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Sparks Shot Tower

Introduction

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This tower was built in 1808 by the Sparks family and revolutionized weapons production for the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The great height of this tower facilitated the production of lead bullets. Instead of using a mold, the manufacturers slowly dropped molten lead many feet into water where the lead would cool into bullets. The tower has been preserved and now stands next to a playground and recreation center.

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Sparks Shot Tower by Smallbones on Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

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Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Thomas Sparks was a plumber who revolutionized the production of lead bullets through the construction of this 140-foot tower, the first of its kind in the United States, in 1808. Manufacturing lead bullets had previously required the use of molds, a labor-intensive process. The height of the tower allowed droplets of molten lead to form into bullets when dropped from the top into water below, where they instantly cooled.

During the War of 1812 and American Civil War, this tower was important to the production of arms. The Sparks family operated the tower for four generations. A park and playground now surround the site. The Philadelphia Register of Historic Places recognized the structure in 1956.

Sources

Goodman, Jack. Sparks Shot Tower, Atlas Obscura. Accessed December 29th 2020. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sparks-shot-tower.

Historic American Buildings Survey. Sparks Shot Tower, Library of Congress. July 1973. Accessed January 1st 2021. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/PA0899/.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sparks_Sthot_Tower_Philly.JPG

Additional Information