A Look at the Sparks Shot Tower, Built in 1808 in Queen Village, South Philadelphia

Philadelphia features numerous old structures with interesting styles of architecture. One of the city’s oldest tall structures is the Sparks Shot Tower, which started construction in 1807 and was completed on July 4, 1808 at 129-131 Carpenter Street in the neighborhood now known as Queen Village in South Philadelphia. The facility, which predates the Civil War by almost 60 years, was designed by Thomas Sparks and John Bishop, who originated the idea for shot towers. The 143-foot-tall structure, which forms a brick-clad cylinder that tapers to the top, still stands to this day.

Sparks Shot Tower survey 1880. Image via Hexamer General Survey.

The Sparks Shot Tower was among the very first shot towers ever built, along with the Jackson Ferry Shot Tower in Wythe County, West Virginia. The purpose of the towers is to form spherical ammunition by dripping molten lead into water from a high elevation. The tower has helped the American war effort in various historical events, Just four years after the completion of the structure, the country entered the War of 1812, and produced ammunition during the Civil War. The tower remained family-operated for four generations, until it was sold in 1903 to the United Lead Company of Pennsylvania.

Sparks Shot Tower July 1973. Photo via Historic American Buildings Survey

When built, it was one of the tallest structures in the city at the time. The tower stood only around 50 feet shorter than the tallest structure in the city, which was the Christ Church in Old City, which stands 196 feet tall and was built in 1754. Philadelphia City Hall would not start construction until 63 years after the completion of the shot tower, so the structure has stood prominently in the skyline for a long period of time. To this day, the structure is very noticeable from multiple vantage points, such as from the Interstate 95 and from Camden, NJ.

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