New York Unknown? Unknown non-extant Surviving 25-pounds shot bag
(Phase II?)
Leroy Shot & New York Unknown Unknown non-extant Surviving 25-pounds shot bag
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United S~a~es Depar~men~ of ~he Interior
Nadonal Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 24
Geor§e W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated) Dubuque County, Iowa
Lead
Company
(Phase II?)
Shot Tower Lexington, KY 1830's? Unknown Unknown No data (McCord)
Gulf New Orleans Unknown Unknown non-extant Not in opcu'ation as of 1853.
(Phase II?)
Spring Green Helena, WI 1834 frame tower reconstruc- Built by A. B. Sampson for Daniel
(Phase 1) over 185' t/on as state Whitney. closed in 1861 and buildings
shaft park 1970s, destroyed. Not listed in 1853 list of
NRHP operating shot towers.
Unknown Decatur, AL Unknown Unknown non-extant present as of 1852
St. Louis St. Louis 1840 150 feet, non-extant In operation through 1846-47.
(Phase I) brick
St. Louis St. Louis 1849 round non-extant First built 1844, rebuilt 1849, functioned as
(Phase I) late as 1883. Became F. Kennett & Co.
1840. By 1849 Kermett, Simonds & Co.,
Kennett retired 1854, later known as
Collier's Shot Tower Works, Superfund
site.
Dubuque Dubuque 1856 square, 120' NRHP Functioned 1856-59, 1861-62.
(Phase 1I)
Unknown North Clay St. c. 1861 house? Unknown "odd, tall house" said to have been used to
(Phase 119 Clifton Mills, make shot for rifles during Civil War,
OH doesn't appear to be a tower.
? Booneville, MO Unknown Unknown Unknown likely destroyed, equipments se/zed by 5*
(Phase ID Iowa Infantry, August 25, i861.
Chicago 70 N. Clinton, 1867 round non-extant Founded by E. W. Blatchford. Sole
(Phase ID Kinzie Street, proprietor of lead trade in city as of 1873,
Chicago sheltered refugees during 1871 fire.
Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown reported extant 45 years ago
Milwaukee
Selby Shot Howard St. 1869 Unknown Unknown Tower sported a large flag at the time of
Tower San Francisco the 1906 earthquake, survived that disaster.
(Phase ID Was long a waterfront symbol.
Unknown Howard & post-1874 Unknown non-extant (McCord)
tower Montgomery
(Phase m?) Streets,
Baltimore. MD
Omaha Shot Omaha, NE 1880 100' shaft, Non-extant Established in 1880, five-ton daily shot
Company 65' tower production capacity, seven employees.
Chadwick 176-84 High St. 1887 Six story Extant Boston Lead Works took over operations
Lead Works Boston, MA plant, 184' 1902, full range of lead products, other
(Phase liD tower inside uses by 1922.
Peters ICmgs Mills, 1915 square tower extant, used Peters was a notable national ammunition
Cartridge Co. OH atop factory as an office produc~. The Kings Mills Powder
(Phase BI) complex Company was nearby from 1877 on. The
NPS Form 10-900 a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Re ister of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 25
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated) Dubuque County, iowa
plants were acquired by Rermngton in
1934, and were closed in 1944, later
operated by Seagram's Distillery and
Columbia Records. McCord lists as one of
five modem towers operating as of late
i958.
Remington Bridgeport, CT c.1920 Unknown Unknown McCord lists as one of five modem towers
(Phase HI) operating as of late 1958. Still in use.
Unknown. East Alton, IL ? Unknown Unknown McCord lists as one of five modem towers
(Phase III) ; operating as of late 1958.
Remington Lanoke, c.1920 170' Unknown McCord lists as one of five modem towers
(Phase lib Arkansas operating as of Iate 1958. Still in use.
Winchester New Haven, CT c.1915-16 I Factory with Extant i McCord lists as one of five modem towers
(Phase III) tower operating as of late 1958. Closed 1980,
now a part of the Winchester Repeating
Arms Company Historic District
Unknown. San Francisco, ? Unknown Unknown McCord lists as one of five modem towers
(Phase 11B CA operating as of late 1958.
Figure 23: Reconstructed tower of the Helena, Wisconsin, Shot Tower ( 1833 - 1860)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8
Page 26
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Contextual Summary:
Excluding the Virginia shot/shaft tower, 11 shot towers survive across the country. Three represent Phase I, one
(Dubuque) is a Phase II tower, and seven are Phase llI examples. The Dubuque Shot Tower is the sole surviving Phase II
structure and is one ora kind of all surviving shot towers in the nation. The Dubuque example was built in the form of an
Egyptian obelisk and is the only known surviving example of two towers that employed that form. The Phase III shot tower
examples are not comparable architecturally, because they represent shorter tower segments in combination with factory bases.
Of all surviving Phase I shot towers, only the Phoenix shot tower retains an original associated building.
Nationally then, the Dubuque Shot Tower is the only surviving example of its type (full height shot tower), phase
(architecturally elaborated, in this case employing the Egyptian obelisk form), and period (m/d-19 Century). Its claim for
national significance is based on its being a well preserved surviving example of a relatively rare industrial structural type, its
unique qualifies and time period related to its type, its association with a specific era and method of private sector lead shot
production, and its being the sole surviving representative of shot towers which were associated with the Mississippi River
Valley and its lead-mining history.
National Architectural Context:
Figure 24: Washington Monument, Original Design and As Built
(www.cr.nps.gov/ur/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/62wash/62visuall .htm)
The Egyptian style was popularized by Napoleon's 1798 Egyptian campaign. The Rosetta Stone, along with a fleet-
load of pillaged ancient sculptures and artifacts introduced the style to Europe. Ancient Egyptian architecture was only then
being appreciated as an important antecedent influence on Greek and Roman architecture. The style was the most popular of
the three exotic revival styles (as defined by McAlester, the three being the Egyptian, Swiss Chalet, and the Oriental) but it was
poorly adapted to residential design. It found expression in public buildings and in the unique Egyptian monumental form, the
obelisk. The style was used to evoke or symbolize linkages between nationalism and ancient Egypt. Napoleon raised up an
actual Egyptian obelisk in Paris. Bunker Hill, in Charlestown, MA, was marked with an obelisk tower in 1825. The
Washington Monument was designed in the early 1830s as a flat-topped obelisk, and it was modified into a true obelisk when
construction began in 1848. The form continued to be popular into late 194 Century when London gained "Cleopatra's
Needle," located along the Thames River, in 1877. It wasn't until 1884 that the most famous obelisk, the Washington
Monument, was finally completed (Gelemter, pp. 116, 162-63).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 27
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Dubuque has the Nationally significant (National Register of Historic Places) Egyptian style County Jail building
(1856-57) which was designed by local architect John T. Rague. The adoption of this style and the provision ora design by a
local architect indicates that Dubuque was favorably disposed to using the Egyptian style as of the mid-1850s. The County even
executed a matching south-end addition to the jail in 1874 and the building was faithfully restored in 1943. While not yet
proven, it would appear that the Dubuque Shot Tower was purposely located on the city riverfront to commemorate the growth
and expectations of the city in general and the Harbor Improvement Company's real estate project in particular. The loaning of
funds for the structure by the company appears to indicate that the tower would promote its interests. The buflders also
envisioned placing a navigational light atop the new tower. The Egyptian (and Roman) style was directly associated with the
principles of the Enlightenment, as was the Masonic Movement. It is tempting to see Masonic symbolism in the proposed
combination of a light (the eye in the pyramid) and the tower (ibid., McAlester, pp. 230-33; "Dubuque Has Architectural Rarity;
County Jail, Erected in i856, Modeled After Egyptian, Telegraph-Herald, November 7, 1943).
It is fitting that the Shot Tower was built at a time when new Dubuque building designs ~vere finally being more
reflective of nationai styles, as the following notice indicates:
Improving The buildings that are going up in the various parts of our city are of a superior character, much
surpassing those constructed in previous years; and should the balance of the great number already under
contract prove to be of the same description, they will greatly enhance the beauty of our city, and will challenge
a comparison with the architecture of any city of the West.
Express & Herald, June 22, 1856
The following entry documents the joint involvement of both G. W. Rogers and the Dubuque Harbor Improvement
Company in the design and construction of the Dubuque Shot Tower:
G. W. Rogers of this city, has purchased a lot in the center of the island, on which he intends to erect
immediately a shot tower, on the top of which the [Dubuque Harbor Improvement] Company design to place a
brilliant light, during the season o£navigation, for the benefit of steamboats landing in the night, and to light up
the levee.
The Shot Tower was planned to be a monumental centerpiece for the company's land development effort and more
particularly, the "heavy commercial" district that was predicted for the riverfront. At the end of 1855, G. R. West, who
had just completed his warehouse near the Shot Tower site, predicted that "in ten years the levee will extend for three
miles up and down the river, on a line with these improvements, and nearly ail the Railroad and other principal business
of the city will be done thare." Accordingly, the development company designated the riverfront portion of the
extended Seventh Street to be "Commercial Street" (Express & Herald, January 1, February 15, 1856).
Shot-Making Technology Context:
Recalling Dr. McCord's thesis that for over 200 years, shot production itself was virtually unchanged, this section looks
at the association of the Dubuque Shot Tower with the technology of shot production.
When Dubuquer Joe Pickett Sr. attempted an amateur effort in the 1970s to produce shot in the Shot Tower, he quicly
became aware that an apparently simple process of dropping lead shot, wasn't simple at all. His first efforts, dropped from an
~ Betsy Woodman notes that the Mississippi River was termed the "American Nile." Perhaps there is a relationship between the Shot Tower
Design and the nearby river? (Woodman, p. 163).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
lqational Park Servlce
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8
Page 28
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
elevation of 50 feet, resulted in "half moon with tentacles" when the still hot lead exploded in the water. Adding 20 more feet
of descent produced lead globs ranging "from tiny gourds to miniature pancakes." From the lower level mentioned, the lead
was still too soft to prevent cross winds from splattering the brick walls with melted lead. His experiments determined that
proper elevation, lead temperature, the lead type and quality, and proper sieves, were all critical in achieving any success. He
£mally had to go to the top of the tower to produce anything resembling lead spheres. The lead couldn't be too hot. If it was, it
exploded upon impact with the water and made pancakes. A drilled skillet finally worked as a sieve. Picket experimented with
local lead as well as a dozen other varieties, but finally was able to have success with lead produced at Leeds, Alabama.
Pickett's secret pure lead formula, never revealed, did not include any of the poisonous additives which were historically used
(Telegraph-Herald, October 17, 1976; Des Moines Register, May 25, 1976).
While the popular imagination fixates on musket balls, shot towers historically were mostly interested in producing
buckshot, distingtfished as squirrel and bird shot. Dr. McCord credits the shot tower with making possible the development of
the shotgun. Early metal slingers were termed "slug guns." Regular dropped buckshot made the ref'med shotgun form possible
and with it, the "rapture" (McCord's choice of words) which developed between that weapon and its aficionados. Prior to the
development of dropped shot, bullets in ail sizes were cast in multiocular molds with 50 to 70 voids. After casting, one had to
remove the stems or sprees which the casting method produced. Larger shot were cmdely produced by tumbling cut out lead
cubes in a "rumbler" with an abrasive to produce rounded pellets (McCord, p. 623).
The process of dropping shot from a high point was not a novel concept and McCord credits the "inventor" of the
process, William (or Josiah in some accounts) Watts, not with adding anything new to shot making, but rather with being clever
enough to receive a i4-year patent (1782-1796) on it. The use of a short (just a one foot) dropping of melted lead through a
brass colander to produce birdshot was popularized by Prince Rupert in 1665. This informal production reqtfzred no tower,
simply the sieve, melted lead and a container of water to catch and cool the shot, but the end product tended to be pear-shaped,
rather than round. This didn't matter for slug guns of course. English plumber Watts claims to have had a dream in which a
rain of molten lead enveloped him, the droplets striking the ground in perfect spheres. In I769 he adjourned to the upper levels
of St. Mary Redcliffe Church, in Bristol, England and conducted his first experiments in dropping melted lead. He added three
stories to his house, located across from the church, and entered into what was the first industrial-scale production of lead shot.
He was the first to drop lead from a great height, was as a result the fucst to successfully drop large caliber shot, and as noted,
the first to claim a patent. His patent restricted American shot production. American shot makers (Moses Austin papers) were
aware of the patent restrictions by 1789 and the Philadelphia shot makers used the term "patent" in their shot advertisements
well after the Watt patent had expired, an apparent effort to claim quality control on their product. It is interesting to note that
both the church where the ftrst lead was dropped, and the Watt "shot tower" survive today, the latter being in production until
very recently (assuming it isn't still) (Queen Anne's Revenge Archaeolog/cal Project, www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us; John Lienhard,
University of Houston, www.traphof, org/shot towers; McCord, pp. 623-24).
The mass-production of dropped lead balls paralleled the mass production of firearms, as well as an exponential growth
in the demand for lead shot in mass quantifies. Until the early 19 Century, guns were individually crafted and had
individualized hand molds to cast musket balls for the weapon. Improved shot, as was noted in regard to the shotgun, enabled
guns to develop greater precision and fineness. The lead trade largely consisted of lead pigs which weighed 65-75 pounds each,
and in the more remote areas, very small lead bars (six to seven ounces in weight) were cast for easy transportation
(www.monticello.org/resources; Conner, pp. 1-5; Swartzlow, part four, p. 201).
Backing up for a minute, it is important to first define the fundamental lead shot production method. That process melts
lead, pours that lead through a screerimg device at great elevation, and the laws of physics determine the formation of the lead
droplets and their assumption of a spherical form. The lead spheres strike a cushioning vat of water where cooling is
completed. Dr. McCord notes that the only refinements to this simple process involved adding mechanical power and handling
and refining the heat source. The industry literature describes numerous process details. These relate to the sequencing of the
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 29
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
production stages, the additives which were combined with the lead, the desired elevations from which different calibers had to
be dropped, the character of the sieve used, and the nature of the final phases of processing the lead shot after it was dropped.
An array of technical descriptions of the shot-making process follow, and each will be critiqued relative to the
commonalities and exceptions which apply to it. The accounts are arranged chronologically so as to trace any apparent
evolution in the production process.
This first 1840 St. Louis description of the shot-making process is the earliest detailed one found. It is a very detailed,
although brief account:
The Shot Tower is 150 feet high, the lead is drawn up from the [Mississippi] river bank by horse power, to the
top, and then melted. It is taken out in ladles and run through a single row of small holes in a horizontal line,
winch forms it into drops, and cools, before it strikes the water cuntffmed in a large cistern below. It is then
ladled out, put in a large sheet iron pan, and dr/ed over a hot fire; when thoroughly dried, it is put in what is
called a polishing keg; a small quantity of blaek lead is added, winch by turning some two or three hundred
times gives it a bright, glossy appearance. It is then screened on tables and sized. The factory has been in
successful operation since the middle of April last, during winch time there has been manufactured upwards of
400,000 lbs. of shot, a majority for the merchants of this place.
Tins operation employed eight hands when in full production. The process while a primitive one (horse power, primitive
horizontal mold), produced a very large amount of shot. The same account also noted that the quantity of shot equaled that of
the expended bulk lead, this being an indication of a high-quality of pig lead. The use of a pierced trough in lieu of a sieve is
unique to tins account (St. Louis Argus, August 19, 1840).
The following lead shot production description was used at the Phoenix Shot Tower in Baltimore as of 1853, it is
unusually detailed and is included as a comparison to the Dubuque operation:
The operation of manufacture commences with hoisting up the lead on an endless chain (or windlass) driven
by steam, and melted in the kettles at the dropping stations, where it is alloyed with the chemical mixture
[arsenic and antimony] to prepare for dropping; an iron handle or holder is then hung out over the hatchway
which is open from bottom to top, and in tins handle is placed a pan, with the bottom perforated - the
perforation being of the size corresponding with the shot required. The descending streams are parted by their
continually accelerating velocity into the quantity of metal reqtftred to form each shot, which immediately
assumes the spherical form, and mffmtains it, until cooled by its rapid passage through the atmosphere, it
becomes permanent before reactfmg the base of the tower, where it is received in a cistern of water, which
suddenly destroys the velocity, without altering its form; it is then raised from these cisterns by a ladle or
maclfmery and passes thence to the dryer, where it is thoroughly dried, and from thence passes to the polishing
cask or cylinder, to which is added a small quantity of black lead. A quick revolving motion soon produces a
bright polish, by the attrition of the shot against each other. It is then passed to the receiving box, through an
apertable [sic] in the tower, thence to the finish-room; from thence to the inclined tubes, for separating the
perfect from the imperfect - the perfect or spherical ones running freely down the inclination, winle the faulty
ones remain at the head, or straggle to the sides, and are swept back into a box and remelted. The good shot are
received in a box at the end of the inclined table, and from thence pass to the sifting case, which contains a
series of sieves of various sizes, the larger ones being at the top, and, as the shot descend through them, each
silSer receives such as suit its size; from the sifter they are put in boxes or tubes, on a convenient bench, ready
to be weighed, in bags of 25 lbs., and are then ready for distribution to the trade...
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United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Approval NO. 1024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 30
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
The shot manufactured here have a high reputation. The metal is melted at various distances from the ground,
and consist of lead, combined with arsenic and other metals, which give it the quality of fornfmg readily into
globules after it is poured into copper pans, in the bottom of which holes of requisite sizes have been drilled.
The largest shot are dropped from the highest platforms.
Baltimore l~lustratedNews, April 16, 1853, pp. 244-45
The above account closely corroborates the technology employed in Dubuque, save for the multiple dropping and
furnace stations which were arranged with'm the Baltimore tower. The account clearly indicates that lead was poured at the top
of the tower, and not melted and then raised up to them. Such a system would have economized labor in elevating lead and fuel.
Only one pouting station could have been used at any one time, so the same labor and fuel costs would be incurred as each
caliber of shot was produced. The economy was found in elevating raw materials to each post. Only the largest caliber of shot
necessitated the use of the full height of the tower. There appears to be no downside to casting all calibers from the top oftha
tower, as was done in Dubuque, but it necessitated ma:(tmal lifting up of lead, chemicals, tools and fuel. The Baltimore account
references a polishing additive of black lead (other accounts mention graphite) which was likely used by all shot towers as a
polislYmg gdt. It also mentions a shifting case, which will be discussed below. Arsenic is said to have made the molten lead
more fluid and was also a hardener after it was cooled. One local account claims, without citation, that one pound of arsenic
was m/xed with 100 pounds of shot. An important note on production sequence in this account was the fact that the shot were
dried and polished prior to being sorted. These preliminary steps were necessary if the sorting process was to work and the
same sequence was used in Dubuque (Shot Towers Thrived, p. 163; Old Shot Tower, p. 1).
This is the first (late 1856) description of the shot making process employed at the Dubuque Shot Tower, just
constructed (this and subsequent Dubuque accounts are fully presented in the historical summary section below):
...After taking a momentary glance we walked up the first flight of stairs, which makes an elevation of 10 feet,
and entered the first story. In this room or story, will be found directly in front of the entrance, the steam
engine which is used to hoist, by means cfa windlass, the lead to the extreme height, preparatory to casting, and
to rotate the cask used in finishing the shot -- Besides this, there is the tub, partially tilled with water, in the
center of the chamber, in which is caught the falling shot; the right of the room on entering is occupied by the
windlass and the Ieft the inclined plane which detects the perfect from the imperfect shot. After satisfying our
curiosity in this portion of the tower, we commenced the ascent, the means used, temporary ladders, and these
we climbed from story to story, until we stood in the rfmth, where we found one of the gentlemanly proprietors,
Mr. Geo. W. Rogers, busily engaged in improving his furnace.
The ninth story, which is just one hundred and forty feet from the ground [the height on the
ninth floor], is where the great mystery is solved how they manufacture shot. The apparatus used, and of which
consists the whole of this room's furnishing, is summoned up in a furnace capable of smelting three hundred
pounds of prepared lead, and a ladle or two, together with the various sieves used in making the several grades
of shot. -- After having explained to us how, that by taking a ladle full of the combination of arsenic and lead,
heated to a certain temperature, and pouring the same into the sieve (which is simply a sheet iron disk with
small holes punctured at intervals of a half-inch, which hangs over the aperture, through the floor--and by the
by, we should have mentioned that in the several floors to the very bottom there are apertures [presumably
operimgs in each floor level] in each, thus forming a channel for the falling globules to pass--and from thence
the molten lead passes to a tub below. How that from this tub the shot is taken and placed in the cask, which
revolves around until it receives that finish which is observed on all shot, and how it is taken from this cask and
placed upon the inclined plane where the perfect shot roi1 down and the imperfect, oval and flat, slide down and
drop into a groove which the brisk, round perfect shot leap over and are caught into a receiver, and how from
United States Department of the Interior
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National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 31
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
thence they are passed through as many sieves as there are sizes of shot, which are placed in a case one above
the other, the coarser on top, and are thus graded preparatory to bagging and how they are bagged, ready for
market...
The 1856 Dubuque Shot Tower tour observed the list of a steam powered windlass system, the dropping process at the
top of the tower, the use ora central aperture through all of the floors, a furnace of 300 pounds capacity which was located at
the top of the tower, a series of graduated sieves (in this case simple perforated iron dishes, the perforations spaced half an inch
apart), ladles with which to pour the lead, a tub of water at the base, a polishing cask, an inclined prelinfmary sorting plane with
a cross-groove that caught imperfect shot, and a sifter which employed a series of graded sieves set one above the other to
perform the final sorting. It is unclear whether the steam engine was in the adjacent building but is likely. The visitor noted a
"room or story, will be found directly in front of the entrance," an implication that the powerhouse was outside of the tower
proper. Smokestacks are apparent in the early images of the bullcYmg (a similar smokestack would have been needed at the top
of the tower, unless cross ventilation carried away the furnace fumes). The same account then states "besides this" (the steam
engine") were the water tub, cask, sorting plane and windlass, so the exact location is unclear. Certainly the windlass would
have best worked from the tower base, as is shown in the images above. In Dubuque, drying and polislfmg preceded sorting and
packaging (Express & Herald, November 19, 1856).
All of these accounts describe a sorting process which raises the question of whether the sieves were perforated
un/formly or not. The sorting descriptions IYmt that a fall range of calibers was being separated in sifting drawers, and the
smallest being discarded entirely. Did a production sequence employ graded sieves or were all calibers simultaneously cast?
More recent shot production employed single caliber sieves and it is probable that this was the case in these earlier accounts. If
a single caliber was being dropped, why was sorting necessary?
This second Dubuque shot production description dates to 1857. This account allows for the passage of a year during
which the shot production process might have been improved:
...we commenced our enquiries of the presiding genius of the furnace, ladle and lead kettle. He appeared
somewhat amused at our questions, ail of which, however, he very politely answered. For the information of
those who do not know how shot are made, we w/Il give an explanation of the process. At the top of the tower,
in a room about twelve by fourteen feet, a small brick and iron furnace is built, upon which is an iron kettle
capable of hold'mg about ten or twenty gallons of melted lead, which is there poured into a copper strainer, and
being suspended over the opening in the flooring of the tower, the liquid drops through, and down a distance of
one hundred andfifty feet, into a large tank of water prepared to receive it. By the time the hot lead reaches the
tank, it assumes a globular or shot form and on coming in contact with the water, it is instantly cooled and
hardened. The shot are then placed in a barrel stmped tank, which, by an appliance of maclfmery, is made to
revolve, thus clearfmg or polishing them. They are then rolled over an inclined plane in an oscillating chest
with strainer pans for separating and assorting the different sizes. They are then weighed and bagged. We are
informed by Mr. Langworthy, that with the present force of eight hands, and other facilities, they manufacture
about five thousand pound weight daily... (Daily Northwest, September 22, 1857).
The furnace remains at the top of the tower and it heats a single kettle. The strainer is of copper construction and probably was
"store bought." The account specified a "small" brick and iron furnace with a kettle capable of holding 10-20 gallons of lead.
Neither Dubuque account speaks of drying the new shot, but instead move the process directly from the water tank to
the polishing cask. The St. Louis Shot Tower used a heated spiral process that used hot air to dry the shot. The cask was
"barrel shaped." This account offers no details about the inclined plane but it specifies an oscillating sorting chest. The St.
Louis operation used the same process. The shot were poured into the top and passed through successively smaller strainer
pans (Daily Northwest, September 22, 1857; Missouri Republican, January 5, 1847).
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George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
This third Dubuque account dates to 1859 and described the Dubuque Shot Tower production under the operation of
Messrs. Tallman and Clark;
The tower is 130 feet high. In the lower rooms are the Furnaces, Engines, sorting and polishing machinery,
and the "putting up." The lead is melted and one pound of arsenic is added to every hundred pounds of lead. It
is drawn up to the top of the tower and poured into a sieve, from which it falls to the first floor in a reservoir of
water. From the reservoir it goes on the dryer and thence to a revolving cylinder in which it is polished. It is
then taken out and poured on an inclined plain. At the bottom of this is another inclined plain which is
separated from the first by a distance cfa couple of inches. The pellets that are perfectly spherical will gain
momentum enough in passing down the flat inclined plain to carry them over the space which separates it from
the one below. Ifa pellet is a little lame however, it comes down very slowly, aided mayhap by a boy and a
brush, and falls between the two inclined plains into a box and is again to be re-melted. Those that go over both
plains are of all sizes. They are then taken out and put into a sort of sifting machine. This looks like a chest of
drawers the top drawer is perforated a certain size, the next below it a size smaller, and so on down. The
show is poured into the top and the whole machine driven backward and forward by machinery. Of course all
the pellets below a certain size corresponding with the holes in the top drawer fall through and so on down--
each drawer retaining a certain sized pellet, say "B.B.," "No. 1," etc. (Daily Herald, April 14, 1859).
Obviously the process has been considerably altered since 1857. The lead melting is done at ground level as are all mechanized
operations apart from the windlass. A boy aids the operation of the sorting plane, the only reference to child labor in shot-
making. One change in packaging at the tower involved six- pound units in lieu of the standard 25-pound bags. In January
1862, the floor of the attached frame building collapsed under the weight of bulk lead and stored shot. Included in the list of
items cast down were "two cauldrons of molten lead weighing about fourteen hundred pounds... [and]... one large stove, fall of
fire, and a large furnace, under full blast. The cauldrons were presumably set into the top of the furnace, and the stove provided
another heat source for the workers. This account corroborates the relocation of the lead melting process to the ground level.
The several Dubuque shaft towers necessarily reversed the location of the furnaces, placing them at the top of the drops. This
change, dating to post-1862 was determined by the economy of delivering fuel and lead at the top of the shaft rather to the base
of the hole.(Daily Times, January 9, 1862).
These various accounts, occurring over a period of 22 years, evidence very little change in method. Presumably the
sieves were increasingly industrially produced, as is evidenced by the reference to a copper sieve in use in Dubuque. The major
change for the Dubuque operation was relocating the furnace to the ground level. At least in Dubuque, the accounts clearly
indicate that the majority of the processing equipment was made on site by skilled craftsmen. The demand for this specialized
equipment apparently failed to justify mass production. McCord mentions the use of a loose lead oxide in the sieves, an
additive that cleaned the sieve and made the melted lead seep rather than flow. He also states that wood and charcoal were the
fuels of choice in shot towers. No account mentions either the lead oxide or type of fuel used (McCord, p. 674).4
Modem shot dropping evolved into a near continuous and labor-free process. Lead shot was polished and lubricated
and in some instances copper plated because lead otherwise quickly tarnishes. The modem process was virtually failure-free
and nationally as of 1958, five operating towers were consuming 40,000 tons of lead annually (Ibid., p. 626).
4 McCord also states that shot towers could only produce shot ranging from .23 to .04 inches in diameter, and that eight sizes of buckshot were
recognized. The statement is worth noting but it appears to understate the upper caliber capabilities of shot towers (McCord, p. 674).
NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
(8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 33
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 25: Furnace/pouring room, Phoenix/Merchant's Shot Tower, Baltimore
Figure 25 shows a brick furnace with metal vat used to melt the lead. The furnace is large in scale (the Dubuque Shot
Tower vat could hold 20-30 gallons of lead), and was raised above the floor. The drop is surrounded by a protective wall. Note
the heavy chain windlass which is suspended alongside the drop. This windlass would have delivered fuel and lead. Note that
the ladle work was done by hand, with the sieve being suspended over the drop chute (McCord).
Figure 26: Melting mbs, Phoenix/Merchant's Shot Tower Baltimore (McCord)
Figure 26 appears to show a preliminary lead melting series of tubs on the ground floor of the tower. Apparently faulty
shot were immediately re-melted and then elevated in solid form for a re-casting. It is also probable that additives were mixed
into the lead at this point. A final melting took place at the top of the tower. The windlass is visible but the chain windlass,
shown in Figure 25, is absent. Of particular interest are the polishing cask, and sorting chest, both visible to the right. Not
visible, is the base of the shot drop and the cooling vat.
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National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
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George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 27: New Haven ~inchester Shot Tower Schematic (McCord)
Tower height was vital if the largest calibers of shot were to be successfully produced. The Phoenix Shot Tower in
Baltimore appears to have been the tallest American example, standing 217 feet above its shaft. The world's tallest shot tower
(as of 1853) measured 249 feet, and was located at Villach, Carthina, in Europe (Austria). The Dubuque Shot Tower is likely
the shortest one in America, standing at just 120 feet high (Baltimore Illustrated News, April 16, 1853).
3?ne modern shot tower schematic (Figure 27 above) depicts the factory processing of lead shot. The lead was initially
melted and mixed with additives on the ground floor (left of view), cooled in the form of pigs, was raised to one of two furnaces
at the top of the tower (the highest produced soft lead sheets, the lower one was a "chilled lead dropping," implying the use of
forced air against the dropping formed shot), and then re-heated and dropped. The shot dropped within a cylindrical well,
falling into a deep pit of water. The shot was elevated to the second floor, the water was drained off and the shot was dried in a
revolving dram. The shot was then raised again to the sixth floor. There it went through an initial polishing process, was rough
sorted, fine sorted and given a finish polish. This process typified a Phase m shot tower process (McCord).
Reg/onal Lead Mining Context:
The lead trade first built Dubuque, and the same business has greatly added to its wealth every
year since and is still one of the principal sources of profit...
(Express & Herald, October 27, 1861)
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United States Department of the Interior
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National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
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George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, lowa
The Mississippi River was the super-highway equivalent in a time when extensive cross-country trekking and shipping
was difficult to impossible to accomplish. The initial Euro-American penetration into and control of the Upper Mississippi
Valley necessarily was predicated on using the river as a transportation and communication corridor. The first regional tourists,
the Frenchmen Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, included the future site of Dubuque in their 1673 down river
itinerary. Reg/onal flags changed from France to Spain in 1763, and back to France in 1800. American cash on the Napoleonic
barrel head in the form of the Louisiana Purchase switched theoretical flags to the United States in i803 although only
infrequent military parties could legally raise the colors there until 1833 (Sommer, pp. 4-5).
Beginn'mg in 1783 Quebec-bom Frenchman Julien Dubuque (1762-1810) negotiated with the Fox Indians to gain access
to the Catfish Creek area ("Mines of Spain") lead deposits. He died in 1810 and b/s Indian compatriots rubbed out every
physical trace of h/s mining and smelting operations, and took up the mirfmg themselves. In 1796 Sperm granted Dubuque an
impressive 164,000 acres of land that roughly centered on the Dubuque location. In 1804 Dubuque paid off l'fis St. Lo,tis
supplier, Auguste Chouteau with a land transfer of 63,815 acres. Included in that land deal was what became the City of
Dubuque. This issue of land ownership would later hinder Dubuque's early growth (Horton, pp. 4-6).
The Indian lead smelting operation was inefficient, with a high percentage of the ore being burned off in open fire
smelting. James L. Langworthy negotiated fights to survey the mining area and arranged to smelt the ore on the Illinois side,
with Indian miners supplying the raw ore. By June 1830 Langworthy and brother Lucius H. Langworthy, were squatting on the
Iowa side of the river. Federal soldiers entered the area in response to a Sioux-Fox tribal conflict and evicted the miners.
Future president Col. Zachary Taylor commanded this force and future Confederate president Lt. Jefferson Dav/s sent soldiers
from Fort Crawford. On June 17, 1830 the miners at "Dubuque Mines" penned an extra-legal codicil that provided for
allocating mirfmg rights to 200-yard square claims. The eviction postdated this document. The miners returned in mid-1832
and were quickly evicted. The Black Hawk Treaty of September 21, 1832 terminated Indian land claims to the eastermuost 50
miles of Iowa Territory and the miners, to the number of 200 men, again returned to the Iowa side. In January 1833 the military
again evicted them. The new area was legally opened for resettlement on June 1, 1833 and the evictees and others pou~:ed back
across the river. The U.S. Congress even legitimized the 1830 nfmer's articles and the mineral lots as the standard for the first
land survey. Within just three years the growing town of Dubuque was platted in 35 blocks, boasted 250 mostly flame
buildings and a population of 1,000 inhabitants (ibid., pp. 7-8; Dubuque Visitor, May 11, 1836).
The Iowa mining was a part of a tri-state Upper Mississippi Valley lead region that embraced 3,600 square miles. Many
Iowa miners came from Wisconsin and Illinois and were veteran lead miners. In 1854 Dubuque alone exported 4,385 tons of
lead. The exports in 1860 were 5,000,000 pounds. Lead pigs were a major component of river shipping downstream to St.
Louis (Horton, pp. 25-27; Oldt, p. 105; 1880 County History, pp. 462-63).
The "Golden Age" of lead production in Dubuque lasted from 1835 until 1849. Regional lead production peaked in
1845. After 1849 the quality of the lead veins diminished. Still lead mining and smelting was important to the Dubuque
economy well into the late 19th Century. The potential value of zinc ("dry bone"), found in association with the lead, was
known as early as 1858, was "discovered" first mined and sold in 1880, and dominated local mining by 1897. As early as 1872,
zinc mirfmg was twice that of Iead. By 1889 it was mined at a ratio of 13 to one in favor of zinc.
Hype and boostefism obscure actual Dubuque area lead production figures, particularly for the period 1856-1862, the
period of operation for the Dubuque Shot Tower. Histor/an Randolph Lyons claims that as of 1850, the lead rrfmes of the Upper
Mississippi river valley accounted for 87 percent of the national production, and ten percent of world production. This claim is
dubious at best, given the large-scale Missouri lead production, as well as that of Southwest Virginia. The problem in
separating out Dubuque/Iowa lead production is the use of Dubuque/Danleith as a regional shipping point, part/cularly for
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(8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Al~proval No. 1024~0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 36
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Wisconsin-produced lead. Export figures are available for some years but there is no way to measure local lead consumption of
course. Dubuque lead exports for 1852 were 348,000 pounds, for 1853, 481,800 pounds, for 1855 were 481,440 pounds, for
1856, just 74,891 pounds, and for 1857, 587,000 pounds. The Herald's export figures for 1854 (4,385 pigs) end 1855 (5,202
pigs) do not correlate with these figures however. No explanation is offered for the poor showing in 1856, the year the Shot
Tower was built. The Times reported a resurgence in lead mining during the winter of 1856-57, a "new impetus" that took
place even as the Shot Tower was being built. Lead exports from Dubuque during 1858 (through October) were estirmqted at
40,000 pigs, or 1,500 tons valued at $i50,000. A significant change in mining, the continuation of mtifmg throughout the
winter, resulted in a year round mine production. Annual production at 13 mines as of early June 1860 totaled 40,000 pounds of
ore. The four operating smelters had a 400 pig per day capacity as of mid-July 1860, or 28.000 pounds. The mines could easily
outstrip the smelters' processing capacity. An 1860 shipping report, published in 1865, provided river shipping totals for the
months between March and November, and accounted for a total of 55,327 pigs exported, with 10,298 pigs going east by rail.
Adding 1,600 pigs on the levee as of Jenuary 1861, the year total production was put at 67,225 pigs, or 2,454 tons (4,908,000
pounds), the whole valued at $262,000. Curiously the 1862 lead production, reported by the City Assessor, totaled just
1,000,000 pounds, valued at a mere $50,000. If accurate, these figures reflect a sharp decline in the lead mining end processing
industry (Lyons, Faith & Fortune, p. 245; Morning Sun, October 20, 1858; Herald, June 6, July 18, September 19, 1860; 1865
City Directory, p. 20; Daily Tribune, Jenuary 17, 1858; Daily Republican, September 17, 1857; Express & Herald, Jenuary 1,
1856; June 3, 1863; Times, January 5, 1857).
Jealousy between the several states also interfered with compiling regional lead production figures. The Daily
Republican took the Grant County Herald to task in August 1856 for its claim that five-sixths of ail lead production was coming
out of Grent, Iowa end Lafayette counties, all in Wisconsin. The same source rejoined "this leaves a very small proportion as
the product of Iowa and Illinois." The Dubuque newspaper claimed that a million dollars annually represented this "small
proportion" most of which was shipped to St. Louis. Dubuque also celebrated the dim'mishing lead production in Illinois. The
Express & Herald, noting that lead had made Galena just as it had Dubuque, but that Galena's lead exports for 1854 had
declined by 74,000 pigs (Daily Republican, August 14, 1856; Express & Herald, February 8, 1855).
The 1860 Dubuque County industrial census found four lead smelters in operation in Julien Township. These
consumed 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 pounds of lead each end produced between 680,000 and 1,030,000 pounds of pig lead. Three
smelters had a profit of $35-38,000 annually. The largest firm, Brunskill end Waters, made $52,000 in 1859. Ten years later
there were eleven mines and two smelters operating in Julien and Jefferson townships. The shafts were uniformly 75-100 feet
in depth. Ten years later, as was recorded in the 1870 industrial census, there were 16 nfmes and just two smelters (Bnmskill's,
Fern & Simpson) (Morning Sun, December 22, 1858).
The lead industry was significent because it brought about Dubuque's site selection and establishment and it laid the
groundwork for the finencial independence that Dubuque capitalists enjoyed in subsequent years. Funds from lead minting built
up the city and capitalized future industrial development. The industry determined that the initial local population was almost
exclusively male in its composition. The lead fixation diverted attention from other endeavors such as town foundation. Wilkie
suggests that the initial mining fervor resulted from a false assumption that agriculture wasn't feasible in so northerly a location.
Mining faded as farming succeeded and supplented it (ibid.).
More optimistic historical sources credit the lead industty with aiding Dubuque in weathering the Financial Penic of
1837 end this point deserves further investigation. The following claim is offered by Dubuque Its Manufacturing And
Commercial Facilities (1886, p. 13):
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The financial revulsion of 1837 did not materially affect Dubuque. Its main resources were lead, produced
steadily by the industry of hundreds of miners and the working of half a dozen smelting furnaces. This product
commanded a ready cash sale in the markets of St. Louis and New Orleans. In all American mining districts
paper money was received slowly and cautiously as a circulating medium, and accordingly the depreciated bank
note currency of the Eastern States was despised, and gold and silver were the principal forms of money, and
continued so for twenty years afterward...
Save for lead mining and processing, most early Dubuque industries served a predominantly local market. The city
developed a broad array of mostly smaller-scale industries and some of these were harbingers of larger tilings to come.
Breweries, wagon and carriage manufacturing, saw and flour/grist mills, and seasonal meatpacking were examples (Wilkie, p.
261).
Lead mirfmg continued in substantial importance throughout the Dubuque are through the 1860s and 1870s. It
dinimished steadily in importance but it persisted as new veins were discovered, particularly southwest from the city. New lead
lode discoveries and soaring prices in response to the Civil War and soaring lead prices, produced a veritable local lead mining
boom in Dubuque during the war.
White Lead- We have been much surprised that no one of our enterprising citizens have yet engaged in the
manufacture of this article in our city. The consumption of white lead here is said to be nearly two thousand
tons per annum at present, with the prospect of almost indefinite increase.
We have the best material (mineral) in the Bluffs that soar aloft in rear of our city. If it can be freighted
thousands of miles, and pay the manufacturer, Mil it not pay here, where he saves the entire freight of both that
as well as the manufactured article.
Dubuque Daily Tribune, September 5, 1856s
The legacy of lead mining to Dubuque was nicely summarized by the following newspaper account:
It is well known that this vicinity is rich in mines of lead, it being, in fact, the largest depository of that nfmeral
in the Union. There are many mines within a short distance of Dubuque, and some within the corporate limits.
The lead trade is what has made this city from the commencement, and though it is not now the principal
busIness of the place, its importance can hardly be over estimated, for even now the working of the mines is but
superficial, leaving immense deposits of wealth to be developed when more scientific methods of miffing shall
be adopted, and sufficient capital turned in that direction, which will no doubt be done before many years have
passed. The principal part of the lead mined has heretofore been exported, but measures have recently been
taken to establish manufactories in this city...[a shot tower and white lead, pipe and sheet factory] (Weekly
Express & Herald, February 10, 1858).
The construction of the Dubuque Shot Tower coincided with a technological change in area lead mining operations.
This transformation began with a February 1856 meeting where L. H. Langworthy brought in representatives of the Jamestown
Mining Company representatives who argued for the use of deep mining technology, previously not employed in Dubuque.
Langworthy also called for the creation ora new stock company to properly finance the new mining methods. Basically the
change marked the transition from "gopher style" surface mining to a more sophisticated and more highly capitalized deeper
shaft and gallery mining process, one made possible by new technology. Most important were high-volume steam driven pumps
which allowed for the re-opeinng of abandoned and flooded old works. Powerful steam engines were used to lift lead ore from
See the same source, April 3, 1856, for a similar recommendation.
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(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
l~lational Park Sentlce
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 38
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
shafts. The large number of small-scale mining operations were increasingly replaced by large automated mines with larger
workforces (Express & Herald, February 28, 1856; February 2, 1859; Wilkie, pp. 143-144).8
By the mid-19th Century lead production was centered in Southwest Wisconsin, Northeast Iowa, East Tennessee,
Southwest Virginia, Arkansas and Missouri. During the Civil War, the lead mines at Wytheville, Virginia, supplied one-third of
Confederate lead needs (3.2 million of I0 million pounds). The United States relied on lead produced in Missouri, the upper
Mississippi Valley, and exports. By the early 20th Century the lead producing centers had uniformly been replaced by western
sitas, save for Missouri, which continued to rank number one. After Missouri, in order of production, were Utah, Idaho,
Oklahoma, Kansas, Montana and Nevada (Robertson, p. 913).
Dubuque Shot Tower History:
Figure 28: Dubuque Im Staate Iowa, c.early 1850s, view to the west from Dtmlieth
(Wilkie, p. 215, author's personal collection)
The future shot tower site was transferred to the City of Dubuque on October 19, 1855 by President Franklin Pierce
(Book Townlots #66, p. 66). Presidents Polk (February 1, 1848, Book Townlots76, p. 512) and Fillmore (May 4, 1852, Book
L15, p. 15) had previously transferred the islands and interven'mg lands between the city and riverfront to the city. Pres/dent
Pierce gave the city the riverfront acreage. There was relatively little acreage above water to transfer (Figure 25) but what
would develop as the principal city levee was extant by this time. Figure 26 depicts the existing riverfront at the time of the first
Army Corps
See also Dramzngql~eLead Mines mtheDatlyRepubhcan, AugustS, 1857. Desp~tethesesubstantlalchanges, leadrmmngwasstilllargelyaseasonal
activity, with m/nets retiring fi.om their trade during the hot surmner months. What was termed the "fall and winter" mining season, began in September
(Herald, August 28, 30, 1861).
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National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 39
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 29:1844 Map of Dubuque
of Engineers river survey. The approximate future site of the Shot Tower is noted (roughly due east of an extension of Third
Street). The difficulty is estimating the riverward distance, there being no existing reference points which are comparable to
contemporary ones. Ron Balmer has platted the location relative to the original 1838 city plat map and it was his determination
that the future site was then underwater. The challenge to Dubuque was to gain both reliable and convenient steamboat
wharfage, a good winter harbor, and a sandbar-free fiver channel or deep water access to the fiver. As Figure 22 clearly shows,
the river proper was well east of the downtown proper and the changing fiver channel and extensive wetlands located between
the river and the city would hinder achieving any of the principal fiver transportation goals for any length of time. The Army
Corps of Engineers would partner actively w/th the city to open up the city to fiver transportation. Between 1853 and t. 856, the
Corps completed a series of harbor improvements which made possible broader riverfront development. All this is to say that
the most reliable fiver access as of the early 1850s was the actual riverfront where the Shot Tower would later be built. It was
distant from the city and accessed only by a curving road from the northwest. A number of substantial warehouses were binlt
along the levee front and the earliest filling efforts likely raised up the "levee" (Balmer, presentation; Horton, pp. 28-29).
Other developments which occurred between I853-55 set the stage for the riverfront development that included the
building of the Shot Tower. Most important, the city extended municipal boundaries east to the middle of the river in 1853.
Two causeways, one south of the Waples Cut, and the other above Barney's Cut, were extended towards the fiver in I853-54.
Seventh Street was extended to the fiver in 1855. The first Illinois Central Railroad train reached Dunleith, Illinois, on the east
bank of the fiver, on June 26, 1855, a key factor that intensified Dubuque's interest in obtaining better river shipping access.
Dunlieth, a grouping ora few frame shacks as of 1854, quickly developed as an important town (now East Dubuque). Its
convenient levee competed with those in Dubuque. Three riverfront development companies were established at this time and
two major competing blocks emerged in Dubuque, representing competing developmental proposals for the upper or lower parts
of the city. The Dubuque Harbor Company was in charge of improvements opposite the lower part of the City. The Central
Improvement Company controlled a number of intervening islands and the Dubuque Harbor Improvement Company had the
north end of the riverfront, with a northern boundary of 8 Street (Extended) (Oldt, pp. 97, 103, 105-06, 109, 113, 114, 125,
129; Daily Tribune, May 26, 1856).
NPS Form ~0-90C~a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 40
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
The Levee at the foot of Seventh and First street are [sic] nearly ready for use and will probably be completed
by the time navigation is fully resumed. Already two stone buildings are in process of construction, on Seventh
street, which are to be used for business purposes. Many more are in contemplation, and ere long expect to see
the most of the wholesale business of the city done upon or near the main channel of the river.
Express & Herald, April 3, 1856
There is now a bridge across the slough and cormecting the main island with the business part of the city.
Boats are now landing on the outer island and hacks and carts are running to and from Main street to the deep
waters of the Mississippi. This is an important fact for Dubuque. Seventh street also will soon be completed to
the deep water of the main river
Express & Herald, June 13, 1855
The city turned to these tkree private entities to develop the harbor and riverfrnnt and James J. Langworthy was made
the owner of the riverfront property on March 3, 1855 and April 15, i856. The Dubuque Harbor Improvement Company was
incorporated on March 7, 1855. The company principals were James Langworthy, his brothers Solon M., James L. and Lucius
H. Langworthy, Lincoln Clark, Thomas S. Wilson, C. J. cummmgs, Joseph Ogilby, Alexander Anderson, Timothy Farming,
Alfred McDaniel (president), James M. Marsh and Benjamin F. Woods. The company received land from the city on March 7,
1855 and again on April 25, 1856 (Balmer Presentation; Deed Book S, p. 373; Deed Book S, p. 92; Town Lots Book 3, p. 230;
Incorporations Book #1, p. 33).
The Dubuque Harbor Improvement Company Addition, wiffch was approved by the Dubuque City Council on May 4,
1857 and filed for record on January 27, 1858, envisioned the establishment of an entire new "downtown" on the company land
adjacent to the river. The plat provided for a market square and a public square. Its lots, apparently intended for residential
development only, measured 25x100 feet. All streets were 64 feet wide. It is proposed that the Dubuque Shot Tower was
envisioned as a promotional landmark structure, prominently placed on the riverfront in front of the development (Deed Book
T, p. 9).
The first riverfront construction followed in 1856. The Lull, Merritt & Company erected two large brick warehouses on
the levee "at the foot of Seventh Street," the connecting street to the city. These buildings had "The most substantial"
foundations and were three stories high. Adjacent to these, Thomas & Cook also built a brick warehouse, the three buildings
costing a total of $8,000 to construct. It would appear that brick was readily available at tiffs time and that much of the new
construction could now be done in brick. A new horse powered brick machine was delivered to the city in mid-March and it
had the capability of substantially increasing brick production and Keys & Jackson used the new equipment to establis]h a
pressed brick yard which opened in late July. The yard of Mahoney, Crangle & Company offered 500,000 new brick in late
September. In front of the future Shot Tower site, the Upper or Outer levee was being paved by late August. A severe drought
facilitated the work. When finished, the levee ramp would "be ranked among the first on the Western Waters" (Daily
Republican, October 10, 1856; Daily Tribune, March 5, 14, 1856; Express & Herald, July 22, 24, August 28, September 5, 9,
23, 1856).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 41
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 30: Detail, "Birdseye View of Dubuque," W. J. Gilbert, 1858 (State Historical Society of Iowa)
Note the flat roof and railing around the top.
These buildings were raised on leased or purchased land, the Harbor Improvement Company having completed the
requisite site preparations before construction began. The key component was the Seventh Street extension which made the
riverfront development feasible. That work was done by the time of the final land transfer in April 1856. Rogers arrived in
Dubuque in late 1854 and established a gun shop at 5th and Main Streets:
Figure 31: Rogers "declares war" on other local gun dealers, 1854
(Express & Herald, December 23, 1854)
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 42
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
The first mention of the proposed Shot Tower was made in two local newspapers on December 3, 1855:
A Shot Tower In Dubuque - Mr. G. W. Rogers has been in contemplation for some time to erect a shot tower in
this city, and we learn that he has now purchased the ground and is malting preparations to build. He has made
an improvement In the method by which he greatly reduces expense.
It is unclear whether the expense reduction meant a way to build a cheaper tower or a cheaper way to cast the lead shot. Rogers
had presumably investigated various building sites and had selected the riverfront lot, located in the center of the Dubuque
Harbor Improvement development. Nothing had transpired at the tower site as of mid-February 1856 when the following
announcement was made:
G. W. Rogers of this city, has purchased a lot in the center of the island, on which he intends to erect
immediately a shot tower, on the top of which the [Dubuque Harbor Improvement] Company design to place a
brilliant light, during the season of navigation, for the benefit of steamboats landing in the night, and to light up
the levee (Express & Herald).
SHOT TOWER--We have been Informed by a friend that one of our fellow townsmen contemplates erecting
a shot tower In the neighborhood of Eagie Point, during the coming season (Daily Republican).
These two simultaneous accounts are clearly contradictory. The first, is more detailed and places the tower In its
present location, on a purchased lot. The second, without direct attribution of the builder, places the tower at the end of
Eagle Point, clearly a logical place if ready access to lead was desired. The development company provided the
mortgage, secured by the purchased lot, which paid for the tower constmcfion. This entry documents the close
partnership between the company and Rogers' project. The tower would serve two purposes, that of shot production, as
well as symbolic promotion for what the conrpany hoped would be a new riverfront city center (Express & Herald,
December 3, 1855; February 15, 1856; Daily Republican, December 3, i855).
The shot tower was finally under construction as of mid-October 1856. The Daily Republican twice described the
planned tower, the second account noting that construction was finally underway. The first account appeared on August 20:
GRAND PROJECT - We learn that Messrs. G. W. Rogers & Co., Manufacturers of Guns, Pistols, and general
dealers in hunting apparatus, cutlery, &c. of this city, will soon erect a Shot Tower on the Island, at the foot of
Seventh Street, near the new Levee. It will be built of stone, 25 feet at the base, and ten feet at the top. The
Tower will be 150 feet in height fi:om the base, and will be capable of manufacturing fi:om three to five tons of
shot of all sizes, and bar lead, per day. It will be worked by a 5 horse power steam engine.
The amount of capital invested is fi:om 10 to $12000. It is intended that the Tower shall be completed and In
successful operation about the 1st of October next. Merchants of Chicago and the great West, will find
Dubuque the best market for shot and lead. This city has a decided superiority over St. Louis.
Being so favorably situated, surrounded by hills and bluffs abounding with an inexhaustible supply of mineral,
and such immense shipping resources must at once determine this to be the great lead mart of the Union. This
enterprising firm Intend to carry on the manufacture of every description of guns, also keep a general
assortment of revolvers, of the most approved patents, fine cutlery, and materials for dealers. Their
establishment is on 5th street, between Iowa and Main.
The above account indicates that the entire tower was originally to have been of stone construction, with the goal of reaching
150 feet in height. Recall that the St. Louis Shot Tower had failed at 175 feet a number of years previously in attempting to
reach 195 feet. An elevation of 150 feet was considered conservative. Note further that the Intended products included bar
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 43
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated) Dubuque County, Iowa
lead, presumably smaller sized bars made from the standard rough lead pigs. Finally note the emphasis on eastern and western
markets, with the oblique reference to St. Louis being an inferior production and shipping point relative to those markets.
The Shot Tower of Messrs. Rogers & Co., now in process of erection, on the Levee near the
foot of 7t~ Street, is rapidly approactfmg completion. It has now reached the height of 95 feet.
It is being built of stone, and the extreme height of the tower will be 150 feet when completed.
Daily Republican, September 27, 18567
Shot Tower.--Messrs. G. W. Rogers & Co. are building a large Shot Tower near the foot of 7th street on the
outer levee. It will, when completed, reach to the height of 150 feet, being 25 feet square at the base and 10 feet
at the top, 105 feet high will be built of stone, and the remaining 45 feet of brick. This when completed will
present quite an imposing appearance. This enterprising firm have some intention ofplachig a large light at the
top for the convenience of those navigating the river, if the city should deem it expedient. It certainly would
meet with the approbation of steamboat men. No city in the Union possesses better facilities for the
manufacturing of shot of ali sizes and bar lead than Dubuque, being surrounded, as it is, by high bluffs,
containing an inexhaustible supply of mineraI. The rimes in this vicinity are very extensive, and the amount of
lead ore annually shipped from them immense. Dealers will find far better inducements to purchase here than
elsewhere. This extensive establishment will be driven by a five horse power steam engine. The entire cost
will amount to $12,000 (Daily Republican, October 10, 1856).
Figure 32: Rogers Gun Shop, Announcement of change of ownership
(Ex~oress & Herald, August 20, 1856)
7 The same source announced that Fitch & Bower, of Madison, Indiana, planned to establish a white lead manufactory/n Dubuque. The two
men "are possessed of an abundance of capital" offered the Daily Republican.
NPS Form
(8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Ap.~roval No. 1024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 44
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Rogers' gun shop offered made-to-order rifles and shotguns of"superior workmanship." Clearly Rogers' background
was that uf gunsmithing, gun sales and sports hunting. On July 22, 1856, it was announced that G. W. Rogers had transferred
his gun shop interests to his brother E. H. Rogers, "a gentleman lately from the East." It was also noted that G. W. Rogers "is
erecting a shot tower on the island belonging to the Seventh Street Harbor Company. It is the intention of this [new] firm, on
the completion of their works, which will be on or about the 1st of October, to manufacture ail the various grades of shot now in
use." This account clearly implies that the shot tower project unfolded during the second half of the year and its initiation
centered on the arrival in Dubuque of brother E. H. Rogers. No building announcement prior to the one cited above, mentions
the shot tower project (Express & Herald, July 22, 1856).s
The Dubuque Harbor Improvement Company (first called the Seventh Street Improvement Company, as noted above)
acquired the riverfront land from James Langworthy on March 7, 1857 (Balmer Presentation).
We learn that the Shot Tower of Messrs. G. W. Rogers & Co., at the foot of 7th street on the
outer Levee, will be ready for business in a few days. It is now nearly completed, and the
machinery is being placed in the establishment, and ere tong we shaI1 hear of the Dubuque Shot
Tower being in successful operation. We have no doubt the worthy proprietors will receive a
highly profitable trade. Success to them.
Daily Republican, November 12, 1856
Rogers was enough of a promoter that he had the sense to present examples of his first lead shot-making efforts to at
least one newspaper office. It was a good move because a week later that editor would make a speciaI visit to the tower and
promote Rogers' efforts.
The First Shot: -- We had the extreme gratification last evening to witness the first practical results of the
working of Messrs. Geo. W. Rogers & Co.'s shot tower.
The shot placed upon our table by Mr. Rogers were unfinished and in the precise condition in which they were
made - numerous sizes mingles together, yet the great majority very perfect, indeed, tiffs first result must be
very flattering to the proprietors, and unless we are much mistaken, this, which marks a new era in Dubuque
manufactures, will eventually, possessing the advantages of raw material at hand, open a very extensive trade,
and one which cannot but prove a realization of a fortune to the parties interested.
It is our intention in the course ora few days to give a full description of the "tower," and all of its workings,
which we believe will prove interesting to our readers.
Express & Herald, November 18, 1856
Tree to his promise, the very next morning, the editor of the Express and Herald made the trek to the island to inspect
the new tower:
At the early part of the day yesterday, we concluded to mount the "tower" of Messrs. Geo. W. Rogers
& Co., and see what was to be seen.
After walking out the Seventh street continuation for a few minutes in the bracing air of the morning,
the sun shining with an intensity just fervid enough to make the morning pleasant, we arrived at the foot of the
tower and looked upon its height.
There was at least one other gun shop in Dubuque at this time, Williams & Brother, and T. H. Clark established a gun manufacto~7 at the end
of December 1856 (Express & Herald, March 23, December 28, 1856).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
lqational Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 45
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
And here let us say, immediately at its base is the only tree position for one to occupy in order to fully
realize its magnitude. After taking a momentary glance we walked up the first flight of stairs, which makes an
elevation of 10 feet, and entered the first stow. In this room or stow, will be found chrectly in front of the
entrance, the steam engine which is used to hoist, by means of a windlass, the lead to the extreme height,
preparatory to casting, and to rotate the cask used in finishing the shot -- Besides this, there is the tub, partially
filled with water,/n the center of the chamber, in which is caught the falling shot; the right of the room on
entering is occupied by the windlass and the left the inclined plane which detects the perfect from the imperfect
shot. After satisfying our curiosity in this portion of the tower, we commenced the ascent, the means used,
temporary ladders, and these we climbed from stow to stow, until we stood in the ffmth, where we found one of
the gentlemanly proprietors, Mr. Geo. W. Rogers, busily engaged in improving his furnace.
This ffmth story, which is just one hundred and forty feet from the ground [the height on the ninth
floor], is where the great mystery is solved how they manufacture shot. The apparatus used, and of which
consists the whole of this room's fmnislfmg, is summoned up in a furnace capable of smelting three hundred
pounds of prepared lead, and a ladle or two, together with the various sieves used in making the several grades
of shot. -- After having explained to us how, that by taldng a ladle full of the combination of arsenic and lead,
heated to a certain temperature, and pouring the same into the sieve (which is simply a sheet iron disk with
small holes punctured at intervals of a half-inch, which hangs over the aperture, through the floor--and by the
by, we should have mentioned that in the several floors to the very bottom there are apertures in each, thus
forming a channel for the falling globules to pass--and from thence the molten lead passes to a tub below. How
that from this tub the shot is taken and placed in the cask, which revolves around unftl it receives that finish
which is observed on all shot, and how it is taken from this cask and placed upon the inclined plane where the
perfect shot roi1 down and the imperfect, oval and fiat, slide down and drop into a groove which the brisk,
round perfect shot leap over and are caught into a receiver, and how fi:om thence they are passed through as
many sieves as there are sizes of shot, which are placed in a case one above the other, the coarser on top, and
are thus graded preparatory to bagging and how they are bagged, ready for market; we say, after explairfmg all
this to us, we placed our feet on the rounds of the ladder and emerged once more into the open air through the
scuttle of the roof- and hat a glorious site was presented to our eyes the whole city lit up with joyous
sunshine looking like f~dmy picture. Down the river, a view of eight miles with a boat in the distance steaming
the river, and above, the glad waters shut out by the bluffs of the Wisconsin side, joining in appearance with
that of Eagle Point on th/s, all presented, with the moving forms of life purstfmg their avocations, and the hum
of business which came from the work shops, a scene exhilarating in the extreme and worth the toil of climbing
the height of one hundred and fifty [the height atop the roof] feet to enjoy it.
The tower, as our citizens well know, is square in form, its height we have given as one hundred fifty
feet, one hundred and ten of which is stone, and forty of brick. At the base the measurement is twenty-six feet;
the walls at this point are rfme feet in thickness, gradually tapering up to the top of the stone work where it
measures 20 inches. The brickwork finishes at twelve inches in thickness, thus showing a very firm structure.
The number of stories in the tower is nine, each with the exception of the lower which has but three, having
four windows, malting a total of 35 in all.9
9 This statement is incorrect, there are four openings on each of the nine floors.
NPS Form 10-90~a
(8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 46
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated) Dubuque County, Iowa
The cost of the tower as it now stands, we are informed, amounts to nearly $7000 and will, when the
additional building is added in the spring, reach $10,000.
When the whole affair is complete its capabilities will enable the manufacturers to furnish daily, if
necessary, from six to eight tons of shot ready for market but for the present winter the amount will be limited
from one to two tons.
With the hasty and imperfect sketch of the tower we leave it, and advise our citizens who would wish to
gratify their curiosity, to wait upon Mr. Rogers, as we have no doubt but he will be pleased to give them an
exhibition of its whole working after the present week when he will be in full blast (Dubuque Express &
Herald, November 26, 1856).
Figure 33: Ballou's view of Dubuque, view to the north, 1856
(Ballou's Pictorial Drawing Room Companion, October 31, 1857, p. 281)
The Shot Tower appears at far right
Figure 33 depicts the newly completed Shot Tower and its single-story frame building, the latter being elevated on
silks. This image is informative on a number of key points. First, if the shadow line on the building's roof is correct, then the
attached building was either north or east of the tower. Given the background elevations, the view most likely is toward the
northwest, thereby placing the building north or northeast from the tower. The account and the presence of smokestacks on the
building, indicate that the ten-foot initial ascent taken by the visiting editor, was up the ramp, shown in the view, into the side
building, and that the steam engine, winch, and the sorting mechanisms were all located outside of the tower. Finally, the
NPS Form 10-900-a
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8
Page 47
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
elevation of the building indicates that the working base of the tower was indeed its first (of nine) levels. The bmlding was
elevated to match that level and to avoid floods as well. This argues against there being very much tower base buried
underground. When the two-story replacement building was constructed (see Figure 38 below), its second story likely aligned
with the ground floor of the tower.
Figure 34:1858 lithograph of the Dubuque riverfront (Dubuque: Frontier River City, p. 156).
One additional reason for the Shot Tower's proximity to the river might have been for convenience of fuel delivery.
Dubuque imported its coal and its wood supply was both diminishing and expensive. The Daily Republican reported "...the
high price of wood and the facilities for obtaining coal by way of the river and raikoads will eventually make coal the principal
article of fuel used in Dubuque." It is probable that Rogers used coal for his operation (Daily Republican, September 11, 1857).
Figure 35:1864 view of the Dubuque riverfront.
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National Park Service
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Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 48
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, lowa
By December 24, 1856, Rogers was finally ready to begin regular operations. The following adverfisemant, targeted to
the local market rather than the river export market, appeared in the Weekly Express & Herald, and continued to run through the
spring of 1857:
SHOT TOWER:
The subscribers are now prepared to fill all orders for SHOT, combirimg all the different sizes Eom Buck Shot
to No. 20, at nearly St. Louis prices. All orders will be promptly filled, and shot delivered without any extra
expense. Orders from the country must be addressed to G. W. Rogers & Co., accompanied by the Cash, to
receive attention. As our business will be strictly a Cash business, we shall be enabled to serve those who may
favor us with their orders at rates that will make it in their interest to deal with us in preference to other
markets. Orders left at the Gun Shop orE. H. Rogers, on Fifth below MEre Street, will receive immediate
attention.
Rogers curiously could claim retail prices "at nearly St. Louis prices" an apparent claim that his cost was cheaper. The
advertisement also identifies E. H. Rogers as a probably partner with George Rogers, and hints that their involvement w/th shop
production grew out of the selling of guns (Weekly Express & Herald, December 24, 1856; April 1, 1857).
The planned additional building, to have gone up in 1857, didn't transpire. There was however continued large-scale
commercial construction along the outer levee. Bronson & Stewart built a six-storefront four-story brick block with cast iron
front, at a cost of $35,000. The massive building measured 125' square and was the city's largest warehouse, with 22 cast iron
columns set along its fagade. It is this building that dominates woodcuts of the period, standing south of the Shot Tower. L.D.
Anderson built a single storefront, costing $10,500. Cogswell & Barnes built a double storefront, of stone, three stories high, at
a cost of $12,000. No mention of a Shot Tower addition was listed in the annual progress report. A probable reason for the
lack of improvement was the financial panic that struck the city and nation, beginning in mid-September. Area banks began to
close and the city was devastated with the closure of Herron Brothers Bank on September 19. Money was in such short supply
that a public meeting of merchants was held in ntid-October to resolve the matter and the several harbor improvement
companies were authorized to issue their own script as a result (Dubuque Daily Tribune, December 31, 1857; Weekly
Republican, July 26, 1857; Daily Republican, October 18, 1857).
Figure 26 depicts the post-1857 building up of the outer levee, viewed from the bluffs west of the city proper. Present
are the range of warehouses and store buildings which line the levee, as well as a number of frame storefronts which appear to
front onto Fourth Street. A water course separates the outer levee and the city in the foreground. The Shot Towar stands
without an attached building. East Dubuque or Dunlieth, Illinois, is visible across the Mississippi River. The absence of the
two-story Shot Tower building, present by 1861, hints that that buik[mg was constructed in 1861 when lead shot production
resumed (see Figure 35 below).
The market area of the Shot Tower company has never been documanted. The initial 1856 advertisement cited above,
was clearly directed to the local sportsmen trade, and not the river export trade. A most helpful reference to the Dubuque lead
shot trade came with the establishment ora white lead factory in the city in mid-1857. White lead was a principal component of
paint at the time. Messrs. Finley, Burton & Company offered white lead (dry or ground in oil), Red Lead Lithardage, Zinc Paint
pipe and sheet lead and the factory, when in full operation, would consume ten tons of Iead weekly, or just a little less than was
used at the Shot Tower (see account below). The local newspapers had advocated such a business for years, to better take
advantage of the local lead production. Local processing of that lead was even more profitable than was mining and smelting
lead for export. At any rate, the Weekly Republican noted "Recently, a shot tower has been built, and is now doing a large
business. Instead of buying shot, we sell the article to our neighbors; and Chicago, Galena, and the up-river country, are more
or less supplied from this point." Thus two important points were made. The lead shot operation was operating on a grand
NPS Form ~0-900 a
{8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 49
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
scale, and secondly, the export market was east, via the Railroad, and principally upstream. Apparently a finished lead shot
product could be sh/pped competitively up river, at rates below those of downriver shot companies. Chicago had its own shot
producers, yet Dubuque had found a market niche there as well (Weekly Republican, July 1, 1857).
A second newspaper account corroborates the success of the Shot Tower. The tVeekly Express & HeraMreported in
early 1858 as follows:
...A shot tower was built last fall [sic], near the levee, of stone and brick, 150 feet high, and the manufacture of
shot commences on the 17th of November last, since which time an immense quantity has been made, full equal
to that made in other places; thus supplying Dubuque an important article for which she was previously
dependent on St. Louis.
The newspaper kindly dates the onset of initial production, a date, November 17, 1856, that corroborates the earlier accounts
noted above. Clearly the local shot production had eliminated one market niche of the St. Louis shot producers. The two above
accounts attest to the loss of much of the up-river market previously enjoyed by St. Louis lead interests (Weekly Express &
Herald, February 10, 1858).
The latest newspaper reference linking G. Rogers with the tower appeared in the Daily Republican in late July 1857.
Mr. Macloon showed the editors "with a pencil sketch view of the northern portion of the city taken from the top of Rogers'
shot-tower." The drawing was intended to appear with others in Ballou's Pictorial Magazine. The view covered the city from
Eagle Point to the Female College. The artist was H. W. Pettit. In the end ambrotypes were taken by local photographer Frank
Pickerell and these were the basis of the images used in Ballou's. A picture of the college was included, but Pettit's sketch was
not (Daily Republican, July 24, 1857).
The editor of the Daily Northwest inspected the Shot Tower in late September 1857, and thereby added to the historical
record of its continuing operation:
A Visit To The Shot Tower. --- In our pereginations yesterday morning, we chanced to pass near the shot
tower, owned by Messrs. Cook and Langworthy. And as usual, our local curiosity being excited, we
determined to know and see how shot were made, so in we went, putting, as a matter of course, our best foot
foremost. By enquiry of Mr. Langworthy, one of the proprietors, we ascertained that any one ambitious of
going to the top of the tower could do so without charge, and free-gratis-for-nothing. So up we went, puffing
[sic] and blowing, (that's our forte) until about midway, when we came to a halt, pretty well winded, and a
strong inclination to turn haclc But no - that wouldn't exactly prove our pluck and satisfy our rising ambition,
so, to the ladder we again turned. At an expense of much breath, and considerable straining of our-just now
relaxed muscles - we reached the top, which is one hundred and fifty feet high. After resting a spell, and
feeling somewhat recovered, and greasing our tongue with the "oil of civility," we commenced our enquiries of
the presiding genius of the furnace, ladle and lead kettle. He appeared somewhat amused at our questions, ail
of which, however, he very politely answered. For the information of those who do not know how shot are
made, we will give an explanation of the process. At the top of the tower, in a room about twelve by fourteen
feet, a small brick and iron furnace is built, upon which is an iron kettle capable of holding about ten or twenty
lo Fktley and Burton were using a newly patented process just developed by a Dr. Hamaon. The new process produced the necessary
carbonate in three weeks instead the normal six months. The factory, not located, occupied a frame structure (45x125) and the process
employed a 20 horse power steam engine. The owners also added their own smelter works. The works had been under construction "for
some time" as of late June, and was to be in operation by mid-July. The business was in full operation as of late October (Daily Tribune, June
29, October 26, 1857).
NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval NO. I024-0018
(8-86)
United Scares Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 50
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
gallons of melted lead, which is there poured into a copper strainer, and being suspended over the opening in
the flooring of the tower, the liquid drops through, and down a distance of one hundred andfifly feet, into a
large tank of water prepared to receive it. By the time the hot lead reaches the tank, it assumes a globular or
shot form and on coming in contact with the water, it is instantly cooled and hardened. The shot are then
placed in a barrel shaped tank, which, by an appliance of machinery, is made to revolve, thus cleaning or
polishing them. They are then rolled over an inclined plane in an oscillating chest with strainer pans for
separating and assorting the different sizes. They are then weighed and bagged. We are informed by Mr.
Langworthy, that with the present force of eight hands, and other facilities, they manufacture about five
thousand pound weight daily.
We were much struck with, and really delighted at the beautiful prospect from the top of the tower. The view
of the city is certainly one of the best to be had. If tbare is an artist in our midst desirous of taking a correct,
extended, and beautiful view of Dubuque, we would advise him to select the top of the shot tower as his point
from which to do so (Daily Northwest, September 22, 1857).
Obviously George W. Rogm:s was akeady out of lead shot production, given that Mr. Langworthy is in charge.
The Shot Tower almost completely escaped newspaper editorial notice during 1858. The one oblique exception, was
made at years' end:
Lead and Shot Works:
We learn that a company of enterprising capitalists are about to take hold of the Dubuque Shot Works, and add
to that manufacture the branch of sheet lead, and perhaps that of manufacturing pipe.
There is no reason in the world why the lead gathered from our mines should not be worked here into all of the
merchantable forms that commerce demands, and it is only wonderful that such a source of profit bas escape[d]
the notice of the man of means seeking for places of investment for their capital, as long as it bas.
Success to this party organizing and may rich returns flow into their coffers for their daring and enterprise.
Presumably Messrs. Finlay and Burton first Iooked at acquiring and enlarging the Shot Tower operation. They instead chose to
establish their own white lead works. Early in the year, the parcel that included the tower was individually platted out and
recorded (January 27, 1858). The parcel included Lots 22-24 of Block 7, the tower actually stood on Lot 24 (Balmer; Morning
Sun, December 25, 1858).
PATENT SHOT
L~¥1II~, D~IB~, IOWA.
h~e 36: Rogers Adve~sement, Spring 1857
(Express & Herald, M~ch 17, 1857)
NPS Form10 9OOa
f8-86}
United S~ates Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Resister of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 51
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
There was plenty of lead departing Dubuque throughout the year 1858.TM West & Hopldns had shipped 7,000 pigs of
lead from their Jones Street warehouse as of March 24, 1858 and the Times credited them with having 14,000-15,000 pigs
accumulated a week previous, awaiting the opening of navigation. The lead accumulated over the winter and was shipped as
soon as the river opened. The Times reported four new lead strikes between the city and Peru, with 10 to 15 mining "gangs" at
work along the Peru Road, as of August i858. The local unemployed were assured that the mines guaranteed employment and
an "inexhaustible source of wealth.' In mid-September, new and excellent lead veins were opened in the Obeshon Range in
southwest Wisconsin, just seven miles from Dubuque. One major impediment to local mining was the draining off of
experienced miners in the several gold and silver rashes in the West. The Express & Herald tried to convince mIners that more
wealth was to be found in lead mining than any other promised mineral. By October 1858 there were 300 lead miners working
w/thin seven m/les of the city. Many of these were new to the work, being unemployed due to the poor economy. They
replaced the departed gold seekers. Total lead exports from Dubuque and Dunleith in 1858 was estimated at 40,000 pigs,
weighing a total of 2,920,000 pounds or 1,500 tons. The total value, based on a market rate of $5.25 per 100 pounds, was
$150,000. The supply of lead wasn't a factor in closing the Shot Tower (Morning Sun, October 13, 17, 20, 1858; Weekly
Express Herald, March 24, April 28, September 1; Times, March 1 i, August 23, 1858).
It is particularly problematic to tie down lead shot production at the tower during 1859 and 1860. The long-term role of
George W. Rogers is also difficult to document.
The impressive fact is that the Shot Tower operation weathered at least the first year and a half of the fmanciaI panic of
1857, at least into late 1859, a time when many businesses failed both in Dubuque and across the state. Among these casualties
was the Harbor Improvement Company. Its dreams for relocating the downtown to the riverfront collapsed and its vast acreage
would remain largely undeveloped until the 1870s-80s when the land was used for lumber drying and storage. The Northwest
found a silver lining in the aftermath of the panic. It observed in late April 1859 that "the false bottom of Dubuque has at last
fallen out, and we are now transacting business upon a safe and firm foundation." There was real opportunity. Stores which ad
rented for $1,000-2,000 annually in pre-panic days could now be secured for $500-700. Lots could be purchased at low figures
and "shin plasters no longer circulate in our midst." Finley & Burton's white lead factory, a parallel reflection of local value
added lead processing also survived into early 1859, and was apparently quite successful. It did finally succumb to the panic.
The Times reported a 20-ton shipment to St. Louis in late March 1859 (Times, March 24, 1859):
The white lead manufactured at the Dubuque White Lead Works is taking precedence in the markets for its
excellence, being chemically pure and less liable to discolor. The company besides shipping to other points, are
now filling an order for St. Louis of twenty tons. Th/s shows what may be done in the manufacturing line in
Dubuque, and there are many other sources for as profitable investment (Morning Sun, March 25, 1859).
In the face of bad times, construction proceeded throughout the city, w/th an estimated 300 new houses going up, along
with numerous business blocks (30 buildings as of August 3, 1859). Work resumed in late July after a year's hiatus on a block
at Main and 11th. The Morning Sun echoed the confidence expressed by the Northwest, when it announced that "These hard
times, inconvenient as they are, will not prove unprofitable to this community." One substantial benefit to the lead trade was
the mining of the unemployed to that new line of work." Still, the city accounted for over half of all business failures, both in
number and total liabilities, during 1858 (94 failures, worth $2,196,122 in 1858, as opposed to 56 failures valued at $825,000
the previous year). The aftermath of the panic continued into the early war years. The Herald observed in mid-1861 "How the
~t 1861 lead exports fi.om Dunleith, as of September totaled 7,390 pigs of lead and 76 kegs of shot. These shipments were going by ra~
(Daily Union, get date).
~2 West & Hopkins were the principal lead exporters at Dubuque as of early 1858 (Times, March 11, 1858).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 52
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated) Dubuque County, Iowa
glory of 1857 has departed..." and noted "the contrast between the flush times of 1856~7 and the dullness of 1861-2" (Morning
Sun, November 5, 17, 1858; January 21, July 22, August 3, 1859; Herald, August i 0, i861 ).~3
SHOT TOWER.--While on a visit to the Shot Tower this morning, we were informed that it
was expected the work of manufacturing Shot would commence about the first of next week.
Daily Times, March 22, 1859
Peleg Tallman and William Hyde Clark took over the lead shot production, leasing the tower beginning in the spring of
1859. Their efforts lasted just three months, despite an apparently substantial reinvestment in new machinery at the tower:
Messrs. Tallman & Clark tested the newly arranged machinery in the shot tower, yesterday afternoon, by
putting it in motion and dropping shot. It works to perfect satisfaction and the establishment will commence to
manufacture for the market on Monday next. Success attend the enterprise, which we have no doubt will follow
with such men at the wheel, and in the native home of the mater/al (Morning Sun, March 26, 1859).14
This is the only account that associates Tallman and Clark as partners in the shot making business. Tallman is
duly listed as the Shot Tower agent in the 1859 Dubuque city cFzrectory. As of 1858 he was working as a realtor
and money broker, his office in both years being located on Seventh, between Ma/n and Iowa streets.
Begirafmg in early 1862, Tallman became a war correspondent for the New York Times. He died at Columbus,
Kentucky in April 1863, while serving in that capacity. The Times noted that Tallman had been "during the
flush times of '55 and '56, was a very extensive dealer in lands. After the crisis he managed the shot tower for
awhile, and for a year was Assistant Superintendent of the Custom House construction." The Herald described
Tallman as "a worthy young man...[who]...came into this city years ago with $13,000, which was nearly all
lost in land speculation" (Times, April 18, 1863; Herald, April 18, 1863).
Shot Making
The Herald at various times has urged the necessity and economy of building up lead
manufacturies in this city--upon the plea that is folly to send our lead to St. Louis, then to New
York, and which place it was bought by our dealers. This enormous addition of freight was just
exactly so much money wasted.
Messrs. Peleg Tallman & Co. have put the idea to a practical working, they have leased the
Shot Tower at the foot of Seventh street, and are now manufacturing a better article of shot
than can be bought in St. Louis or New York. As our readers may not be familiar with the
process of manufacturing shot, we will give them a brief description.
The tower is 130 feet high. In the lower rooms are the Furnaces, Engines, sorting and
polislfmg machinery, and the "putting up." The lead is melted and one pound of arsenic is
added to every hundred pounds of lead. It is drawn up to the top of the tower and poured Into a
sieve, from which it falls to the first floor in a reservoir of water. From the reservoir it goes on
the dryer and thence to a revolving cylinder in which it is polished. It is then taken out and
poured on an inclined plain. At the bottom of this is another inclined plain which is separated
from the first by a distance of a couple of inches. The pellets that are perfectly spherical will
gain momentum enough in passing down the flat inclined plain to carry them over the space
The white lead works was gone as of late 1861, when the Herald called for a replacement fa'm, adding "the failure in the white lead
business, through mismanagement or other causes by some parties, should not deter other capitalists from engaging in it" It celebrated the fact
that "at last shot is successfully made here" (Herald, September 25, 1861 ).
The source "Old Shot Tower" states that Tallman leased the tower beginning in March 1859.
NPS Form 10 90C~a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Re ister of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 53
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
which separates it from the one below. Ifa pellet is a little lame however, it comes down very
slowly, aided mayhap by a boy and a brush, and falls between the two inclined plains into a box
and is again to be re-melted. Those that go over both plains are of all sizes. They are then
taken out and put into a sort of sifting machine. This looks like a chest of drawers the top
drawer is perforated a certain size, the next below it a size smaller, and so on down. The show
is poured into the top and the whole machine driven backward and forward by machinery. Of
course all the pellets below a certain size corresponding with the holes in the top drawer fall
through and so on down---each drawer retaining a certain sized pellet, say "B.B.," "No. 1," etc.
Our old friend C. H. Remington has had charge of and the construction of all the machinery,
and the various conveniences are owing largely to his skill and inventive genius.
The machinery for the establishment is driven by a three horse power engine. The tower has
been in operation a little over two weeks, and they have manufactured over 9,000 lbs. of shot.
They are also making arrangements to manufacture sheet lead and tubing.
We are glad to be assured that they are receiving liberal orders.
W. H. Daniels is Formnan of the establishment.
Daily Herald, Aphl 14, I859
The above account is the only one to identify specific Shot Tower employees and it is the only
contemporary account to accurately report the height of the tower (missing the correct figure by just ten feet).
Remington is not listed in the 1858 city directory, but appears as a machinist in the 1859 directory. He
drowned in 1872, attempting to save a drowning boy in the Mississippi River. Daniels (1826-1898) was listed
as a laborer in directories of this time. He died in 1898 and was described "as well and favorably known." His
son Charles was an engineer with the 11th Street Elevator, and his son Will was a noted California
newspapcmmn (Herald, March 15, 1898; Times, June 18, 20, 22, 1873).
These two early 1859 Shot Tower accounts document the refitting or at least the rearrangament of the production
process, and an opeinng of operations a month after river navigation began. Mr. Remington was the designer and buildar of the
Tallman-Clark operation and Daniels was their foreman (Daily Herald, April 14, 1859).
The tower was recognized for its value as a vantage point. This account describing its use by a local artist, appeared in
late 1859:
View of Dubuque:
A Mr. Fleish is engaged at the present times in sketching a view of the city from the shot tower. An airy seat
for an artist just at the present time. Speaking of the tower we may add the proprietors will get to running again
in a few days.
It would have been cool and blustery atop the tower in early October. The entry nicely adds that the tower remained in
operation, having been shut down for an unexplained reason, for an undetermined period of time (Morning Sun, October 6,
1859).
The Shot Tower was likely flooded out twice in 1859. The first 1859 flooding came in mid-May. The Herald reported
"from any point in the city, 7th street, the outer levee, Jones street, &c, look like slender threads thrown across the surface of the
water." By May 14, the water reached the top of the 7th street improvement and teams hauling fill ceased working. Attention
shifted to saving lumber stocks from the yards located at the foot of 7th Street. Again in early June, it was reported "the several
Improvement Companies are entirely overflowed, except Third street extension, leading to the ferry landing." (Weekly Times,
June 16, 1859; Morning Sun, June 11, 1859; Herald, May 13, 14, 1859).
NPS Form 10-900-a
{8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 54
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Peter Cook and William Langworthy, both Harbor Improvement Company directors, were the last known entrepreneurs
to attempt a continued shot production. They are said to have operated the tower through the end of 1859. Rogers is no longer
listed in Dubuque city d/rectories after 1858, but his name appears in the sheriff's tax sale notice in March 1860 (see below).
Roger's company is said to have become Cook, Rogers & Company and then Cook & Langworthy, both of these changes likely
occurring in 1858 or even 1859. The 1858 Dubuque city directory lists Cook & Langworthy as the Shot Tower operators
(Commercial Avenue on the inner levee), which appears to support the 1858 date.
Cook & Langworthy were the probable new owners and operators when the artist, cited above in October 1859, was at
work on the top of the tower. Their operation was certainly short lived given that the Shot Tower was sold to yet another
unidentified party and the Dubuque Harbor Improvement Company was forced to foreclose on the new owner in January i860.
The successive sales were related to financial problems w/th the Dubuque Harbor Improvement Company and not to a failure to
pay property taxes. The property was seized by the City Marshal a month later and Gilbert Woodruff, of Rockford, Illinois,
purchased it (Lot 24) for $1,653 at public auction on March 14, 1860. Note that George W. Rogers is still named as a principal
in the matter. A day later Woodruff sold the parcel to Julius K. Graves for just $1,200. The price reduction hints at some form
of partnership between Woodruff and Graves. Graves later picked up the other two adjoining lots (lots 22-23) at the end of
1860, paying $5,450 for them. Note that the undeveloped lots were worth considerably more than was the single lot with the
Shot Tower. He was the sole owner of the Shot Tower company, having bought out one willing seller after another at rock
bottom prices. Graves was not an original member of the Rogers firm (Oldt, p. 128; Telegraph-Herald, September 26, 1933)
property abstract)?
There is no evidence of shot production in Dubuque during 1860(nor is there evidence that it wasn't in production, the
newspapers are simply silent on the matter) and the available record indicates that the Shot Tower enjoyed regular production
from its construction through 1859. If out of production, it wasn't due to the lack of local Iead production. The total lead
exports for 1860 totaled 67,225 pigs of lead, including 1,600 pigs still on the levee as of January 1861. Fifteen percent of this
25 The Dubuque newspaper index cites both of these changes to a Express & Herald article dated August 25, 1857. That article is not to be
found and it might well be that the year is in error.
]6 Neither surviv/ng newspaper, the Herald or Times, discussed the January 1860 sale and the March 1860 sheriff's sale is also not discussed.
No associated dislrict court case was found to explain the facts behind the seizure and sale.
NPS Form 10-900 a OMBApprov~llVo, I024-G018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 55
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
total were shipped out by rail, the rest by river. A Herald account of late 1860 reported that about seven percent of the
downriver lead was headed for Pittsburg, on the Ohio River (3,000 of 2,487 pigs). The 1860 figures well above those of the
previous year. The price of lead might explain the Shot Tower's problem. Higher lead prices would have enabled St. Louis
competitors to broaden their shipping range, while low prices would have favored local producers like those in Dubuque. The
reality however, at least by 1861, was falling lead prices (Herald, September 19, 1860; Times, January 26, 1861).
· he apparent final failure of the Shot Tower is commonly blamed on price undercutting on the part of the St. Louis
competition. It is said that this effort began as soon as word of the new Dubuque tower reached that city. The probable source
for these legends is a published recollection by Senator William Allison, first published in 1914. The senator recounted that a
group of Dubuque businessmen had invested "at large expense" in the tower venture, thinking it would "pay like a California
gold mine." There was no other tower nearer than St. Louis the senator recalled. The initial business was "quite satisfactory"
but demand then slackened. Allison recalled how Julius Graves quietly purchased the company shares, with no explanation for
his acquisitions. Graves "saw his opportunity" with the coming of the Civil War. Allison claimed that Graves simply Iead to
announce his intentions to produce shot and within two weeks, he was first approached by the St. Louis shot tower interests.
This was clearly not the case, Graves took no action with the Shot Tower until well after the war was underway. Once in
operation, Grave's effort was very profitable at least through March 1862, and plans were in the works to substantially broaden
and expand production. Allison also stated that a price war was initiated by the St. Louis interests and that Graves encouraged
all to buy from them at their below production cost rotes. The pr/ce war was quickly concluded, according to Senator Allison
(Telegraph-Herald, April 15, 1914, reprinted from the Chicago Record-Herald, no date).
In reality the St. Louis interests were struggling against more than area shot tower, given that there at least two towers
in operation on the Upper Mississippi River, at Dubuque and in Wisconsin. The western shot towers had the advantage of being
close to their lead suppliers, and had a pr/ce edge over the East Coast shot towers. It is claimed that St. Louis dominated the
regional lead shot market, but artificially iow shot prices would have hurt it the most, given that its shot was shipped the
greatest distances. Short-haul competitors would have paid considerably lower shipping costs within their smaller market areas.
Other factors in the lack of overt success for the Dubuque tower were likely high bulk lead prices, the lack of economic of scale
in a small and fairly inefficient operation, a too-short tower that produced shot with a high rate of failures, and the very difficult
economic times of 1857-59. The June 1861 Daily Times treatment of the Shot Tower (see below) confirms the advantage of
low lead prices and local production opportunity. That source noted "the present low price of lead has made it an inducement
once more to embark in this undertaking" (Telegraph-Herald, September 26, 1943; Daily Times, June 15, 1861).
The booming lead mining industry withered in the face of low market prices. The Herald reported "the present
condition of the country has affected the lead trade as well [as] every other branch of business. The price of mineral is low in
consequence of their being a low or uncertain market for lead. Hence those miners who are raising mineral feel that if they are
obliged to sell at the present prices they will sustain an unexpected loss." The smelters stopped buying and the miners even
considered starting their own smelter. The going rate was just $25-27 per 1,000 pounds of ore, and lead pigs sold at $4.75 each.
Lead Trade The unsettled state of the lead market and the equally unsettled state of the currency, has induced
most of the smelters throughout the lead region to discontinue buying miners' minerals for the present. Mining
is, however, prosecuted as vigorously as ever (Herald, April 25, 1861).
The other course was paper script. The Dubuque Miners' Association voted a resolution opposing accepting "stumptatl"
currency for their lead. Friends of Julins Graves took action to exempt the State Bank (Grave's bank) from the action, noting
"the notes of this bank are equivalent to coins." The Herald, for one, disagreed and was pleased to report the many instances
where the bank refused to cash out its own script. The failure of another Dubuque banking house, Theo Gelpecke & Company,
on May 6, was another measure of very unsettled fmancial times in the city. The lead market situation improved between May
and September, during which mineral prices increased $12 per half ton, from $20 to $32. Mining was still a seasonal industry,
NPS Form t0-900-a
(8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Approval No. 1024-00~8
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 56
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
with many miners ceasing work during the heat of the summer. By late August, many were returning to work, buoyed by the
higher lead prices (Herald, April 19, May 8, 19, June 15, August 30, October 27, 1861)?
As war fever increasingly gripped the city and region, lead miners were among those who joined the early military
companies. The miners at Mineral Point, Wisconsin, raised their own unit, the "Miners Guards." The Herald suggested that
lead miners were perfect for sapper and miner engineering service. The Dubuque Miners' Association complained that they
could scarcely obtain a quorum for meetings because the "war news" dominated and all things were now military. Southem
shipping interests pledged to maintain an open Mississippi River trade and Confederate shipping duties were exempted from
lead shipments. Less patriotically inclined Dubuque lead miners still had the option to head west to dig gold, the gold fever
raging on (Herald, March 29, April 28, 30, May 21, 1861).
The first 1861 reference to the tower notes that high water had hindered shot production. The same high water impeded
the departure of the city's first Federal volunteers on April 24. There was barely sufficient dry levee area to accommodate the
large crowd that saw them off dowra'iver. The account is unclear as to whether lead shot production was underway previous to
the flooding (Daily Times, April 24, 1861).
Shot Tower. - We are informed by one of the proprietors of this fme building that as soon as the high water
subsides in the river, they will commence the manufacture of shot once more. It is our sincere hope that as long
as shot are made anywhere, this institution will continue to run to its full capacity. It is entirely wrong to pay
half a dozen freights and profits on the products of our lead mines before it gets to our hands ready for
consumption, when it might be made up here at our doors just as well.
J. K. Graves, Esq., a gentleman who is largely interested in this enterprise, purchased a large flag the other day
which cost him $40, which he intends to raise upon a tall pole from the top of the shot tower on the receipt of
the news of the first battle and victory for the Union. Good for him.
Daily Times, May 24, 1861
Graves fmally couldn't wait for a battle, let alone a victory, and he displayed his large Star Spangled Banner at the end of May.
There were several minor naval actions in Virginia during mid-May but it is more likely that his patriotic display was made in
response to the killing of Federal Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, who was shot while removing a Confederate flag from a hotel in
Alexandria, Virginia, a town that Federal forces occupied on May 24, 1861.
THE HIGHEST FLAG IN IOWA. -- The patriotic proprietors of the Shot Tower raised yesterday a fine S.B.
B., on a staffabove the top of the tower, 160 feet from the ground. We doubt whether there is a pole of that
height in the State. At least, Dubuque wiIl claim the honor of the highest flag until further news.
Herald, May 31, 1861.
Graves (1837-1898) and his brother, R. E. Graves, were principally bankers. Julius Graves started his working life as a
bank clerk in his native New Hanxpshire. He came to Dubuque in 1855 and was made cashier for the private banking house of
M. Mobley & Company. The bank reorganized as J. K. Graves & Co. in 1858, and then merged with the State Bank of Iowa as
its Dubuque branch, with Graves as vice president and general manager. Graves also served on the State Bank's Board of
Control as a director. In later years Graves was a principal organizer of both the National State Bank and Commercial National
Bank. His major business interest was the Key City Gas Works, with which he became affiliated in 1859. He became its
president and chief stockholder. He also served as the presidant of the Dubuque Street Railway (1868) and is credited with
While the smelters were the primary market for lead ore, there is at least one report where a local merchant was a direct buyer. Tlqte Shot
Tower operators would have purchased bar lead either fi'om the smelters or perhaps a purer lead product from the white lead factory (Morning
Sun, July 16, 1859). For au excellent example of the Herald berating the State Bank notes, see Dubuque Herald, November 7, 186I.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
]qatlonal Park Service
OMB Approval No. I024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 57
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
establishing the Fourth Street Elevator. He was elected Mayor in 1866 despite ins Republican politics, in i876 he was elected
to serve in the State House of Representatives, and in 1881 he was elected to serve four years as a state senator. He became
involved with raikoad construction in 1870, serving as president of the Chicago, Clinton & Dubuque Railway Company, the
Chicago, Dubuque & Minnesota Railroad, and the Iowa Pacific Raikoad (Portrait and Biographical Record, pp. 138-39; 1880
History, pp. 795-96; Oldt, pp. 621-22; Lyon, Faith & Fortune, p. 169).
With the coming of the Civil War, the Graves brothers loaned the State of Iowa considerable sums necessary to raise
and equip military volunteers from the Dubuque area. Julius Graves took the lead locally in volunteering to raise, equip and
finance the military organization, and the establiskment of what was first termed "Camp Union," and later expanded and
renamed "Camp Franklin," a major state military rendezvous point, in early September 1862, Graves was appointed Post
Quartermaster by Governor Kirkwood. Letters of support for his selection were submitted by William B. Allison, George S.
Peirce, Brigadier General F. J. Herron, and his fellow bankers, R. Btmson, T. Davis and brother R. E. Graves (Record Group
101, Adjutant General, General Correspondence, 1861-62, Boxes 3, 13, State Archives).
In late May 1861, Julius Graves penned the following offer to Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood, concaming the Dubuque
Shot Tower:
As the sole owner of the "Dubuque Shot Tower" I take this occasion to tender the use of said property to
Government for the manufacture of such supplies of Bulletts and other Leaden missiles of war as may be
required during the continuance of the present troubles - without money and without price. - The Tower is in
good runmng condition and is at your immediate service.
Or if preferred I shall be most happy to fizrnish such War materials delivered at such points as you may deem
expedient and at actual cost. As you are well aware this section of Iowa is the seat or "Fountain head" of the
Lead region - the supply is inexhaustible, which fact coupled with the facilities of the Tower for the
manufacture of Bulletts, Shot, &c, etc. I commend to your consideration.
in the present struggle of Liberty with barbarism it behooves all who love their Country to sink the partisan in
the Patriot - to yield personally emolument and gain to the glorious cause of our National Flag.
This is the motive which activates me and I am ready to add my mite in advancement of the "common cause" -
and will gladly furnish that which shall deal death and destruction to Traitorous Southern Rebels "until the last
armed foe expires."
Your Obt. Svt.
J. K. Graves
There is no evidence of a response from Governor Kirkwood. One of the Governor's staff noted at the bottom of Grave's letter:
Mr. Graves has just suggested the idea to me of offering the use of his "Shot Tower" &c. to you for the patriotic
purpose of giving them "a little more grape." He is one of our best business men & has every facility to serve
the people in this emergency - whatever he promises will be done.
A search of State ordinance records during the Civil War years identified just one bulk lead contract, with John C. Washburn, of
Davenport. The State appears to have obtained its ammunition supply from Federal arsenals and buyers, although in troth, its
initial request for 500,000 rounds of buck and ball cartridges, requested on July 23, 1861 (immediately following the Federal
defeat at the battle of First Bull Run in Virginia), could not be filled "owing to a number of very urgent requisitions now on
hand." There is little evidence that the State Arsenal ever held any quantity of musket balls. Many of the State weapons were
large caliber foreign imports, Garibaldi Rifles, and Prussian Muskets, of caliber .71 and .72 respectively. These weapons as
well as other specialized weapons such as Colt Pistols, came with their own bullet molds. There are many references to
"elongated musket balls" an apparent reference to the Minie type cartridge bail, which was a cast produce. This evidence
NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approva/ No. 1024-0018
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 58
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
/ndicates that the Shot Tower produced no shot for State purposes, but it doesn't mean that this was the case in other states
(Record Group 101, Adjutant General, Invoices of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores, 1861-1865, Box 1).
What is clear is that the Shot Tower was in fixll operation. Seventy-six kegs of shot were shipped by rail from Dunleith
as of September 1861. The Shot Tower also contributed an extensive display at the annual County Agricultural Fair
(plowshares into swords?) that same month, for which it received a "Diploma" (Express & Herald, September 12, 1861):
The Dubuque Shot Manufacturing company had several pigs of Iead worked up into spherical masses, in sizes
varying fi'om mustard seed to large marrow fat peas. These are commonly called shot, bullets and slugs. At
one end of the same table was lead in the ore, rough, unsightly; at the other, lead finished in the highest state of
the art, bottled and bagged, ready to be hurled at the first unlucky bird or secessionist that may fall in thepro
tern owner's way.
Daily Union; September 5, 1861
A local source, without citation, credits Graves with a daily production of 100-150 25-pound sacks of shot, adding "Even at
capacity not all the orders could be filled and additions were planned" (Old Shot Tower, p. 1).
Graves early purchase of the Shot Tower in November 1860, previously noted, dispels any likelihood that his entry into
the lead shot making trade was related to the coming of the Civil War. The purchase date was previous to the earliest state
secession date and well before the onset of the war itself. However, Graves letter to the Governor implies strongly that the
banker's interest in the Shot Tower was purely patriotic. Nothing had been done for halfa year to place the tower into
operation, so perhaps the war offered an easy way to secure lucrative war contracts and to place it in operation. Failing that,
Graves fei1 back to attempting regular lead shot production for a civilian market. One major factor in his favor was the burning
in 1861 ora competing shot tower near Helena, Wisconsin. Dunleith, illinois, the railhead across the river from Dubuque, was
the major export point for lead from Wisconsin (the Potosi region) by early July 1861. As of July 3 there were 100,000 pounds
of lead bars awaiting shipment eastward, the lead being "mostly from Potosi." The demise of the Helena tower might have
increased this lead exportation. The accumulation was also largely caused by the virtual disappearance of railroad cars in the
early months of the war. This gave him back the upper river market. A month after writing his letter to the Governor, Graves
announced plans to reopen the lead works, and the following info-mercial appeared in the Daily Times:
Figure 38:1861 Shot Tower wood cut (Daily Times, July 15, 1861)
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 59
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Shot Tower - Above will be found a cut, which at a large expense has been prepared especially for the Daily
Times, or any other man. It is a correct representation of that tine structure, the Dubuque Shot Tower. It is
well built of stone and brick, 150 feet in height, and erected in the flush times of 1856, at an expense of more
than $15,000. The original owners became involved and were unable to mn it after it was completed. It has
been sold and re-sold upon different decrees of the court and on mortgages until at last it is in the hands of our
enterprising young townsman J. K. Graves, Esq.. He has associated with him other men of experience and these
uniting with him will start again in the business of making shot of all sizes, on Monday next.
The present low price of Iead had made it an inducement once more to embark in this undertaking. The
tower will make, when run to its full capacity, from 5,000 to 8,000 lbs of shot daily, and would, if run
constantly, use up one half of the entire lead crop of the Dubuque mines.
P. Tallman, Esq., the former superintendent, will have charge of the manufacture. For the convenience
of sportsmen he will make a great improvement in the manner of sacking the shot. Heretofore it has always
been put up in twenty-five pound sacks, but he will put up half sacks, containing twelve pounds and quarter
sacks with 6 pounds. These small packages will be very popular with sportsmen, as many gentlemen who go
out for a day's shooting, do not wish to purchase a full sack.
It is very gratifying to see an enterprise of this character reviving at a season of such general
prostration: - We hope our jobbing merchants will extend every encouragement they possibly can to this
manufactory and give them the preference when they can consistently with their own interests. We sincerely
hope this company may soon carry out their intentions of making sheet lead and lead pipe, and eventually make
white lead for the whole upper Mississippi Valley.
Absent from this account is any reference to the national emergeney or a market that was offered by it. Presumably, failing to
obtain a State contract, the owners had devised a conventional plan of operation, one that focused on the needs of sportsmen
and local merchants and offered a smaller six-pound bag of shot in lieu of the usual 25-pound bag. A part of this plan was to
expand production into other lead materials such as pike and sheet lead. A key reference to lower bulk lead prices is an
important indication that it was the high cost of bulk lead that had forced the closure of the tower in the past.. The local
newspaper was tbrilled to see the revival of a notable pre-panic industry and its return to production was one more indicator that
the effects of the panic were finally abating. Notable as well is the newspapers' special effort to present a woodcut of the
facility, a rare step at this time in newspaper illustration technology (Daily Times, June 15, 1861; Herald, July 3, 1861).
Earlier accounts indicate a seasonal Shot Tower operation but as of January 1861, Graves' shot production was very
busy, an apparent indirect indication that the war was driving the lead shot market. The following fortuitous accident account,
nicely documents the Shot Tower operation:
Ha/r Breadth Escape. __ A serious accident occurred at the Shot Tower Tuesday afternoon, about three o'clock,
occasioned by the g/ving way of the floor of the finishing room attached to, but not a part of the tower.
Owing to the impossibility of shipping across the river for the past few days the quantity of shot has
accumulated and together with the large quantities of Iead stored on the premises, caused the floor to give way,
precipitating three of the workmen together with about a thousand bags of shot, eighteen tons of lead in pigs
and cakes, two cauldrons of molten lead, weighing about fourteen hundred pounds, as also miscellaneous
articles used in the room, including one large stove, full of fire, and a large furnace, under full blast.
Strange to say, amidst the ruins thus created, but one of the workmen--Mr. Richard Dillon--was injured. He
was found with his leg broken and his head somewhat braised, surrounded by huge piles of lead and a large
beam across his neck, so that his escape from instant death was truly miraculous.
He was promptly cared for Drs. Lay and Lewis, and is doing well.
The blame rests of course in storing such quantities of lead in the building, the workmen, were, however
governed by their own ideas, as to whether it should be stored there or left piled up outside the building, so that
NPS Form l0 900-a
(8-86)
United S~ates Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheer
Section number 8 Page 60
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
no fault can be attributed to any one. The loss will be small--aside from the delay--as the lead and shot can be
re-melted. The damage to the building will be remedied at once so that business wiIl proceed as usual after the
present week.
Daily Times, January 9, 1862
This account provides the only measure of the Shot Tower work/orce, with three workmen in the attached building, and some
number atop the tower. It implies strongly that the building was still a raised structure, as originally depicted. The 1861
drawing (see above) contradicts this and it quite possible that the collapse was that of a second floor, with the "precipitation"
dropping to the ground floor. The account is very detailed about the scale of the production, with two cauldrons likely being
heated by a single furnace, and the fact that the melting was done on or near the ground, rather than at the top of the tower. The
amount of accumulated bar lead and the amount being melted at the time of the operation are measures of a large-scale lead shot
production. There is also a heat stove which provided auxiliary heat to the building. All of the winter production was being
shipped by rail and thus the need to transport the shot across the river to the mil head at Dunleith. The ice must have been too
thin or had broken up, preventing the use of sleighs to ship the lead over the river. Here again, one of the workforce is named.
Richard Dillon is simply listed as a laborer in period city directories of 1858 through 1866..18
Graves' shot production was going very well as late as md-March, 1862, when the following account appeared in the
Daily Times:
Dubuque Shot Manufacturing Company. - This company's works are in full blast at the tower, and they are
turning out fi.om 100 to 150 sacks per day. Mr. Graves is introducing improved machinery and otherwise
adding to the advantage of this factory, hoping thus to be able to keep up to his orders. One fn'm in Chicago,
agree to take one thousand sacks per week during the whole of 1862. Burbank & Co. of Saint Paul, as soon as
the river navigation opens, wish to be supplied with several hundred sacks weekly for the trade of the Red River
of the North. These are only two of the great customers of our shot tower. No small amount is sold by the local
agents, Smith & Cannon[,] and other orders from a distance are pouring in more rapidly than they can possibly
be filled.
The Company designs erecting this summer a smelting furnace in conjunction with the tower, and be enabled
to save a great amount of expense in melting, etc. The original intention of the company was to eventually
build machinery and shops for the manufacture of bar lead, lead pipe, sheet lead, and other articles made from
lead, but they are so overrun with business at present that they find it expedient to devote their whole energies
to the manufacture of shot and bar lead alone. It is to be hoped, however, that the time may come when every
pound of the products of our mines may be manufactured here at home.
Daily Times, March 19, 1862
This account appears to nicely document Mr. Graves' original plan, that of establishing a lead products factory in Dubnque,
despite Senator Allison's recollections to the contrary. Note the complete absence of any reference to war-related production.
There is no way to know that the various vendors were not military contractors of course, but clearly much of the production
was intended for domestic use, and the market area was east by mil and north and northwest by river. No mention is made of
the St. Louis shot makers. Again, lead shot production is going ahead year-round, regardless the availability of river shipping,
although the northern trade is dependent upon that shipping mode. Clearly the company is also producing a considerable
amount of bar lead, in small weights. It is probable that these bars were marked by the company name (referenced for the first
time in this account). These bars would survive in archeological settings, particularly at sunken steamboat sites.
18 City directories never specifically idenQfy the Shot Tower workers although the 1858 directory does identify the White Lead factory
employees. Tkis omission implies that the workers were unskilled laborers, and 1kke all laborers, no specific place of employment is offered.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
Hational Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 61
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
The final local reference to the Shot Tower dates to mid-July 1862, and might indirectly document an abandoned
facility that was vulnerable to the visitation of Iocal youths:
THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.--A boy stole a chunk of arsenic from the shot tower a day or two ago and took it
home. There he threw it on the ground in the garden and went to diner. Soon after he had finished his meal he
went out doors and was dismayed to see sixteen of his father's Shanghai's dead upon the ground, and as many
more on the point of giving up the ghost. Served him fight.
Daily Times, July 13, 1862
The Shot Tower sale was concluded on July 14, just a day after this account. News of the sale leaked out prior to the filing of
the sale public record ten days later (property abstract).
Wittfm a week, the same source announced the startling news that the Shot Tower had been sold.
THE SHOT TOWER IS SOLD.-J. K. Graves, Esq., informs us that the shot tower in this city has been sold to
Mr. Chadboume of the Saint Louis Shot Manufacturing Company. It has been purchased by them because it
interfered so much with their trade, and we learn with much regret it is their intention to take out the machinery,
board up the doors, and close the establishment merely because it had become too powerful a rival. This
directly affects our prosperity to a certain degree, and it rests only with our capitalists to say whether the
manufactory of shot shall be abandoned entirely by the citizens of Dubuque.
Daily Times, July 18, 1862
The actual Shot Tower sale was concluded on July 14 and the purchase filed for record tan days later. The local press
were aware of the sale by July 18, 1862 (property abstract).
The Express & Herald was then being considerably d/stracted by such things as the arrest of its editor, Dcnmis Mahoney, on
charges of disloyalty. That distraction, along with the threat cfa nfilitary draft, likely excused its contradictory report on the
sale of the tower, a report that wasn't retracted:
THE SHOT TOWER. The report that the shot tower of the city was sold to a St. Louis firm, is incorrect.
Laflin, Smith & Co., the great powder and shot firm, a branch of which house is established here are the
purchasers. The price paid was $3,000, we learn, and the build/rig is now boarded up and deserted, thus
destroying the competition which it kept up while operation.
Express & Herald, July 24, 1862
Both of these aceounts document the claimed shot production competition between Dubuque and St. Louis and the acquisition
of the Shot Tower was in fact accomplished to shut down the Dubuque operation.
THE SHOT TOWER.~The shot tower passed into the possession of Messrs. Chadbourne &
Forster of St. Louis yesterday, and not to Messrs. Laflin, Smith & Co., as the Herald stated.
The price paid was $3,000. The original cost of the building was $15,000. It is prom/sed by
the present owners that they will expend 6,000 on the tower, and get it rurafmg immediately.
Daily Times, July 26, 1862
19 The advertisement for the "Dubuque Shot Manufacturing Company" continued to run in the Daily Times as late as July 27,
1862. The advertisement, offering to fill "orders for the vafious sizes of shot, fitted with dispatch." Was this an oversight or
was the company already planning to produce shot in another way?. (Daily Times, July 27, 1862)
NFS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 62
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Something had caused Mr. Graves to decide to close down his shot tower. It is lmown that his manager, Pellig Tallman,
had decamped for service as a war correspondent, the previous January. Still, the plant was in full operation as of the following
March. The St. Louis purchase price was hardly an offer that couldn't be refused. Graves certainly had much more money tied
up in the Shot Tower both in its acquisition as well as its several improvements. Just a week after the sale was publicized,
Graves wrote Governor Kirkwood seeking "a Staff appointment - or position as Quartermaster under Brig. Gen. Herron who is
now recruiting here." Col. William Allison had served as the Governor's staff representative in Dubuque, but had resigned in
January 1862. The Daily Times called for his replacement in mid-August, noting "The military interests here already suffer for
lack of some proper head to direct affairs." It was Grave's apparent intention to see actual field service, given his pledge to the
Governor that "I am ready to quit Banking, drop my Pen and devote my time and energies to the welfare of the Brigade and the
extinction of Traitors." Graves didn't get assigned to the brigade but did secure the post of Dubuque Quartermaster, a mostly
honorary yet important position that paid $3.00 a day. Dubuque was alive w/th excitement about the threatened military draft
and a major effort was underway to form additional regiments. Hysteria about loyalty reached its high point as local Democrats
were arrested and hauled off to Old Capitol Prison in Washington. Governor Kirkwood let it be known that no field staff
applicant would be considered absent evidence that the candidate had actively recruited volunteers. Graves secured his desired
appointment, was ranked a captain, and took on the significant challenge of rebuilding and enlarging the existing rendezvous
camp on Eagle Point. Graves oversaw the rapid construction of 60 new barracks and the camp, large enough to house 6,000
volunteers, was renamed "Camp Franklin" in honor of Benjamin Franklin (Record Group 101, Adjutant General, General
Correspondence, 1862, Box, 13, State Archives; I880 History, pp. 462-63; Daily Times, August 10, 13, 16, 19, 28, 29,
September 14, 19, 1862).
The legend states that Graves simply dumped the Shot Tower and found a clever new, cheaper and perhaps
more effective way to produce shot. His lead shot company continued operating under its old name and Graves was an
active partner, although his name rarely surfaces in contemporary newspaper accounts (see below). The story goes on
to recount how Graves was taken to court based on his undocumented promise to not build another shot tower in
Dubuque. The problem with the legend is the lack of any documentation that the court case was ever tried.
What nobody could have known, in imd-1862, was that the market value of lead would escalate to record levels
before the war ended. By 1865 a thousand pounds of lead was worth $109, hi sharp contrast to a preceding 30-year
running average of $30 (source?).
The St. Louis Shot Tower Company. Downstream Competition:
This major regional producer of lead shot had its origins in early 1844 when Ferdinand Kennett began to raise up a 195'
tower. That effort failed at 175 feet and its bricks were removed to a Mississippi River site, just north of where the famous
Eads Bridge would be built following the Civil War. This impressive plant is pictured in Figure 12. The new tower reached
175 feet and its foundation rested on a massive stone that was discovered during the excavation of the foundation. The firm was
rifled Kermett, Simonds & Company in 1849, and was re-titled the St. Louis Shot Tower Company in 1858. The newly
incorporated firm was capitalized at $200,000 and annually consumed between five and six million pounds of bulk lead. The
company officers were President G. W. Chadbourne, Secretary Theodore Foster, and Superintendent O. G. Rule. Chadboume
had started out in the lead shot trade as a mere clerk in 1847 but had risen to the top management of the operation. The
company obtained its lead both from upriver sources as well as a number of Missouri lead mining areas, principally Jefferson
County and Southwest Missouri (Dacus, pp. 336-38).
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 63
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 39: q[he St. Louis Shot Tower
(Missouri Historical Review, January 1954, p. 162)
The Missouri Republican (St. Louis) described the new shot tower in an early February 1847 article. It repeated the
175-feet elevation, but gave the drop distance as just 150 feet. The tower diameter was 31 feet at the base and 17 feet at the top.
The newspaper acknowledged that the Baltimore shot tower was taller than this one, but it claimed second place nationally.
The tower had an estimated daily capacity of 10,000 pounds of lead. Its initial power source was horsepower, but steam power
was planned to replace the horses (Missouri Republican, February 8, 1847).
20 The same source gave lead shot exports fi:om St. Louis for the years 1844-1846. There was a previous shot tower in operation given the
shipments of 28 kegs and 462 kegs of shot for the years 1845 and 1846 respectively (Missouri Republican, January 5, 1847).
NPS Form 10-$00-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 64
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 40: Thomas M. Easterly (1809-82) photograph of the St. Louis Shot Tower, c. 1850
(Gateway Heritage, Spring 1994, p. 63)
The war interrupted the availability of lead from most of Missouri. While most of the state continued to be occupied by
Federal forces, the state's mines and shot towers had been largely destroyed or disabled. The war also eliminated any
downstream market for the St. Louis company. The only other known lower Mississippi Valley shot tower operation was in
New Orleans and its period of operation is undetermined. Increasingly, Chadboume's firm would have sought out new market
areas and replacement lead sources. Both could be found at Dubuque.
The St. Loins firm prospered well into the 20th Century. In 1878, the Tour of St. Louis observed:
The products of the St. Louis Shot Tower find a sale in every part of the country, and by the employment of
skillful hands and the latest and most valuable patents, the company has established an immense business and
gained a reputation for the excellence of their shot almost unparalleled (Dacus, p. 228).
While the St. Louis company is not known to have ever used the Dubuque Shot Tower, they used the 1861 tower
woodcut in conjunction with the advertisements of their local agents, Laflin & Smith, later Laflin & Rand Powder Company.
Laflin & Smith were agents for the company as early as September 1861, well before the Dubuque Shot Tower was purchased
by the St. Louis interests (Express & Herald, September 12, 1861).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
iqational Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 65
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 41: St. Louis riverfront, view west (arrow locates St. Louis Shot Tower)
(Colored lithograph by J. W. Hill, 1852, Missouri Historical Society Print Collection, Gateway Heritage, Fail 1997, p. 4)
The St. Louis Shot Tower Company's Dubuque Agent:
Laflin & Smith Powder Company, dealers in powder, shot and safety fuse, were located at 56 Main Street as of 1865.
One account states that this firm was actually a branch of the St. Louis firm and the shot that they sold in Dubuque came from
that source. It was surely handy for the St. Louis shot makers to have "eyes and ears" in Dubuque itself. It is also logical to
assume that any "price war" between the two shot-makers largely played itself out on the very streets of Dubuque (1865 City
Directory, p. 124; Dubuque County Historical Society).
Figure 42: Laflins, Srrfith & Company Advertisement (Herald, July 26, 1862)
NPS Form 10-800-a OMB Appro*ral No, 1024-0018
(8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 66
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated) Dubuque County, Iowa
The fLrrn became Latin & Rand by the i870s and it continued to use the Shot To,vet woodcut on their order forms at
that time. They continued to represent St. Louis fn-m and felt justified in associating with the Shot Tower image into the 1870s,
despite the fact that the St. Louis firm lost the tower to unpaid taxes in early 1871.
LAFLIN & RAND POWDER CO.,
Gun Powder Mamtfaclurers, and Dealers ~ Sho/ and Gun Ca~s,
Du6ueue .................................................................. z~ ......
~i~.~ll, I~ g'cmd order and coml~Tiou, [~y L~FZI~ ~ R~ND PO ~D~'R CO.. on ~ard
t~ g~ X~oat ...................................................................... t~e fo~g axe, les, m~rked-or
~mvdd~le d~gers ~n~igaB~ ~ fire on~ exce~l~, la
at .................................................................. : ............................................ pa~.c ptig~ fir ~ same
~ l/m role ~
P~d~ .................................... p~ Keg.
Figure43: Latin & Rand order form (Dubuque County Historical Society)
Dubuque "Shot Tower" or "Shot Hole" operator Jim Hughes also used the same image in his 1863 advertisement (see
below) and clearly stated that his shot was "manufactured...at the Dubuque Shot Tower." Hughes was not the heir of the
Dubuque Shot Manufactur/ng Company, the former owner of the actual tower, but he was more than willing to "borrow" the
image of the Shot Tower. No body was using it and it was just another way to irritate the St. Louis interests (Herald, April 16,
1863).
Making Shot Towers Out of Mine Holes:
What is the use of shot-towers, when just as good shot can be made in mineral shafts. We
were shown some samples of shot yesterday that was made by pouring molten lead down a
deep shaft, the shot being equal to any made in a tower. Won't somebody buy up all the
mineral holes to prevent shot being made here[?] Who bids for the lot[?]
Daily Herald, July 27, 1862
The Democratic HeraM could be counted on to come out swinging at the corporate interest, and in this instant the
corporate giant was hitting close to home. This account documents the near-immediate local experimentation (following the
sale of the Shot Tower) with the use of shot holes in lieu of shot towers. It also confirms the legend that the St. Louis interests
had indeed purchased the Shot Tower to shut it down. The Herald saw a true financial windfall if the same eaatity would buy up
all of the abandoned mine shafts (Herald, July 27, 1862)!
Graves had to promise to refrain from building another shot tower within 100 miles of the city for a ten-year period.
Graves however quickly acted to re-enter his lead shot trade and within two weeks the Daily Times would report both the sale
and the establishment of a new and innovative lead shot "tower":
NPS Form 10-900-a O,~4B Approval NO. 1024-0018
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheer
Section number 8 Page 67
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
A Hundred Shot Towers lin Dubuque]. The day before yesterday,21 Messrs. Chadbo[u]me & Forster, of St.
Louis, paid $3,000 for the Dubuque Shot Tower, for the purpose of having a troublesome rival out of the way.
Although they promised to expend $5,000 on it and set it at work, in order to pacify many dissatisfied
businessmen in the city, they of course do not intend to do any such ttfmg. No, they privately inform their
agents that they intend to board up the windows, take out the machinery, lock the door and throw the key in the
river. Rather than have another sack of shot made in Dubuque, said they, we will put a keg of powder under the
tower and blow it higher than Gilderoy's kite. The next day after the purchase was completed and the property
transferred, the wholesale price of shot, throughout the entire Northwest, advanced 25 cents per sack.--
Chadboume & Forster manufacture a thousand sacks per day. The recent advance in price put $250 per day in
their pockets, and in twelve days they made enough to pay for the Dubuque Shot Tower. So they can afford to
blow it up and not feel the loss.
Now, we have no feeling against C.&F. They have, of course, a perfect right to buy up their rivals in
business, and make as much money as they can. Doubtless they have families to support and they have to look
to the mm chances to keep the mouths all fed. But th/s much we object to; we don't like to see a
manufacturing establishment that was at work using up the rough products of our mines, blotted out of
existence - it materially affects our business prosperity - consequently the following incident is peculiarly
gratifying to us and interesting, because the experiment was made upon a suggestion thrown out by ourselves
nearly one year ago.
No sooner was the shot tower sold than a party of gentlemen took a wagon load of all necessary
implements and started out to make a trial of an idea that had been whispered about on the sly in the city for
some months past. They had melting pots, lead, ladles, ropes, tubs, firewood, etc. etc. Going out in the vicinity
of General Booth's residence, they built a fire within a short distance of an old m'trmig shaft, and proceeded to
melt a quantity of tempered lead. The shaft was some 140 feet in depth. Attaching ropes to a washtub partly
filled with water, they Iet it down to the bottom of the pit. This was for the purpose of catelfmg the pellets of
lead they dropped down. A sieve was adjusted as nearly over the tub as possible, and when the lead was
perfectly melted, the experiment was completed by pouring it through in the same manner that is pursued at the
shot tower.
The tub was slowly and laboriously drawn to the surface, and its contents were subjected to scrutiny of
the excited party. "Hurrah! It's a success? broke forth from lips of one. "By Jingo, ain[']t they bully?" said
another. Yes, dear reader, the experiment was a success, and at the present writing a pound or more of the
identical shot, contained in a glass bottle, is on the table before us. The shot averages considerably better than
that made at the tower. For a few hundred dollars any of these abandoned shafts can be transformed into the
best of shot towers or shot holes, which ever you would call them.
By erecting a cheap wooden tower over some of the deepest shafts, shot of the largest size could be
made. That the business is profitable is proved by the notion of Chadborne & Forster. A very small outlay of
capital will fit up a tower in every respect superior to the one just sold. If there were lead enough, or demand
enough, we could have a hundred shot manufacturies at work here within two months. Who will be the first
man to move in the enterprise?
The experimenting patty were very much elated by the result of their trial, and consider their discovery
very valuable. They expect it will lead to important results, and look forward to the creation of shot
manufacturing works here wittfm a few weeks which shall compete with the world.
IFC.& F. want to buy up all our mineral holes, now is their time to do it.
The date the dead was filed.
NPS Form ~0-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Sendce
OMB Approval tVo, I024~0015
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 68
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
This more extensive Daily Times account ran the same day as did the Herald notice (see above). An important
omission from this article is any reference to Mr. Graves' promise to not compete with St. Louis by building another
shot tower. Instead the focus of the account is on the locals collectively out-witting the St. Louis corporation by getting
them to buy out the Shot Tower on the assumption that its non-availability would prevent shot making in Dubuque
(Daily Times, July 27, 1862).
The "keystone" of the Shot Tower legend or story is that the St. Louis folks immediately challenged Graves in court,
claiming that Graves had promised to not build another shot tower. Graves prevailed by convincing the court that his agreement
had prevented him from raising up a tower, not from using a hole in the ground. The Dubuquer bested his St. Louis rivals, got
rid of his problematic tower and still made money making shot. The legend is recounted in much later accounts, and is
presumably based upon the recollections of Senator William Allison, previously addressed.
News of the "contract violation" soon reached the ears of the Missourians, and an attorney came to Dubuque,
armed to the teeth with injunctions, writs, and court orders, but to no avail. Mr. Graves proved in a court action
that he had not constructed a shot tower, for he had dug a shot tunnel instead"
Telegraph-Herald, September 26, 1943
Suffice it to say is that there is no district court ease pitting Graves against the St. Louis Shot Tower Company. Nor is there any
contemporary newspaper account of the court case, a subject that would not have escaped public interest and notice.22
A party of men were out to West Dubuque yesterday, inspecting a mineral shaft 130 feet deep,
near the residence ofP. O. Hare, with a view of making shot. The shaft is near the main road
and easy of access, malting it an excellent location for a shot manufactory.
Herald, July 21, 1862
MORE EXPERIMENTS.--Experiments are daily being tried in the way of making shot by
dropping it down mineral shafts, and with still more satisfactory results than at frrst. It is
rumored that one of our citizens (Mr. Hull) intends to embark in the enterprise immediately. It
turns out that this method of making shot has been pursued with success for many years in
Germany, and to some extent in Missouri, so the problem may be considered solved, that there
is no necessity o building $15,000 towers when a hole in the ground with an expenditure of
$500 will do as well.
Daily Times, August 1, 1862
The Telegraph-Herald in 1943 offered a detailed account of the shaft alternative:
The purchasing agent had hardly got aboard a South-bound boat, when Mr. Graves bought another complete
set of shot producing machinery. While waiting for the equipment to arrive he did a bit of surveying in hills
and bluffs surrounding the city, and discovered an abandoned 157[-]foot mine shaft, near Asbury Road.
He made a lateral incision into the side of the bluff, strildng the shaft 100 feet below the surface, where he
blasted out a room. He moved the machinery in and within three months was producing more shot than ever
was produced by the old shot tower.
22 The Shot Tower buyers were minimalists in that they purchased only Lot 24, Block 7, the property containing the tower itself.
The deed actually reads "Lots 24." Graves had added the two adjoining lots and he must have retained ownership of these
(property abstract).
NPS Form I0 900 a OMB Approval No. I024~0018
86)
United States Department of the Interior
Fiational Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 69
George W. Rogers Gompsny Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
There is no explanation as to why the room would have been placed both well below ground and well above the base of the
shaft. All similar operations used a horizontal exit gallery which was flush with the base of the shaft. The melting and
dropping would have been done from the top of the shaft, and the processing would have taken place near the base. The
dropped shot fei1 perhaps into a flooded base, but would have then been hoisted up to the processing room. Figure 44 below,
illuslrates the advantages of combining a shaft drop with ground level shot processing. No lifting of fueI or lead was necessary
in such an operation. The Wisconsin example had a river bluff advantage however, and neither Dubuque drop-shaft operation
did. The dropped shot had to be hauled back to the surface for finishing (Telegraph-Herald, September 26, 1943).
Figure 44: Elevation diagram, Helena, Wisconsin shot tower/shaft
(Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Tower Hill State Park brochure)
Dubuque Shot Manufacturing Company, 1862-1886:
Two successful Dubuque "shaft tower" companies emerged from the numerous experkmenters. The first involved
Julius Graves, William Carter, and "General" Caleb H. Booth (1814-?). Booth and Carter likely conceived of using shafts as
shot towers, given their engineering and mining backgrounds. Booth was an early Dubuque resident, having arrived in 1836.
He was a lawyer by profession, but had a railroad engineering background as well. Booth was perhaps the most important
leader in the mechanization of the local lead mining industry. He developed a double action steam pump with a 900-gallon per
minute capacity for draining mines and he used heavy steam lifting equipment to automate the removal of lead ore from shafts.
Booth brought the first steam engine to the city, and mined from 1839 on in partnership with William Carter. Booth served in
the first state legislature session and was the first mayor of Dubuque. He was a major investor in the Dubuque and Pacific
Raikoad, was a founder of the State Bank of Iowa. Noting the reference to the Booth residence in the newspaper account given
above, Booth likely owned the prospective shaft site. The 1880 county history credited Booth being "one of the originators of
the method of shot making by the substitafion of a mining shaft for the ordinary shot tower., Mining partner William Carter
(1806-?) got to Dubuque three years before Booth and was principally involved in lead mining. By 1862, Carter "with two
others, built their works for manufacturing shot, and since then Mr. Carter has had the active management of the business as
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 70
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Superintendent." Carter was also associated with the Dubuque City Mills, at which point lead shot for the local trade was kept
on hand (Morning Sun, November 15, 1858; Express & Herald, March 4, 1859; Herald, August 20, 1863).23
THE NEW SHOT TOWER.--Messrs. Booth, Carter, Chaney and J. K. Graves, commence the
erection to-morrow of a new two story brick builcVmg over the shaft just west of Gen. Booth's
residence, to be devoted to the manufacture of shot. This company is a strong one, and
composed of gentlemen who will not allow any small stun to by them off from the track, this
project has been rapidly conceived, and will be just as rapidly carried forward to completion,
and once more will Dubuque supply the great Northwest with shot.
Daily Times, August 3, 1862
The above account more than hints that the price paid for the Shot Tower was but a "small sm." It also documents the
Dubuque shot market as being principally upstream, the area northwest of Dubuque.
The Booth-Carter shot tower was located in West Dubuque, "beyond the residence of Gen. Booth" on the Hales Hill
Road. It was one mile northwest of the city limits as of 1865. It was described as follows in early April 1863:
...Over an old mineral shaft beside the road a two story frame buiding has been erected. A neat little engine
saws the wood, hoists the shot from the bottom of the shaft, and drives the machinery. Before the molten metal
can be used to any purpose arsenic has to be mixed with it, which is an unhealthy operation. The lead in the pig
is hoisted to the top of the tower where it is melted, mixed and poured with a ladle into a vessel perforated with
holes of various sizes and falls to the bottom of the shaft a distance of 155 feet into a tub filled with water,
which prevents the shot from flattening. When a sufficient amount has been dropped the tub is hoisted up, the
shot poured into a heater where it is dried by steam and emptied down into an inclined plane where it is
separated the perfect from the imperfect, then down another story where it is sized, sorted and put into bags of
25 lbs. each. The works have been in operation nearly four months [since c.January 1863]. - Seven thousand
lbs. of lead are used daily, and last Thursday 288 bags were weighed and put up. There being no tax on the raw
material the manufactured article has to bear the whole burden, mounting to a levy of 15 to 20 dollars per day.
Last week three car loads were shipped to Chicago, and orders are coming in from all directions.
Tiffs account rrfirrors the shot-making process used at the Shot Tower proper. Here too, a two-story frame buiding housed the
sorting and finishing work, as did the second building at the tower. This is the only contemporary account that admitted the
health risk associated with mixing arsenic and lead. Clearly, pure lead produced a poor product absent these additives. The
export market was thriving and appears to have been rail and Chicago-dominated, although the market was a general one.
Finally, this account demolishes the myth that shaft-shot making immediately followed the sale of the Shot Tower. hi fact, half
a year elapsed before this facility was ready for any substantial shot production (Herald, April 1, 1863; 1865 City D/rectory, p.
76).
23 Mrs. Jerome E. McGuire was the principal speaker at the rededication of the Shot Tower on June 14, 1963. She recalled that Gen. Booth's
granddaughter, Hollie Lusch, recalled watching the Shot Tower bum from a vantage point on Fenelon Place in 1911. A momento of her
grandfather's shaft tower was a glass encased shot display case that has been incorrectly associated with the Shot Tower (Dubuque County
Historical Society).
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OtVlB Approval No. 1024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 71
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
StlOT I SllO'r.': SHoT !! !
DU'B I~Q u I?,
$1IOT IANU FACTI[RIN G CO, I PAN ¥
.DR01' SIIO:I' 0~' AJ.L SIZES.
On hand.and for ~le at ali time~, a~ manufacturer'~
Orders for shipment are pnt l:p in ke<s cm~taining
lO~, Dubuque~ lo,va, will Ix<eive
Figure 45: Dubuque Shot Manufacturing Company advertisement, 1863
(Herald, July 15, 1863)
· he 1870 industrial cansus lists William Carter & Company, producer of shot and bar lead. Capitalized at $20,000, the
operation was steam powered, had four employees, and was operating ten months out of the year. There were two furnaces, the
business consumed 100,000 pounds of pig lead, 200 cords of wood, 125 tons of coal, seven kegs of arsenic, wooden kegs and
canvass for shot bags, all valued at $85,000. Products were 800,000 pounds of shot, valued at $95,000, and 200,000 pounds of
bar lead, valued at $18,000. The 1867 city directory confmned that the firm had increased its product range to include bar lead.
Perhaps they had simply added a smelter to process lead ore (I867 City Directory, p. 77)?
Fire completely destroyed the plant in November 1877. The factory was described as being three miles west of the city,
directly opposite Patrick Ahem's farm residence. The "tower" contained large quantities of lead and shot and the total loss was
estimated at $11,000. A key of powder endangered the shot work's neighbors but a snow coveting saved their buildings. Gen.
Booth had just renewed an insurance policy a day before the disaster, but total coverage was just $5,000. The works were
immediately, with $3,000 being expended on them by years end. The HeraMnoted "It is of Iarger dimensions and its facilties
for the manufacture of shot is doubly increased. The building is far more imposing than formerly..." (Herald, November 10,
December 14, 1877; January 22, i878).
William Carter was Superintendent of the Dubuque Shot Manufactory until his death in 1883. It is interesting to note
that the shaft mine had a drop of 150 feet and that the newspaper account, presented above, admitted that "The shot [produced
at the shaft site] averages considerably better than that made at the tower." an clear indication that a greater elevation produced
a better product. The works, rebuilt as noted in 1878, consisted "ora four-story brick with wings, storehouses, etc., and a 'drop'
of 170 feet, supplied with every facility for manufacturing ail grade of shot, with a capacity of turning out 60,000 bags of
twenty-five pounds each, annually" (1880 History, pp. 768, 778; Telegraph-Herald, October i9, 1933; September 15, 1946;).
The beginning of the end of this most successful alternative to the Shot Tower came in early 1886 when the Western
Shot Company, with shot towers in Minneapolis and Omaha, acquired the shot works and was reorganized as the Western Shot
Company. Two years later the Herald reported "The Booth & Carter shot tower, west of the city, is being torn down and the
NPS Form I0-900-a
18-SS)
United States Department of the Interior
Nadonai Park Service
OMB Approval No, 1024-0015
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 72
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
machinery will be shipped to Omaha. It was built in 1862." Once again, a shot making conglomerate had bought out and shut
down a Dubuque shot making fawn (Times, February 10, 1886; Herald, May 10, 1888).24
William Carter (1816-1883) was a notable early Dubuque settler (1833) and was a major promoter of the city, and
superintended the Booth-Carter-Graves shot works fi.om 1862 until his death. He was also involved with George W. Rogers in
flour milling as Carter, Rogers & Company. R. O. Chaney (1845-1880+) came to Dubuque in 1845, and was a lead miner
beginning in 1854. A practical surveyor, Cheney actually built and operated the Booth-Carter-Graves shot works. He served as
Town trustee end was a school board director (1880 Dubuque County History, pp. 175, 773-74, Daily Herald, November 8,
1883; Daily Times, November 7, 1883).
The Dubuque Shot Tower, 1862-1869, James Hu~_hes. Dubuque Grocer end Shot-maker:
MORE SHOT TOWERS.--James Hughes, the enterprising grocer on Julien Avenue, not to be
out-done by others, will commence this week the manufacture of shot in the old "Stout Shaft"
on the road to West Dubuque, near Dr. Finley's. This is an excellent location, near the city,
end on the highway, making it a desirable place. When all the shot towers get under full blast
that article ought to be cheap.
Daily Herald, August 5, 1862
James Hughes commenced the erection yesterday of a frame building 40 by 25 feet, over the
shaft spoken ufthe other day. Lumber, ropes and building material are akeady on the ground,
end in a few days Jim will have shot for sale a little lower than St. Louis prices.
Daily Herald, August 7, 1862
The second shaft operation was established under the menagement of James Hughes (1834-1877). Hughes appears to
have fencied himself as the rightful heir of the Shot Tower, using its image in his advertisement (see Figure # below). The
Herald, a year later, curiously credited Hughes with establishing "the first one of the ldnd ever started in this vicinity." The two
accounts underscore the importance of good transportation to a shot making operation and reiterate the local hopes that local
shot production would lower prices. Hughes was still not under production by late August despite optimistic hopes. The shaft
for his "new fashioned Shot Tower in the ground at West Dubuque" was 150 feet deep. For whatever reason, the HeraM
expressed confidence that the popular grocer "knows what he is about" (Daily Herald, August 21, 1862).
It is possible that he didn't know what he was about, and that his actual production was delayed until early 1863, as the
follo;ving notice hints:
SHOT.--Jim Hughes meens to have shot this time, end no mistake. He has purchased the machinery used at
the 7th street Shot Tower; has a number of men employed fixing up things, and will soon show the public what a
hole in the ground can do, in the way of making shot.
It is more than curious that the Shot Tower equipment was made available to him, apparently by the St. Louis Shot Company?
Perhaps that firm had given up on its efforts to squelch Dubuque shot making end was willing to sell the equipment. At any
rate, the equipment was still in the Shot Tower as of early 1863, so its purchasers had simply sealed its doors when they bought
it (Daily Herald, March 7, 1863).
24 The Dubuque newspaper card index cites February 10, 1886 as the source for the article about the Western Shot Company. That issue does
not exist tth the filmed newspapers and by this time, the Times was reduced to a weekly issue.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Sentice
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 73
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower-(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Hughes was in full production starting April I, 1863. Hughes had a daily output equal to the Booth-Carter-Graves
operation as of that time. His works were within the city limits, being located just west of the junction of West Fifth and Delhi
streets. The Herald noted
...over this shaft a building has been erected with all the necessary mach/nery. Instead ora tower the molten
metal is dropped down the shaft a distance of nearly 200 feet, and shot is mined out equal to any made above
ground. The idea was conceived some time ago, but Mr. Hughes was the first to carry the project into
execution.
DUBUQUE SHO~ ~OWER.
· ~.AI~'.~2~' DROP
· TAMES ~UGRE~
DUB~QI~E SHOT TOgrER.
Fi~e 46: Jmes Hu~es shot tow~ adve~sement
(Herald, Aphl 16, 1863)
With/n just a month, Hughes had vastly automated his production process, reducing both his operating expenses and the size of
his workforce. The same source reported:
...Several other important changes are yet to follow. One is a small elevator, which is to carry the shot over
head, where it descends on an inclined plane and runs into a hopper for assortment. Mr. Simpson has been
engaged as prime manager. Hughes will soon have the machinery so arranged that all a person will need to do
is to put wood under the boiler. Why not make a tube and nm the shot into town?
NPS Form 10-900 a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 74
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Both of these alternative shot making operations developed more in response to increased lead market prices than for any other
reason. The HeraM noted in early June 1863 that:
Miners inform us that $49 ~ [sic] $50 per 1,000 lbs. was the price paid for mineral last Saturday. There has
been, and is, considerable [lead] used at home in the manufacture of shot, besides which consumption there is a
good foreign [export] demand.
The year 1863 was a good year for local new construction in Dubuque, this being a reflection of the begimfmgs of a return to
normalcy even as the war continued. It was also a good year for locating new rich lead sources, particularly what was 'termed
the "Pikes Peak" veins (1865 City Directory, p. 7i; 1867 City Directory, p. 77; Wilkie, p. 144; Herald, April 2, 9, 1 I, May 7,
June 4, 19, 1863; Telegraph-Herald, April 15, 1914).29
DUBUQUE VS. ST. LOUIS .--The Chicago Journal of Tuesday last, quotes shot [prices]
easier, owing to a competition between the St. Louis and Dubuque shot companies. So it seems
that Jim Hughes' shot hole is "begining to be felt." Bully for Jim.
Daily Times, April 16, 1863
The above account crows about the early success of the Dubuque shot hole operators. The difference in shot prices was
being felt as far away as Chicago. It is curious that it was Hughes' operation that is credited with having the market impact.
It is a wonder that the Shot Tower survived damage or destruction to fire, given the proclivity of these
shot holes to bum down. Hughes' shot works burned three times witlfm a span of just five years. The first fire
was in 1864 and the plant was rebuilt the next year. The second conflagration struck during the second week of
August 1866, as the following account describes:
NEW SHOT WORKS. The shot works of James Hughes, destroyed some time ago, have been re-built with a
large building and new angine--a great improvement on the other structure. By means of a cupola, the fall of
shot is as great as at the St. Louis tower, and with other facilities, the establishment will be able to turn out shot
equal to any made. The proprietor has put his past experience with all the known improvements, and will
commence making shot the latter part of this week.
Hughes' loss was estimated at $2,500 on the lost lead stock alone, and his insurance was just for $1,000. The third fiery
destruction hit in late March 1869. In its final iteration the building atop the shaft was of brick construction. The works
were then valued at $8,000 and insurance was just $3,000. Notlfmg was saved but plans to once again rebuild were
announced (Herald, August 15, 16, i866; March 23, 1869).
Hughes died at the young age of 43 years in 1877. The Times recalled that Hughes "made many friends--
among them Mr. J. K. Graves, who, when appointed on an Indian Commission took Mr. Hughes with him. On his
return he took the management of the business of making shot at the Dubuque shot-tower." This presumably refers to
the actual Shot Tower and might explain where Hughes got his shot making training. Hughes was a merchant, managed
the street railway (and lowered fares to a nickel), owned the Telegraph newspaper, owned and operated three
Mississippi River steamers, ran the Eagle Point ferry and was finally a baker. The Herald noted that Hughes "had noble
traits of character, but of Iate years he seemed to have lost that stability which was a marked feature of his former life,
and which, if persisted in, would have made him one of the most wealthy and prominent business men of Dubuque."
25 The source "Old Shot Tower" states, without citation, that the St. Louis company sold the Shot Tower "machinery" to Jim Hughes in 1863.
If lrae, then the company was no longer concerned about competition from local shot production.
NFS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
UniCed States Department of the Interior
Hational Park Service
National Re ister of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 75
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
The Times was equally candid, stated "There was in his character and conduct much to emulate, and some things to be
ashamed. There were many bright features, blurred in some respects, the natural result of a life left in youth to its own
unguided ways, growing to manhood amid many unfommate influences. Yet he was in the main a good citizen, and
always an affectionate husband and father." Hughes was buried in Clinton, Iowa, the home city of his wife (Daily
Herald, April 27, 1877; Daily Times, April 27, 1877).
Figure 47:1863 drawing of Dubuque, by A. O. Marble (view to the north)
Note that the Shot Tower appears r/ght on the river's edge. The artist has even given it a reflection
(Minnesota Historical Society)
Figure 48: Charles H. Vogt Dubuque Lithograph, view to the southeast, 1866
(Center For Dubuque History, Loras College)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 76
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 49: New Rock Island Railroad Mississippi River bridge (Dubuque-Dunlieth Bridge), 1868, view northwest.
A Railroad Bridge Turns the Shot Tower Property into a Rail Yard, 1868:
Dubuque had rail service to the illinois shore by 1858, and had its own Dubuque & Sioux City line under construction
to the west by the early 1860s, but it had no Mississippi Railroad bridge until late 1868. This was necessarily a great hindrance
to the city but a boon to fiver fro-ties. Figure 29 illustrates the proximity of the Shot Tower to the new railroad line. The
railroad was to be the first installment of rail and vehicular river crossings at this point. Figure 29 also depicts the land
elevation relative to the normal river channel flow and appears to indicate that relatively little additional riverfi'ont development
had transpired since 1857. Several warehouses, dating to 1856-57, remain to the south of the Shot Tower.
Figure 50:1872 Birdseye View Of Dubuque, view west
NPS Form 1C~900 a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 77
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
FigUre 50 indicates that there was no immediate development in and around the Shot Tower even four years after the
railroad bridge was completed. It is possible that floods or fire had eliminated some buildings. Most notably, the Fourth Street
extension, barely visible as a diagonal wltite line, is completely undeveloped, in contrast to the 1858 image (see above). There
is no building attached to the Shot Tower. The railroad right-of-way was still trestled across open waters just west of the tower.
Figure 51: c. 1867 winter S. Root photo, view east (Dubuque County Historical Society)
This image explains why the Dubuque Harbor Improvement Company plan for a new downtown failed and the majority
of its acreage remained open water or wetlands. Fourth Street runs across the canter of the image. The Shot Tower appears to
have no associated building. The company terminated its activities March 7, 1882 (Herald, May 24, 1881).
SOLD FOR DELINQUENT TAXES .--The old and conspicuous land mark, the Dubuque shot
tower, which stands near the western terminus of the railroad bridge, was sold yesterday for
delinquent taxes. The tower was purchased some years ago by a St. Louis shot company
merely to prevent competition, and has been permitted to stand idle ever since. The company it
seems have neglected to pay the taxes accruing upon the same, and hence the sale.
Daily Times, August 26, 1871
The 1871 purchaser is not identified. Note that the Shot Tower is first identified as a "land mark"just 21 years after its
construction. Two years after the sale, J. A. Rhomberg, owner of the distillery to the south of the Shot Tower, transformed his
property into a flour mill with a 300-barreI daily capacity (Daily Herald, April 25, 1873).
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 78
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 52:1872 panorama of Dubuque, view to the northeast
(a "T" marks the Shot Tower location)
Venturesome boys are in the habit of playing in the shot tower and climb up the inside nearly
to its top on old and decayed stairs and wood work liable to give way at any moment. The
practice is a dangerous one and unless discontinued will result in an accident if not death. The
windows of the shaft should be boarded up to prevent egress.
Daily Herald, April 17, 1873
It is said that Dubuquers awakened in early 1874 to discover an equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson placed atop the
tower. Local attorney John Deery was responsible for the fete. Decry, purchased the statue and hired a steeplejack, John
Dreyhouse, to raise it to the tower roof. The statue was necessarily too large to pass up through the tower. The tower was still
owned by the St. Louis Shot Tower Company and Deery obtained their permission for the improvement. The placement of the
statue is the first indication that the Shot Tower was developing a local landmark role in Dubuque. It was by this time nearing
20 years of age, and while still young, counterpart buildings were rapidly being replaced by the early 1870s. The use of the
tower roof to support the statue indicates that a fiat roof of some sort was in place. No images of the tower with the statue in
place have been located
No little surprise was evidenced in the city yesterday by those who happened to look toward the Shot Tower,
and saw mounted on its summit, a statue. Closer inspection of it revealed the fact that it was an equestrian
statue of the old hero of New Orleans, General Andrew Jackson, which had been quietly placed there by
persons unknown. The statue is the one that has been standing in Thomas Kavanaugh's yard for ayear or more
past. It is made of wood and is a very creditable specimen of the artistic skill of Mr. Kavanaugh.
Daily Times, February i, 1874
NPS Form 1C~900-a OMBApprovalNo, 1024-0018
($ 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 79
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
The Herald, in its same-day coverage, took the winds out of the surprise legend, stating:
Dubuque County, Iowa
John Decry is a public spirited citizen, and has adopted a singular way of displaying his enterprise. By means
of subscriptions he secured enough money to rejuvenate Tom Cavanaugh's statute [sic] of Gen. Jackson, and
his horse, which for years has stood sentinel at Mr. Cavanaugh's residence and mounted the wooden device on
top of the shot tower, where it was placed yesterday with impressive ceremonies.
The statue remained in place until 188 l, at which time it was said to be in a deteriorated state (Daily Herald, February 1, 1874;
Sommer, p. 44; Balmer Presentation, p. 17; Heuny; Telegraph-Herald, August 30, 1930).
Figmce 53: Alfred R. Waud drawing, Dubuque, view east, 1873 (American Perspectives)
Sculptor Kavanaugh was born in Ireland and gained his reputation for creating a statue of Queen Victoria's Prince
Albert. In Dubuque, he completed two equestrian statues of wood, reinforced with iron. The first, of George Washington,
burned when the artist's house on Sumner Hill was destroyed. The second, of General Jackson, was intended for perhaps a
NPS Form 10~900 a OMB.4pprovalNo. 1024-0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 80
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
temporary placement on the southeast comer of Jackson Park, opposite St. Patrick Church. Kavanangh was then Alderman for
the First District. John Deery penned a history of Dubuque's noted artists ha 1915, and he recalled that "Just after the
O'Connell celebration in 1875 [sic] he [Kavanangh] presented the statue of Jackson to the writer [Deery]. It was hoisted by the
old steeplejack, John Drehouse, to the top of the shot tower where it stood for' October 10, 1915).26
Figure 54: John Decry (%i916
THE OLD SHOT TOWER
The old shot tower situated at the entrance of the bridge, is one of the old notable structures
on the river. It was a twin brother or sister to the old elevator that went up in smoke a few
weeks ago. It was built in 1856, cost $15,000, and stands 150 feet high. Almost every boy in
the city knee-high-to-a-grasshopper has climbed to the top and cut his name on the wood work
with an old jack-knife or scratched it on one of the bricks. After being used for some years a
St. Louis firm bought it from the Dubuque owners and it was agreed in the contract that no
other shot tower should be built in this city by them. They lived up to the agreement, and built
a shot-hole at West Dubuque. Since that time it has stood vacant, and been the roosting-place
for the inhabitants of the atmosphere and the look-out for those who dared scale its weak and
rotten stairway. Yesterday a visit was paid to the old romantic weather-beaten, pile of stone
and brick. Some acrobatic variations, such as hanging by your heels, skinning the cat, etc.,
finally took us to the first story, after which it was fair sailing over broker doorsteps, etc. A
26 Kavanaugh's son, John J. Kavanaugh, was a skilled landscape artist. The son painted a series of portraits of the city's mayors which were
then on display in City Hall Ob/d).
27 Decry was Irish-bom and came to the city in 1854. He was assistant editor of the Northwest, was postmaster during the Buchanan
admkdstration, and was then a lawyer who specialized in real estate. He lost a wife and his only son to untimely deaths in the 1870s. He
never held public office. A lover of literature and art, he was the natural candidate to favor ornamenting the Shot Tower with an equestrian
statue (Herald, May 23, 1916).
NPS Form
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
Hational Park Service
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 81
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated) Dubuque County, Iowa
single misstep, or a stair giving way, would send us flying through the air, and in all
probabilities would wake up dead and find Coroner Coakley sitting over their remains. But
away with idle thoughts and to the top to shake hands with that old brick, General Jackson, who
keeps an eye on the city of Dubuque and East Dubuque. To look from the top of the tower to
the ground below makes one's head feel as if he had been pulling "lots of it" through a straw
and was about to fly away. That is what the Herald man said, who happened to peep over. The
scene from the top is one that would be food for the pencil of the sentimental for weeks as it is
just the place to write snow and spring poetry. But our object was not to guy offthe beauties of
Nature, it was simply to take down a few of the names penciled and cut there years ago by
boys, who are now young men. On the window sill can be read, "Charles Otley, Dave Robison,
Frank Stout, Jim Welsh, Geo. Henion, Joe Morgan, Ed. Shanldand, W. Vandever, George
Blossom, George Gray, Dr. J. Peterson, James Wallis, Jo Linehan, Wilt Andrew, M. Tsch/rgi
and others.["] A younger crowd have had the pleasure of cutting Gen. Jackson and his horse.
On the horse's neck can be read ["] C. Russell, Wadsworth, Davenport; C. D. Ham, G. Graves,
L. Graves, A. O'Malley and others.["] In the brick ["] Ed. Peasley, A. Flick. H. Schunk, T.
Rogers, W. Morrill, Stanley Rohison and C. Bissell have left their marks. It is a pleasure to visit
this old autograph album and read over the names, for it calls back the good old schooldays that
have gone never to return.
Daily Times, November 11, 1879
In 1951 the Telegraph-HeraMprinted a childhood memory of C. Walt Brandon, then a resident ofWyom/ng. Brandon
was then a working newspaper editor, so his recollection couldn't have pre-dated 1900, but did pre-date the 1911 fire. Brandon
recalled:
To me the old shot tower stands out s nothing else in my memory....It was headquarters for the Irish and
Dutch [German?] youngsters as well as others. It was the rendevouz [sic] of my boyhood days. In the days I
refer to itwas a shambles in many ways. The windows were gone and there was nothing to stop youths from
climbing the stairs and then by wall ladder to climb through the hole in the ceiling into the old metal heating
room at the top. That room and the stairs were bttmed out later and now nothing but a bleak hollow shell
remains.
Brandon makes no reference to the presence of the lumberyard watch house or watchman (Telegraph-Herald, September 9,
1951).
Chadbourne & Forster must have redemmed their ownership of the tower following the sheriff's sale of 1871, because
they sold the property on May 11, 1881 to C. J. Lesure for just $425. Mr. Lesure removed the deteriorated Jackson statue.
Lesure, along with W. H. Day and the Empire Lumber Company of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, incorporated the Standard Lumber
Company, with a capitalization of $300,000. The new company then acquired the Shot Tower property on June 24, 1881,
paying just $600 to Lesure. This sales price covered the purchase ora total of six lots (Balmer Presentation; property a.bstract;
Book of Incorporations, #2, p. 210).2~
2, Standard Lumber Company re-incorporated for 10 years on January 8, 1887, and for 20 years with capitalization at $500,000 on September
16, 1907, Book of Incorporatiom, #5, p. 511).
NPS Form
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 82
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower~(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 55:1884 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
The Shot Tower is outlined with gray and a gray arrow points to it
(note that this perspective differs from the subsequent Sanborn maps, Tower Street parallels the river,
note also that an open river channel extcmds west to near the tower base)
Figure 55 depicts the Shot Tower, buried amongst a row of five single story frame lumber sheds. The map defines
Block 7. The map increased the height of the tower to an impressive 190 feet (1884 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map).
Figure 56:1887 Alexander Simplot drawing of the new high wagon bridge and the railroad bridge, view northwest
(Daily Herald, November 24, 1887)
(8-86)
Uniced States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheer
Section number 8 Page 83
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
The new high wagon bridge (re-titled the "lower high bridge" when the Eagle Point bridge was finished m 1904)
brought the tower a public prominence that it had not previously enjoyed. Previously, it was an important city symbol to river
and railroad men, but it was now a key part of the vehicular Fourth Street gateway into the city. For the first time, a substantial
vehicular traffic entered the city from the Illinois side and travelers had an elevated view of the tower from the bridge. The
Standard Lumber Company acknowledged this new prorrfinence with a new watchman's quarters atop the tower. The Herald
reported "The new fire box has been placed in the observatory on the top of the shot tower, and the watchman will begin his
solitary vigils. It is a grand spot for a view." This entry implies that this was a replacement "fire box" but that the watchman
was for the first time using the tower as a watchtower. It also strongly implies that the public could visit the tower and that
there was now an interior stair system th place to make it possible (Herald, November 24, 1887).29
Figure 57:1889 overview of Shot Tower site, view west
(Perspective Map of the City of Dubuque, 1889)
Figure 49 gives the tower an impressive eleven stories and shows the tower apart from the lumberyard complex.
29 The city celebrated the bridge's 50th anniversary in 1937, not knowing that World War II would bring the Julian Dubuque bridge to the city.
The older bridge was removed c. 1944 when the new bridge was done and Fourth SU'eet ceased to be important as a municipal gateway
(Telegraph-Herald, November 28, 1937).
NPS Form 10-900-a
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 84
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 58: Railroad and wagon bridges, v/ew west toward the Shot Tower, c. 1910
Figure 59: View east toward raikoad and wagon bridges, pre-1911
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 85
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, iowa
Figure 60:o.1889 photograph, view north
Other versions of this photo show a tail flagpole on the roof.
Figure 60 confirms the isolated appearance of the tower (as indicated in Figure 33) and also indicates that the
lowermost floor was half buried. This image is the only photograph of the tower pr/or to the 1911 fire and shows the cap of the
ninth floor in place.
NPS Form 1C~900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 86
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
(The tower is outlined in gray and located by an arrow
Figure 61:1891 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
By 189I, the Sanborn mappers had determined the correct height of the tower, 120 feet. ~aey also made a map
correction, moving either the streets or the tower so as to place the tower in the intersection of two streets. Note that these maps
show the tower with a hip roof form. Figure 61 clearly indicates a shallow pitched hip roof, and a "fire box" that was recessed
with/n the walls of the tower. Tower Street was progressively vacated from the plat m 1876 and 1888 (Book of Affidavits, #2,
p. 434).
NPS Form I0-900 a
(8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 87
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 62: Dubuque Star Brewery, established in 1898, view west (the tower is out of view to the immediate right)
(Center for Dubuque History, Loras College)
Figure 62 is included because it depicts the fast-developing waterfront immediately south of the tower. The Fourth
Street Extension is substantially built up (these are the bottling works for the brewery) and the new brewery complex is in place.
There is a decorative fountain along the riverfront.
Figure 63:1909 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
(the tower is outlined in gray and is located with a gray arrow)
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 88
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 63 shows that the streets previously evident in Sanborn Maps have been eliminated. The tower remains
physically isolated at the end cfa railroad spur. This should have offered some considerable protection from the 1911 tire, and
it did protect it from fires in I894 and 1910, but it didn't doso in 1911, a testimony to the furious nature cfa fire that consumed
10 million board feet of lumber. The 1909 Sanborn Map notes two watchmen at the lumber company, one in the tower, the
other in the sawmill. There was an electronic clock in the tower.
The four successive 1911 lumber yard fires were notable events in Dubuque history. The sheer scale was unmatched
even in a river city where such fires were fairly commonplace and these blazed marked the end cfa doomed Upper Mississippi
Valley white pine lumber industry. Watchman John Brahm was in the tower in the late afternoon of April 22 when he spotted
the first blaze. His discovery was almost simultaneous with a spotting by Illinois Central Railroad men in the nearby Block
Stat/on. The city had been on edge for two weeks given the outbreak of four major fires and a combined loss of $300,000. The
Bijou Theater was completely destroyed in a April 7 fire and the Julien Hotel suffered $40,000 in damages in a April 11 fire.
The tirst major lumberyard fire also occurred on the 11th. All of these were set fires. The April 22 fire consumed twice the
acreage as did the first blaze. The Flick Box Factory was also heavily damaged. The fire consumed $300,000 worth of piled
white pine lumber. The Shot Tower did its job and escaped damage (Telegraph-Herald, April 22, 19 I0).
The third fire broke out at midnight on May 27, 1911. Six city blocks of stored lumber, white pine stock that "could not
be replaced" (probably because the upriver timber source was completely used up). The blaze could be seen for a distance of 10
miles, and was said to have been the most brilliant since the blaze of 1894. The Shot Tower was to the south of the point of
origin and was for some time protected by a northerly breeze. It was finally consumed along with two of three box cars which
were on sidings at its base. Curiously the wooden driveway to the lower High Bridge wasn't even charred, while streets to the
north of the tower were baked a bright red by the intense heat (Telegraph-Herald, May 27, 1911 ).
The Telegraph-Heraldprinted this description of tower's succumbing to the flames:
Perhaps the most spectacular feature of the fire was the burning of the old shot tower, a relic dating back
almost beyond the memory of the oldest inhabitant. Built solidly of stone and nearly two hundred feet high this
structure stood through the great lumber fire of 1894.
Saturday morning's frre leaves it still standing but nothing but a shell. Whether a spark or from the intense
heat the flames burst first from the roof, high above the highest flames. Then the windows of the floor below
caught and so down to the bottom. Finally the entire woodwork caught and dense black smoke poured in a
ribbon of smoke from the top to bottom of the tower. When this cleared away the burning timbers of the floors
could be seen falling inside, shooting past the windows and sending up showers of sparks.
The burning of the old shot tower, which for years has been one of the best known landmarks of the Key City,
was watched with a fascination on every hand.
The structure is hollow, and as the windows fei1 out, the shaft of fire could be seen raging from top to bottom,
belching forth from the top on a shower of flame wind rendered to it the aspect of a mammoth sky-rocket. From
the sides, a solid wall of smoke waved in the breeze, reminding one of an immense flat afloat on the hight and
tinged with the conflagration which roared and hissed beneath it.
The stone shaft caught fire from the top and burned down. The tower stands to the south of the origin of the
blaze. The wind was from the south. Yet the intense heat from the burning pine when it reached the altitude of
the top of the tower was such that it caught and the path of the flames was through the center of the structure
and to the ground. The windows and spiral staircase were consumed. Just how seriously the wails were injured
and whether it will be necessary to level the structure, which has stood for fifty years, has not been determined.
NPS Form 10-900-a O,~B Approval No. 1024-0018
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 89
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
This account is the source of the presence of a spiral staircase within the tower. It is hard to understand why a spiral
stin:case would occupy a square tower. Spiral staircases, if metal, required a central support column so the stairs
naturally postdated the use of the tower for shot production. The stairs were presumably installed in 1877, given the
expenditure of $3,000 on the tower that year. The account also documents that the fire did not begin at the base of the
tower as is claimed by some sources. Rather the penthouse cap caught fire from the intense heat from burning materials
upwind from it (Telegraph-Herald, May 27, 1911; November 4, 1956).
Figure 64: Bunfmg of Shot Tower, 1911 and aftermath of fire
(photos courtesy of Dubuque County Historical Society)
The fourth lumberyard fire followed two days later and consumed the south yard of the Standard Lumber Company,
with a loss of $400,000. Also consumed were the Conlin & Keums Ice House and four shanty boat houses. The Star Brewery
suffered damages of $7-8,000. Six blocks of stored lumber were consumed. The total loss of lumber was an estimated
10,000,000 board feet. The company lind insurance covering two-thLrds of the loss but it was wiped out as a business anyway
(Telegraph-Herald, May 29, 1911 ).
Standard Lumber was finished with its burned out yards and disposed of them to M. H. McCarthy on July 25, 1911, for
just $1.00. McCarthy is said to have been linked with the company, as is limted by the purchase price. The M. H. McCarthy
Company was incorporated on March 15, 1912 to deal in real estate. For most of two generations the area around the Shot
Tower would remain open, weed filled and undeveloped. Landfilling took place north of the tower site and shanties clustered in
that area as the Great Depression turned normal life upside down for many Dubuque residents (Balmer Presentation; Town Lot
Deeds Book 73, p. 546; Incorporations Book 6, p. 137).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United S~ates Department of the Interior
l~lational Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 90
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 65:1911 re-plat of Commercial Street
(Shaded lots are those associated with the Shot Tower, the latter stands on Lot 24)
Diagonal Street, later re-named Commercial Street, was extended across Blocks 7 and 2 in mid-1911. Standard Lumber
Company secured the re-platting. This action placed the Shot Tower in the middle of Commercial Street (Property abstract).
The Shot Tower as Memorial:
The Andrew Jackson statue era, 1874-81, marked the first use of the tower as a monument and perhaps a viewing vista
for the public. After the 1911 fire, the tower was increasingly viewed as a local landmark that was worthy ora park-like setting
and proper commemoration. The 1915 passing of Senator William B. Allison resulted in the founding of the Allison-Henderson
Memorial Association. David Henderson had long served as Speaker of the House and collectively, the two Congressional
giants had represented the irony of Republicans governing an ardently Democratic city. On October 23, 1915 the Association,
represented by John R. Waller, purchased the tower and its surrounding area for dedication as a park. The price was good for
the seller, the property sold for an impressive $12,000. In August 1916 the Association transferred the property to the City of
Dubuque. The city was empowered to sell some of the land as long as 80 percent of any proceeds would pay for a memorial
park somewhere in the city. The tower had no association with the two Congressional leaders (Allison was a close friend of
Julius Graves however) and the group simply wanted to use the property as financiaI leverage to achieve their goal for a
commemorative park. The City of Dubuque accepted a mortgage that was part of the purchase price and was the clear
titleholder as of March 1921. The Allison-Henderson Memorial Park was designated, and did include the Shot Tower, but no
development occurred apart from the construction in the 1930s of the riverfront Council Ring, a circular raised stone overlook
that is located several hundred yards northeast of the Tower (Balmer Presentation; Town Lot Deed Book 79, pp. 418, 478).30
~0 Association trustees were John R., James H., and John R/der Wallis, and Frederick E. Bissell. A 1929 affidavit corrected and quieted
private claims to the outer levee, the vacated former Tower Street, and land which was loaned for a 25-year period to Standard Lumber
Company. M. H. McCarthy had falsely claimed title in a 1916 quit claims deed (Affidavit Book 2, p. 434, January 7, 1929).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
lqational Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 91
George W. Rogers Companv Shot Toward(revised, expanded and updated)
OMB Approval NO. I024-0018
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 66:c.1915 photograph of the Shot Tower, view to the west.
The muniaipal power plant (still extant but altered) is visible behind the tower.
Newspaper coverage of the tower was non-existent through the 1920s and was minimal during the early 1930s. A 1933
article celebrated the tower's 756 birthday (it was than 77 years old). The same source noted that the tower had been gutted by
fire in the 1890s. In 1934 the tower was selected for documentation by the Histor/c American Buildings Survey program of the
Department of the Interior. This was a make-work federal project that employed architects, draughtsmen and engineers during
the Great Depression. The tower was drawn to scale and photographed in accordance with Historic American Engineering
Record standards. The work also entailed the development of a brief history of the tower (see Figure 1; Telegraph-Herald,
August 6, 1933).
The Dubuque Women's Club petitioned the city to take steps to preserve the deteriorating tower in late 1931. Plans
were in the works to develop the area for industrial uses and the women sought the establishment of a protective island as a
small park. Warning that "each year sees further deterioration of its masonry," the city was called upon to tuck-point the tower
and at least to temporarily roof it. The club also recommended the installation of a beacon light on the tower:
If the old Tower could be made into a beacon so that its beams could be seen for miles up and down the river
and across the country into the three states, it would again have a real purpose in adddtion to its historic growth.
In the event of an airport being established permanently here, the light would be of inestimable value.
Nothing was done. In late 1949 the Girl Scouts proposed to plant shrubbery around the Tower base if the city would clean up
the area, but again, nothing transpired (Telegraph-Herald, October 1 I, 1931; December 25, 1949).
NPS Form 10-900 a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 92
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 67:1934 HABS-HAER photo, view to the north
(Library of Congress, HABS-HAER Photograph Collection)
The HABS documentation formalized the landmarking process for the Shot Tower. By 1943, the Telegraph-Herald
termed it a "Famed local landmark" noting that it had "pIayed a very important role in the prosecution of the Civil War" and
then curiously added "it has stood as a silent tribute to Iowa Union veterans in three wars, the Spanish American conflict in
1898-99, and the two world wars." By this time the structure was nearing its century mark, which was also helpful in terms of
being publicly accepted as a landmark (Telegraph-Herald, September 26, 1943).
NPS Form ~O 900 a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 93
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 68:1936 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
(the tower is outlined in gray and is located with a gray arrow)
Figure 68 again depicts the lonely setting of the tower as of the mid-1930s. The smaIl shacks visible to the northeast
were part of the several "Hoovervilles" which had sprouted up between the city and the fiver. A promotional Chamber of
Commerce photo from this period shows iceskating on the lagoon to the north of the tower. Nothing had come of the park idea
of 1915, but the matter was revisited in 1941, even as World War II was just underway, but nothing was finally done. The area
was again re-platted so as to define leasable riverfront parcels. Commercial Street was reconfigured along the north side of the
railroad tracks and the tower was actually in the street right-of-way. In 1950 the city negotiated 75-year leases for the industrial
site immediately north of the tower (Balmer Presentation).
Followhng World War II the Shot Tower was elevated to an Iowa icon by means of a series of promotional articles
which appeared in the Palimpsest. "Steamboat" Bill Peterson, a Dubuquer, was a leading booster of the tower. His article
stressed the role of the tower as a surviving witness to the cmtire history of the city. The height of exaggerated claims for the
tower came in 1951 when Railroader Magazine captioned a cover photo of the tower with the note that it had "furnished much
of the shot used by the Union army" during the Civil War. The Des Moines Register called the tower a "long-neglected
historical monument" in 1949 (Railroader Magazine; Des Moines Register, January 2, 1949).
NPS Form
United States Department of the Interior
l~iational Park Service
IqaCional Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheer
Section number 8 Page 94
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 69: May 1940 photo, view west, photograph by John Valcon
(Library of Congress, HABS-HAER Photograph Collection)
In 1951, industrial buildings were being constructed just north of the tower and an engineer who was making soundings
for the foundations, offered the opinion that the Shot Tower would last another I00 years, that its mortar was "as hard as flint"
and "the stone is made of the hardest found in this vicinity." A few rocks had fallen from the first floor window frames "which
is now level with the surrounding terrain because of filling." A few stones had also fallen from the upper stone arches. The
Chamber of Commerce declared its support for saving the tower in 1952 "because of its great historical interest" and its
"trademark" role for the city. The beautification committee of the Chamber studied the matter and warned that action had to be
taken "before its too late." The City Engineer studied the tower and developed a $7,000 project cost, including $2,000 for
scaffolding. A particular concern was the loose brick on the top of the tower walls. The bricks endangered children who played
around the tower and passing trucks using Commercial Street. Fears were expressed that a track could strike the tower and
bring it down "like a house of cards." The Beautification Committee issued its report in early 1953 and recommended the
sealing of the lower openings, the installation ora roof, and the completion of a building survey by a competent engineer. Fund
raising, for a total of $5,000 to $15,000, would center on a school-based fund drive. The first tower restoration work was
NPS Form ~O-90C~a
(8-86)
United Sta~es Department of ~he In~erior
l~lational Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 95
Geor§e W. Ro§er$ Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated) Dubuque County, Iowa
discussed in 1956 and estimates of needed work, tuck-pointing, replacement concrete sills, and a concrete roof cap, totaled
$7,500 (Telegraph-Herald, September 9, 1951; November 21, 1952; February 11, 1953).
Figure 70:1951 photo of the Shot Tower, view to the west
(Railroader Magazine, August 1951, cover)
Figure 71 nicely illustrates the impact of the municipal leasing out of the area immediately north of the tower in 1951.
Virginia Carolina Chemical Company is now the Peavey Company. q]fis is the first Sanborn Map to not show the vehicular
bridge to the south of the railroad bridge.
By 1959 the Dubuque County Historical Society was taking the lead in saving the tower and suddenly the tower that
could stand another 100 years was ready to fall like the towers of Jerico. A local contractor warned that the stonework was
merely a "veneer" and there were "plenty of holes" in the tower. The Historical Society had partnered with the Dubuque
Vacation Committee and a "number of interested Dubuque organizations and individuals have rallied behind the idea of
restoration." The City Council allocated $5,000 for the tower repair work, to be expended in 1950. The Historical Society
stated that a total of $12,000 would be needed. By this time the tower was called "the oldest landmark in this part of the
country." While the Shot Tower had been cited as one of two surviving shot towers back in 1953, it now was admitted to be
one of five such towers. The tower was "the only real symbol of Dubuque" (Telegraph-Herald, October 25, 1959).
31 The industrial plant successively housed the Pillsbury Company Grain Terminal, the Harvest State Cooperative (c. 1996) and the Peavey
Company (until 2002). The complex is now vacant.
NPS Form 10 900-a OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 96
George W. Roger Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded snd updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 72: Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1965
(the vaulted garage structure, visible to the east of the tower, post-dates 1936 and is still present)
It wasn't until November 1959 that a special "Save Our Shot Tower" committee, chaired by Henry Miller, was
organized. The committee set an initial goal of $7,000, and finally raised $6,848 of a $6,700 revised goal by late March 1960.
The restoration plan by this time was more expansive. While the tower would be tuck-pointed, the surrounding area was to be
lighted, cleaned up, and the tower would be put in a condition to once again produce lead shot. Tours would also be o£fered
(Balmer Presentation).
The tuck-pointing, re-roofing, and the replacement of window sills with concrete ones, the covering of the windows
with wooden louvers, and the pouring ora concrete base around the tower base, were all completed in 1960. The interior walls
were tuck-pointed and cast concrete interior lintels were put in place. The roof was festooned with five lightning rods. While
none of the tourism improvements were done, the Dubuque Historical Society re-opened the tower for the public in November
1961, claiming an investment of $14,000 in the work, matched by the city's $5,000 expenditure. In 1967 the site was
permanently protected from flooding by the construction of a city-wide floodwall. The Dubuque Garden Club landscaped the
base of the tower. At some time during the 1960s, a protective iron fence placed on an oval stone base was added, funded by
NPS Form ~0-900~a
(8-88)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 97
George W, Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated) Dubuque County, Iowa
private service groups. In 1969 the present plaque was placed on the east base of the structure by the Dubuque Chapter of the
Daughters of the American Revolution (Balmer Presentation; Telegraph Herald, September 15, 1959, November i3, 1961).
Figure 73:c.1940 view of the Shot Tower, view towards the river, brewery to the right.
In 1976 Joe Pickett Sr, who had reopened the former Star Brewery just south of the tower, re-staged lead shot
production as part of the bicentennial effort. Pickett spent 18 months trying to produce acceptable shot. He appropriately first
used his own brewery as a production site, and a beer barrel as the cooling tank for the dropped shot. When he dropped lead
from the fourth floor wind blew through the windows and plastered his brick walls with lead. He next tried the top of an
elevator shaft in the brewery. He finally determined to use the Shot Tower, but there was no way to do so, given the absence of
stairs. Unwilling to risk entanglement in the tower's lighming rods, a planned National Guard lift by helicopter was declined.
Pickett finally resorted to the use of scaffold inside the tower. Jackson Tuck Pointing Company provided the necessary
scaffolding for free. Over time Pickett's shot making efforts (aided by a young and interested Dr. Richard Vermeer)
transformed from "meteorites" into spheres. He produced 1,000 bottles of shot for the Dubuque County Historical Society for
use as fund raising items, hi 1976 the Shot Tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by local historian
Helen Mercer and it was designated as a municipal historic landmark in 1993 (Telegraph-Herald, October 17, 1976; January 16,
1993; Des Moines Register, May 24, 1976).
NPS Form l0-9OOa
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Sentice
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 98
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Figure 74: o.1935, view to northeast, note small house in back-gound. Wisconsin stone bluffs visible.
In 1987 serious consideration was given to dis-assembling the tower and rebuilding it at the bead of the Ice Harbor,
where it would be more publicly accessible and would serve as an "architectural focal point." The relocation option was first
proposed in 1987 and wasn't abandoned until 1997. The University of Wisconsin conducted the study for the Greater Dubuque
Development Commattee. There was precedent. The Town Clock tower had been moved to Town Clock Plaza on Main Street
in the early 1970s, although it was relocated as a single unit. The moving idea was re-visited in 1995 when BRW conducted a
feasibility study. Relocation was finally dependent on a corporate partnering with the Peavey Company and it determined that it
was too busy with its business to remedy a problem that it didn't perceive to be a problem. Further tuck-pointing work planned
for 1991 was eliminated from the city budget due to the failure of a local sales tax referendum. In 1991 a runaway raikoad car
smashed through the metal fence and seriously damaged the west base wall of the tower just north of the door. Damage was
estimated at $5-10,000 and the railroad company paid for the necessary repairs. All of this attention produced a strong level of
community support in favor of preserving the tower. An April 1992 poll found 76 percent of residents favored the tower's
preservation (Balmer Presentation; Telegraph-Herald, April 12, 1992; September 28, 1987).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page 99
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower~(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
In 2001 IIW Engineers & Surveyors, P.C. were contracted to perform a structural evaluation of the tower and to prepare
recommendations for including the tower in the river walk project. Historic Preservation Consultant James Jacobsen was
subsequently contracted to amend the National Register of Historic Preservation listing to designate the Dubuque Shot Tower to
be nationally significant. He is also charged with preparing a National Historical Landmark nomination for the Shot Tower.
NPS Form ~0-900 a
{8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
l~lational Park Service
OMB Al~l~roval No. 1024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 9 Page 100
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
9. Major Biblioeraphic References:
This draft nomination amendment would have been impossible to prepare absent the impressive corpus of research
which Ron Balmer and his Dubuque firm, IIW, accomplished as part of their structural and interpretive reuse study of the
Dubuque Shot Tower. Mr. Balmer was more than generous in sharing his findings and his information enabled this author to
research more effectively, supplementing his findings.
Ballou's Pictorial Drawing Room Companion, October 3 I, 1857, pp. 260-62.
Balmer, Ron, "Historical Shot Tower of Dubuque, Iowa; Unraveling The Myths," IlW Engineers & Surveyors, P.C., June 2002
Balmer, Ron, Stmcturai Assessment of the Shot Tower, Dubuque: I1W Engineers & Surveyors, P.C., 2001.
Birdseye View of Dubuque," W. J. Gilbert, 1858.
Encyclopedia of the Confederacy, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993
Volume 2, "Lead," James I. Robcrtson, Jr., p. 913.
Dacus, J. A., et al, A Tour Of St. Louis, Or, The Inside Life Of A Great CiW, St. Louis; Western Publistfmg Company, 1878.
Dubuque Chamber of Commerce, "Dubuque Shot Tower," undated single-page fact sheet.
Dubuque Dock Board, Documents Related to 1960 Restoration of the Shot Tower.
Official Notice, Telegraph-Herald, April 17, 1960
Notice to Contractors, April 29, 1960
May 23, 1960 Contract with George R. Jackson & Sons.
Meeting Minutes, April 11, May 16, 23, November 14, 1960
Summary of Bids For Reconditioning Historic Landmark Known As "Shot Tower" In The City of Dubuque, Iowa, h.p.
Elliott, Jack, "The Old Shot Tower," typed MS, n. d.
Gelemter, Mark, A History Of American Architecture, Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, i999.
Gibson, A. M., "Lead Mining In Southwest Missouri After 1865," Missouri Historical Review, Volume 53, pp. 315-328.
Hermy, Harold, "The Mystery of Andrew Jackson's Statue," Clarksville, Tennessee: typed MS, n.d.
Historic Sites Field Survey, Dubuque, Iowa, "Shot Tower," April 27, 1973.
Historical American Bu/lcFmgs Survey, Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress, Wasl-fmgton, D.C.
The Shot Tower, Fayette mad Front Streets, Baltimore, Maryland, 1964, HABS MD #21 (Phoer£tx/Merchant's Shot
Tower).
The Shot Tower, Dubuque, Iowa, 1934, Iowa #30-8, 1934 photos by Harry N. Bevers, 1977 photos by Jack E. Boucher.
Baltimore Shot Tower, Maryland, MD-21
The History of Dubuque County, Iowa, Chicago: Western Historical Society, 1880.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
blational Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 9 Page 101
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated) Dubuque County, Iowa
Hoffman, M. M., "John Francis Rague-Pioneer Architect of Iowa," Annals of Iowa, October 1934, pp. 444-448.
Industrial Census of Dubuque, Dubuque County, 1860, 1870.
"Iowa Builds a Monument," The College Spokesman, Dubuque: Loras College, November 1946-January 1947.
Lyon, Randolph, Dubuque: ~ne Encyclopedia, Dubuque: First National Bank of Dubuque, 1991.
Lyon, Randolph, Faith & Forttme: An Encyclopedia of Dubuque County, Dubuque: Flynn Printing & Graphics, 1998.
McAlester, Virginia and Lee, A Field Guide To American Houses, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984.
McCord~ Carey P., "Lead Shot Towers in America," Industrial Medicine and Surgery, December 1958, pp. 620-26.
Martin, Dick, "How They Saved The Shot Tower," Iowan Magazine, Spring 1963, pp. 32-35.
National Register of Historic Places Nominations:
Baltimore Shot Tower, Maryland, 1971 (W. Brown Morton, m).
Dubuque Shot Tower, Iowa, i976 (Helen Mercer).
Oldt, Franklin T. and P. J. Quigley, History of Dubuque County, Iowa, Chicago: Goodspeed Historical Association, 1911.
Peterson, William, "The Dubuque Shot Tower," Palimpsest, Vol. 30, pp. 377-88 (December 1947)
Railroader Magazine, August 1951 cover photo.
Schwartzlow, Ruby Johnson, "The Early History of Lead Mirfmg in Missouri," Missouri Historical Review, Volume 28, pp.
184-94, 284-295, Volume 29, pp. 27-34, 109-114.
Shank, Wesley I., Iowa's Historic Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1999.
"Shot Making In Missouri," Missouri Historical Review, July 1933, pp. 269-70.
"Shot Towers Thrived As A Maj or Missouri Industry," Missouri Historical Review, January 1954, pp. 162-63.
Sommer, Lawrence J., The Heritage of Dubuque: An Architectural View, Dubuque: First National Bank, 1975.
Stewart, Dick, Frontier Swashbuckler: The Life and Legend of John Smith T, (*need citation).
Sullivan, Roger and J. A. Swisher, "The Dubuque Shot Tower," Palimpsest, December 1949, pp. 371-88.
Telegraph-Herald, Dubuque The Birthplace of Iowa, Dubuque: Telegraph-Herald, 1998.
Wilkie, William E., Dubuque On The Mississippi, 1877-1988, Dubuque: Loras College Press, 1987.
Woodman, Betsy H., "John Francis Rague--Mid-Nineteenth Century Revivalist Architect," Iowa City: University of Iowa, MA
Thesis, School of Art, February 1969.
NFS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 9
Pa8e 102
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
Maps:
Koch, Augustus, "Bird's Eye View of the City of Dubuque, Iowa, 1872."
Perspective Map Of The City of Dubuque, 1889,
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, Dubuque, 1884, 1891, 1909, 1909/36, 1965
Major Newspaper Arfieles:
Daily Republican, October 10, 1856, "Dubuque And Her BuilcVmgs."
Daily Weekly Republican, July i, 1857, "White Lead and Lead Pipe Factory In Dubuque."
Daily Northwest, September 22, 1857, "A Visit To The Shot Tower."
Daily Express & HeraM:
November 18, 1856, "The First Shot."
November 19, 1856, "The Tower."
July 22, 1856, "New Enterprise."
August 20, 1856, Advertisement, E. H. Rogers.
December 24, I856, Advertisement, "Dubuque Shot Tower" (continued through April 1, 1857)
Weekly Express & Herald, February 10, 1858, "Story And Description of Dubuque, Iowa."
Missouri Republican, January 5, 1847, "St. Louis Shot Tower."
Telegraph-Herald:
April 15, 1914, "The Dubuque Shot Tower"
August 24, 1930, "Shot Tower Sees Dubuque Change."
October 11, 193 i, Want To Save Old Landmark."
November 28, 1937, "Lower High Bridge Built 50 Years Ago."
September 26, i943, "Famed Local Landmark: Shot Tower Once Had Important Role Here."
November 7, 1943, "County Jail Erected In 1856 Modeled After Egyptian."
September 15, 1946, "Shot Tower Caused Many Legal Fights."
December 25, 1949 "Historical Society Magazine Tells Story of Shot Tower"
November 12, 1952, "Map Plans To Save Shot Tower."
February 1 i, 1953, "Chamber Is Planning To Preserve Shot Tower."
November 4, 1956, "Forgotten Shot Tower Nears Century Mark."
August 19, 1959, "Survey on Shot Tower Repair To Be Ordered."
September i5, 1959, "Shot Tower Estimate Set--S10,000."
October 25, 1959, "If Something Isn't Done, It Could Tumble Down...Shot Tower Like Jerico."
November 8, 1959, "Restore Shot Tower Built In 1856 SOS Fund Drive Underway."
November 15, 1959, "Contributions Pouring In SOS Fund Hits $2,000."
November 22, 1959, "Drive Hits $3,000--SOS 'Push' Planned."
April 12, 1960, "City Requests Work On Shot Tower."
November 13, 1961, "Open Historic Shot Tower."
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 9
Page ! 03
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower_(revised, expanded and updated)
Dubuque County, Iowa
October 17, 1976, "Look Out Belooooow..."
March 23, 1987, "Shot Tower Holds Its Lonely Ground."
November 18, 1991, "Shot Tower Hit But Not Falling."
April 6, 1992, "Longshot: Old Tower Straddles Time, Fate."
April 10, 1992, "Shot Tower: Time To Tap Its Tourism Potential."
January 16, 1893, "Group Waits Landmark Label For Four Structures."
August 22, 1896, "Historical Tower Relocation Has Benefits And High Cost."
September 28, 1997, '2'40 Movement On Shot Tower--It Stays Put."
Mat'ch 29, 2001, "City Takes Shot At Sprucing Up One Of Its Landmarks."
Des Moines Register:
January 2, 1949, "Dubuque Shot Tower A Frontier Landmark"
May 25, 1976, "Bicentennial blues: Getting the lead out."
.... , --, 1976, "Art of Making Shot Lives On."
August 31, 1996, "Towering Old Landmark Might Have to Relocate."
Iowa State Archives, State Historical Society of Iowa:
Records Group 101, Adjutant General
Contracts, Bonds and Proposals, 1861-68, Box 1
Invoices of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores Received or On Hand, 1861-65, Box 1
General Correspondence, 1861-62, Boxes 2, 3,10, 13
Shot Tower Contextual Sources:
Avery, Ron, "Sparks Shot Tower," Philadelphia Oddities, http://www.ushistorv.org.oddities/sparks.htm
Conner, Buck, The Lead Business in North America, http://klesinger.com/jbp/lbus.html, July 26, 2002.
Gracy, David B., Moses Austin and the Development of the Missouri Lead Industry,
http://198.209.8.166;sheproom/periodicals/ozarkswatch/ow601 f. htm.
"Historical Shot Towers," http://www.nvsata.com~istorical memorabilia/shot-towers.htm.
"History of the Shot Tower," http://www.traphof, oredshot towers/shot towers~oage-l.htm.
Lienhard, John H., "No.422: Shot Tower," http://ww.uh.edu/engines/epi422.htm.
Lienhard, John H., "No. 954: Moses Austin's Lead," http://ww.uh.edu/engines/epi422.htm.
"The Washington Monument," http://sc94.ameslab.~ov/TOUPdwashmon.html.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number ! 0 Page 1 ~0~
George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower (revised, expanded and updated)
10. Geographical Data:
Dubuque County, Iowa
Boundary Description:
Lot 24, Block 7, Dubuque Harbor Improvement Addition
Boundary Justification:
This is thc parcel that has historically been associated with the shot tower and it includes any probable archeological
features. The buildings which are ad!acent to the tower are all on publicly owned land.
Photo List:
Photographer: James E. Jacobsen
Date: August 8, 2002
Film Type:
View:
west
2. east
3. northeast
4. west
5. southwest
Description:
east front of tower, full height of tower, setting
west front of tower, full height
south and west fronts of tower, full height view
general setting, west face of tower
north and east fronts of the tower, full height
STATE
HISTORICAL
SOCIETY of
IOWA
A Division of the Iowa Department of Cultaral Affairs
January 2, 2003
The Honorable Terry Duggen
Mayor
50 W. 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001-4864
RE: George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower (Revised, expanded and updated), Commercial Street end River Front,
Dubuque, Dubuque County
Dear Mayor Duggan:
We are pleased to inform you that the above named property will be considered by the State National Register Nominations
Review Committee for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places on February 14, 2003. The National Register
is the Federal Government's official list of historic properties worthy of preservation. Listing in the National Register
provides recognition end assists in preserving our Nation's heritage. Listing of the property provides recognition of the
community's historic importance end assures protective review of Federal projects that might adversely affect the character of
the historic property. Listing in the National Register does not meen that limitations will be placed on the properties by the
Federal government. Public visitation rights are not required of owners. The Federal government will not attach restrictive
covenants to the properties or seek to acquire them.
Listing in the National Register results in:
Consideration in the planning for Federal, federally licensed, end federally assisted projects. Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 requires Federal agencies allow the Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation en opportunity to comment on projects affecting historic properties listed in the National Register. For
further information please refer to 36 CFR 800.
Eligibility for Federal tax provisions. Ifa property is listed in the National Register, certain Federal tax provisions
may apply. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 revised the historic preservation tax incentives authorized by Congress in
the Tax Reform Act of 1976, the Revenue Act of t978, the Tax Treatment Extension Act of i980, the Economic
Recovery Tax Act of 1981, and Tax Reform Act of 1984, end as of January 1, 1987, provides for a 20 percent
investment tax credit with a full adjustment to basis for rehabilitating historic commercial, industrial, and rental
residential buildings. The former 15 percent end 20 percent Investment Tax Credits (ITCs) for rehabilitation of
older commercial buildings are combined into a single 10 percent ITC for commercial or industrial buildings built
before 1936. The Tax Treatment Extension Act of 1980 provided Federal tax deductions for charitable contributions
for conservation purposes of partial interests in historically important land areas or stractures. Whether these
provisions are advantageous to a property owner is dependent upon the particular circumstances of the property and
the owner. Because tax aspects outlined above are complex, individuals should consult legal counsel or the
appropriate local Internal Revenue Service office for assistance in determining the tax consequences of the above
provisions. For further information please refer to 36 CFR 67 and Treasury Regulation Sections 1.48-12 (ITCs) a~ad
1.170A-14 (charitable contributions).
Consideration of historic values in the decision to issue a surface coal mining permit where coal is located, in accord
with the Surface Mining and Control Act of 1977. For further information please refer to 30 CFR 700 et seq.
Qualification for Federal and State grants for historic preservation when funds are available.
Eligibility for State Tax Credits for rehabilitation. Properties listed on the National Register, eligible for listing on
the National Register or Barns congtmcted before t937 are eligible to apply for a 25 percent state tax credit for
600 EAST LOCUST STPmqcr, DESMOrNEs, IA 50319-0290 P: (515) 281-5111
The Honorable Terry Duggan
January 2, 2003
Page 2
rehabilitation. The cost ora 24-month qualified rehabilitation project would exceed either $25,000 or 25 percent of
the fak market value for a residential property or barn tess the land before rehabilitation. For commercial properties,
the rehabilitation project would exceed 50 percent of the assessed value of the property tess the land before
rehabilitation - whichever is less. The State Historic Preservation office must approve the rehabilitation work before
an amount of tax credits will be reserved for your project. There axe limited credits available each year, so let us
know if you want the application informafiov.
Owners of private properties nominated to the National Register of Historic Places have an opportuinity to concur in or object
to listing in accord with the National FIistorie Preservation Act and 36 CFR 60. Any owner or partial owner of privata
property who chooses to object to listing is required to submit to the State Historic Preservation Officer a notarized statement
certifying that the party is the sole or partial owner of the private propeay and objects to the listing. Each owner or partial
owner of private propety has one vote regardless of what part of the property that party owns. If a majority of private
property owners object, a property will not be listed; liowever, the State Historic Preservation Officer shall submit the
nomination to the Keeper of the National Register for a determination of the eligibility of the property for listing in the
National Register. If the property is then determined eligible for listing, although not formally listed, Federal agencies will
be required to allow the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation an oppormmty to comment before the agency may fund,
license, or assist a project which will affect the property. If you choose to object to the listing of your property, the notarized
objection must be submitted to the State Historical Society of Iowa, 600 E. Locust, Des Moinas, IA 50313 not more than 75
days from the date of this notice.
If yon wish to comment on the nomination of the property to the National Register, please send your comments to the State
Historical Society of Iowa before the State Nomination Review Comrmttee meets on February 14, 2003. A copy of the
nomination and information on the National Register and the Federal trax provisions are available from the above address
upon request.
You are invited to attend the State Nomination Review Committee meeting at which the nomination will be considered. The
meeting wi]l take place in New Historical Building, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines, in classrooms A&B, 3rd floor West. A
meeting agenda is enclosed.
Unfommately, due to state budget cuts, our grants have been temporarily frozen for at least one year.
Should you have any questions about the National Register of Fiistoric Places, Tax Incentives or about this nomination hi
particular, please feel free to contact me by telephone at 515-281-4137 or by e-mail at beth.fostar~dca, state.la.us. You may
enjoy visiting the National Register websitc at http://www.cr.nps.gov/ur/index.hm~
Sincerely,
for
Lowell Soike
Deputy State Historic l~eservafiun Officer
STATE NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATION REVIEW COMMITTEE
February 14, 2003
AGENDA
The February meeting of the State Nomination Review Committee (SNRC) will be held at the New
Historical Building, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines, in classrooms A&B, 3rd floor West.
If you are representing a particular nominated property, please arrive one half-hour before the
nomination is scheduled on the agenda. Due to the unpredictable length of time it takes to review each
nomination the times on the agenda may change. You may, if you wish, request to speak in favor of or in
opposition to that nomination. You can simply be available to answer any Committee questions if you
wish to do so.
Refreshments will be available for all that attend Committee meetings. Slides are used to better aid the
public in following Committee proceedings. The Committee can determine to nominate, to defer judgment
or to reject any particular nomination. Accepted nominations are forwarded for National Park Service for
review and probable listing on the National Register of Historic Places;
9:00a Refreshments
OLD BUSINESS
9:15a
Minutes/Announcements
NEW BUSZNESS
9:30 Architectural and Historical Resources of the Nevada Central Business District
9:45 Nevada Downtown Historic District, portions of 900 to 1200 blocks of 6m Street and side streets,
Nevada, Story County
10:15 Chicago & Northwestern Passenger Depot, 3727 Perkins Avenue, Wall Lake, Sac County
10:30 The Sanford, Arthur and Stella, House, 1925 Summit, Sioux City, Woodbury County
10:45 Break
11:00 George W. Rogers Company Shot Tower (Revised, expanded and updated), Commercial Street and
River Front, Dubuque, Dubuque Counb/
11:15 Grant Wood's "Fall Plowing" Rural Historic Landscape District, 0,5 mi. n. of jct. Matsel Lane and
Stone City Road, Viola vicinity, Linn County
11:30 Henyon-Kasper-Duffy House and Barn, 2520 Highway 1 NE, Solon vicinity, 3ohnson County
11:45 Oleson Park Music Pavilion, 1400 Oleson Park Avenue, Fort Dodge, IA 50501
12:00 Adjourn