Belton Standpipe

In its early history, Belton experienced several disastrous fires, and as a result, citizens were determined to build a waterworks system that would provide adequate protection. After visiting with various representatives and engineers of waterwork contractors and familiarizing themselves with waterworks construction, the Committee on Waterworks and Fire Protection awarded a contract to W. C. Connor of Dallas. A complete system consisting of water mains in the business district and principal streets, a 50-foot standpipe north of town, and a double pumping plant at the Leon River would be installed at a cost of $41,500 in bonds. Belton’s first municipal water system was completed, tested, and delivered to the city on July 1, 1884. 

Belton’s first standpipe was an iron structure located east of Main Street near Tenth Avenue. Years later the city commissioned Matthew Dow to add 35 feet to the height and it was this section that fell apart. After serving for many years, it suddenly burst in October 1909, sending a flood of water down Main Street. City fathers decided to abandon the location and erect a new standpipe south of town. The Belton standpipe was built on what was called Denison’s Hill where it was visible from great distances. The Temple Daily Telegram reported in March 1911 that materials had arrived, and work was ready to begin. The new standpipe was designed to be seventy-five feet high by twenty-four feet wide and “give the residents of south of Nolan’s creek ample water facilities which they have not enjoyed heretofore.” By July, the paper announced the standpipe had reached sixty-nine feet and would be ready to cap the following week. At the top of the cylinder was a cantilevered ring extending out several feet that supported a service walkway. The tower was decorated with raised concrete rectangles called dentils.

In August 1928, the Belton standpipe was the source of “scare-talk” around town when local citizens discovered small water bugs coming from the faucets in their homes. Rumors circulated that six-foot-long green snakes and typhoid alligators with blue bills and thirty tails were crawling over the top of the standpipe. The State Department of Health was called in to perform a water analysis, and although the water was found to be safe, the fear-mongers continued their tall tales of the terrible conditions of the water supply. The City Council decided to act and move up the planned cleaning of the standpipe from October to “right away.” The newspaper published a detailed account of the cleaning process to reassure the public. A raft containing a dozen men was placed on the water in the standpipe, and as the water was let out, the raft slowly sank toward the bottom. The Belton Journal stated, “If you think this trip was a pleasure jaunt, just ask any of the boys who were on the raft. Some of them may have helped mother scrub floors in days long gone; but that was child’s play compared to the way they worked on the inside wall of the big standpipe as the raft slowly sank beneath them. If any little bug failed to be swept down from his happy home, it was because he betook himself to a deep cyclone cellar and screwed down a storm-proof cover. And when the bottom was finally reached, and the boys looked around for the hippopotamus bones and other awful debris which was supposed to be ten feet deep in the reservoir, they found only about two and one-half inches of sand and of the scrapings from the wall.”

By the mid-1960’s Belton’s landmark standpipe was barely meeting the needs of the city especially during the hot summer months. In peak seasons the water level could drop to what was considered a danger point that would be insufficient to fight a downtown fire. As a result, Belton paid an additional fee for fire insurance. The City Council proposed a 600,000 bond election for additional storage of a half million gallons. In 1975, the standpipe was retired, having served its purpose for decades. City Manager George Ferrell reported that the standpipe leaked as much water as it held, and repair was impractical. The deteriorating reservoir was drained of remaining water and abandoned. Ferrell stated the structure would be taken down following completion of a new 100,000 gallon overhead storage tank. Somewhere along the way, it was decided to leave the landmark in place. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 as a “rare surviving example of an early reinforced concrete public works structure.”

On December 29, 2021, the Temple Daily Telegram reported the City of Belton's plan to apply for federal funding through the American Rescue Plan to renovate the standpipe and create a community park. Projected cost of the revitalization project is $1.5 million. In April 2024, the Belton City Council approved a $1.5 million bid for the Standpipe Park project. Gatesville-based TTG Utilities received the contract which was financed by $750,000 Texas Parks and Wildlife Grant, $900,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act Community Aid Fund, and $120,000 from the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Capital Project Fund. The park will feature concrete sidewalks, parking spaces, an open air pavilion, landscape planting, an open play area, standpipe restoration and lighting. Completion date was expected to be December 2024.

“Belton Water Works—Belton Fire Department—Some Early History.” Belton Journal, April 29, 1926.

“Belton Standpipe Bursts.” Denton Record-Chronicle, October 29, 1909.

Ben Yusterwuz, Ahaz. Fin de Siecle Recollections. “Belton’s City Water.” Belton Journal, December 7, 1933.

“Bugs in Water.” Belton Journal, August 23, 1928.

“Standpipe is Given Thorough Cleaning on Last Monday.” Belton Journal, August 23, 1928.

“Standpipe Material Arriving.” Temple Daily Telegram, March 17, 1911.

“Standpipe Reaches Sixty-nine Feet.” Temple Daily Telegram, July 14, 1911.

“Standpipe Serves Purpose—Retired.” Belton Journal, March 13, 1975.

United States Department of the Interior. National Park Service. “National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Belton Standpipe.” [Washington, D.C.: USDI/NPS, 1990?]

Valley, Joel. "Belton Awards Contract for Standpipe Park Improvements." Temple Daily Telegram, April 24, 2024.

Valley, Joel. "Belton Seeks Funds for Standpipe Renovation and Park." Temple Daily Telegram, December 29, 2021.

“Water Storage One of Belton’s Many Problems.” Belton Journal, February 3, 1966.