Remington Water Tower and Town Hall
# Remington Water Tower and Town Hall

The Water Tower was built in 1897 by Challenge Wind and Feed mill Company of Batavia, Illinois. This is a rare wooden tank atop a brick tower type of water tower. Built on a limestone foundation, it is 140 feet (43 m) tall and about 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter. The brick walls are 2 feet (0.61 m) thick.

The original tank was replaced by the Challenge Company in 1924. The tank is made of horizontal battens of cypress, held in place by metal binder rings. The Water Tower and Town Hall, constructed in 1897. Remington, the largest community in Carpenter Township. The town has of approximately 1250 people, founded in 1860. The area is predominantly agricultural. The early stimulus for the growth was the Toledo, Logansport & Burlington Railroad line, established in 1859. The water tower was in use until 1984 when a new water tower was built.

The Challenge Wind Mill & Feed Mill Company of Batavia, Illinois constructed the water tower and town hall. Built with a limestone foundation, common bond brick tower and cypress wood tank measure 104 feet (32 m) high and 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter. The brick walls are 2 feet (0.61 m) thick. The water tank holds 66,000 US gallons (250,000 L). The double semicircular header bond arched opening holds two ledged batten doors that open out. A dedication plaque from the Challenge Wind Mill and Feed Mill Company is affixed above the door. Spiraling up the water tower are a series of eight arched wood frame windows with limestone sills. There are two windows on each "side" facing the cardinal points.

The water tank is constructed of horizontally curved cypress battens and dates to 1927. The roof of the water tank was originally cedar shingles but it was replaced in 2003 with plywood and rolled shingles. The 18 by 12 feet (5.5 by 3.7 m) single story brick structure on the east side may have housed the town hall. It sits on a limestone foundation and is constructed of painted common bond brick. The low pitched gable roof is covered with asphalt shingles and conforms on the west end to the curve of the water tower.

## Interior

The interiors of the tower and the town hall are covered with parging. The semicircular arch connecting the two has been altered to accommodate a rectangular door. Several pipes encumber the first floor of the water tower. There is a wood staircase leading up to the second floor. The floor itself was constructed of wood and repaired after a 1905 fire. From the second floor a narrow staircase spirals through the tower along the interior wall for about 70 feet (21 m). The staircase and floors were constructed from the scaffolding the workers used to build the tower. Then the exterior metal ladder and walkway must be used to access the tank. The town hall retains the pressed metal ceiling and cornice.

## History

The small farming community of Remington dates its founding to 1860. By 1870, the population reached 390. The needs of the town were growing and soon after there were three churches, a school, and several commercial buildings. Around 1887, a forty-foot tower was built near the town jail to house the fire bell. By 1890 when the town government had outgrown its jail building, the jail was sold to purchase a lot and school.

It was in the 1870s–80s that water systems spread rapidly across the country. The city of Rensselaer, the county seat of Jasper County, had a population of 4000 before it had the infrastructure to provide regular city water in 1900. In 1897 the Remington water tower made wells and cisterns obsolete for firefighting and drinking water.

## Awards

* American Water Landmark – from the American Water Works Association, 1986
* National Register of Historic Places, 2003, (Water supply infrastructure)
