Remington Water Tower and Town Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Remington Water Tower and Town Hall
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 Location in Indiana
Location in the United States
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| Location | 3 E. Michigan St., Remington, Indiana |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1897 |
| Architect | Challenge Wind Mill and Feed Mill Co |
| NRHP reference No. | 03001314 |
| Added to NRHP | December 23, 2003 |
The Remington Water Tower and Town Hall is a really old and special building in Remington, Indiana. It was built way back in 1897! This tower is unique because it has a wooden water tank sitting on top of a brick tower. It was super important for the town, providing water for fighting fires and for people to drink until 1984. Today, it's recognized as a historic landmark, even listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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About the Remington Water Tower
The Remington Water Tower was built in 1897 by a company called Challenge Wind Mill and Feed Mill Company from Illinois. It's a rare type of water tower because it has a wooden tank on top of a brick tower. The tower stands on a strong limestone base.
It's about 104 feet (32 m) tall, which is like a 10-story building! The round part of the tower is about 20 feet (6.1 m) wide. Its brick walls are 2 feet (0.61 m) thick, making it very strong. The big wooden tank at the top can hold a huge amount of water – about 66,000 US gallons (250,000 L)!
The original wooden tank was replaced in 1924. This tank is made of special cypress wood pieces held together by metal rings. Above the main door, there's a special plaque from the company that built it. As you look up the tower, you'll see eight arched windows, two on each side.
The roof of the water tank was originally made of cedar shingles, but it was updated in 2003. Next to the tower, there's a smaller brick building, about 18 by 12 feet (5.5 by 3.7 m) in size. This building might have been the town hall. It also has a limestone foundation and a low roof.
Inside the Tower
If you could go inside the tower and the old town hall, you'd see that the walls are covered with a smooth plaster-like material called parging. There's a doorway that connects the tower to the town hall.
On the first floor of the water tower, you'd see several pipes. A wooden staircase leads up to the second floor. This floor was fixed after a fire in 1905. From the second floor, a narrow staircase spirals up inside the tower for about 70 feet (21 m)! This staircase and the floors were actually built using the same scaffolding the workers used to construct the tower. To reach the very top tank, you'd have to use an outside metal ladder and walkway. The old town hall part still has its original pressed metal ceiling, which looks really cool!
A Look Back in Time
Remington started as a small farming community in 1860. By 1870, about 390 people lived there. As the town grew, it needed more services. Soon, there were churches, a school, and shops. Around 1887, a smaller tower was built near the jail to hold the fire bell. By 1890, the town government needed more space than the jail building could offer, so they sold the jail to buy land for a school.
In the late 1800s, water systems were becoming popular across the country. Even bigger towns like Rensselaer, Indiana, with 4,000 people, didn't have a full city water system until 1900. But in 1897, the Remington Water Tower changed everything for the town! It meant they no longer had to rely on wells for firefighting or drinking water, making the town safer and healthier.
Awards and Recognition
The Remington Water Tower has received special recognition for its importance:
- It was named an American and Canadian Water Landmark by the American Water Works Association in 1986.
- It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
