Phoenix Shot Tower
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Phoenix Shot Tower is a 215 foot tall (65.5 meter tall) shot tower located near the Little Italy community in Baltimore, Maryland. When it was completed in 1828 it was the tallest structure in the United States until 1846, when Trinity Church, New York was erected. The shot tower stopped producing shot in 1894. The shot tower was originally owned by the Merchant's Shot Tower Company, purchased by Union Oil in 1921, and turned over to the City of Baltimore in 1924.
Until the completion of the U.S. Washington Monument in 1864, the Phoenix Tower was the tallest free-standing masonry structure in the world.
The Shot Tower lent its name to the nearby Shot Tower/Market Place station on the Baltimore Metro Subway.
[edit] External links
- Carroll Museums official website of organization that maintains the tower as a museum
- Statement of Significance at the National Park Service's National Historic Landmark Program website
- Phoenix Shot Tower at An Engineer's Guide to Baltimore
- Early 20th century photos of the tower at the Trapshooting Hall of Fame and Museum website
- Photo of shot tower
