Florence Water Tower - Florence, Kansas
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 38° 14.567 W 096° 56.083
14S E 680736 N 4234769
Historic water tower still in use for the community of Florence, Kansas.
Waymark Code: WMBC7Q
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 05/03/2011
Views: 6
"Fire destroyed four buildings in downtown Florence in the mid-1880s causing community leaders to consider developing a water works system for better fire protection. Under the direction of A. F. Horner, the Florence Water Supply Company hired local stonemason C. O. Johnson to build a water tower. The system originally took water from the Cottonwood River and included a pump house and well adjacent to the river in addition to the water tower across town on the hill. The pump house and well are no longer extant. The tower is a cylindrical structure measuring 110 feet tall and 18 feet wide. Its limestone base is covered with a layer of concrete, and the top half includes a metal storage tank. In 1920, new water and sewer lines were laid and arrangements made to have water brought into town from a spring north of Florence. The tower remains an integral part of the town's water system, which continues to take water from the spring north of town. It was nominated for its engineering significance and its association with the growth and development of Florence." - Kansas Historical Society
The water tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.