Benson Water Tower
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Benson Water Tower | |
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| Location | Clayton St. between Front & Pleasant Sts., Benson, Illinois |
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| Coordinates | 40°51′4″N 89°7′13″W / 40.85111°N 89.12028°WCoordinates: 40°51′4″N 89°7′13″W / 40.85111°N 89.12028°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1891 |
| Architect | Fitchen Bros. |
| Governing body | Local |
| NRHP Reference # | 87002034[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 20, 1987 |
The Benson Water Tower is a historic water tower located on Clayton Street in Benson, Illinois. The round, red brick tower is 60 feet (18 m) tall; its diameter is 16 feet 2 inches (4.93 m) at its base and tapers to 14 feet 1 inch (4.29 m) at its top. The tower is topped by a 20-foot (6.1 m) tall redwood water tank. The village of Benson commissioned the water tower in 1891 in response to multiple serious fires in the village's business district. Fitchen Bros. Construction built the tower for $6,400 ($166 thousand in present day terms[2]). The new water tower led to economic and population growth in the village as new houses and businesses received a steady water supply from the tower. The tower also provided water to farms in the surrounding area, who transported water from the city to supplement their wells, and steam trains on the Chicago, Pekin and Southwestern Railroad. The water tower provided the village's water until 1985, when a new water tower was constructed.[3]
The water tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 1987.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
- ↑ Inflation automatically calculated
- ↑ Shields, Lois M. National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Benson Water Tower. National Park Service. June 28, 1987.
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