Caruthersville Water Tower - Caruthersville, Missouri - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

"The Caruthersville Water Tower is of an elevated stand-pipe design common to water towers built in the latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth century.

The steel-plated 40,000 gallon tank is supported by a brick masonry tower with Gothic-derived embellishments. It is of brick, laid in a common bond pattern. Walls are twenty-four inches thick. The exterior is covered with one-fourth inch thick stucco finish and the interior bricks are exposed. An interior switchback staircase of wooden construction has in the past provided access to an observation platform approximately fifty feet above the ground. The lower section of the staircase was removed after the water tower was closed in 1950. Entrance into the base of the tower is through a wooden door set in a recessed Gothic pointed archway. At varying levels on the upper one-third of the tower there are four pointed arched openings which served both observation and illumination purposes.

The water tank itself is made up of eight steel riveted bands. Horizontally, the plates which comprise the bands are singly riveted, vertically they are double riveted. A straight steel ladder is attached to the outside of the tank and access into the tank can be gained through an iron, hinged panel located on top of the tower. Topping the structure is a bracketed cornice and belt course. Above is a wrought-iron cresting similar to that found on roof ridges of Victorian Gothic and Queen Anne style residential structures.

The height of the tower is 115 feet, excluding the ornamental cresting. The diameter of the tower is 13 feet with a circumference of 41 feet. At the northwest side of the tower is a low concrete structure which originally housed the water pump and machinery. This attached structure measures 15'-2" by 8'.

Since its completion in 1903, the Caruthersville water tower has served as a major landmark; observable from both the Mississippi River and from Missouri Highway 84. It is a significant example of the work done by George C.Morgan, a Chicago civil engineer who had a substantial business in the midwest in building standardized water systems. The majority of municipalities at the turn of the century were constructing standpipe towers of their own design, but Caruthersville chose to accept Morgan's unusual package.

In 1901, the town of Caruthersville issued bonds for $26,000 for the construction of the water tower. Morgan received $250 for his plans and was retained to act as an engineer and superintendent of construction for an unrecorded sum of money.

Older residents of Caruthersville fondly remember past days when the tower served not only as the city's modern water works system but as a point of recreation in the community; people would climb the tower to look across the Mississippi River for a view of Tennessee.

As the population of Caruthersville increased, a more reliable water distribution system was needed for reliable reserves and to insure enough water for fire protection. It was the economics of the standpipe construction that was its greatest asset and selling point, particularly for a community such as Caruthersville, which was constructing its first public water works system.

The tower is visible to all river traffic and until recent construction along the riverfront, it held the distinction of being Pemiscot County's tallest structure. The use of the tower was discontinued by the community in the late 1950's, but the tower was left standing because of its local status as a landmark." - National Register Nomination

Street address: W. 3rd St. Caruthersville, Missouri County / Borough / Parish: Pemiscot Year listed: 1982 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Engineering, Community Planning And Development Periods of significance: 1900-1924 Historic function: Industry/Processing/Extraction Current function: Vacant/Not In Use Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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