The Benson Water Tower was a water tower located on Clayton Street in Benson,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The tower was built in 1891, in response to several serious fires in Benson; it supplied the village with water until 1985. The tall brick tower had a large wooden water tank on top. The tower was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1987. It has since been demolished, and was delisted in 2020.

Description

The round, red brick tower was tall with a base diameter of that tapered to at its top. The bricks used for the tower were made in Benson's own brickyard. The tower was topped by a tall

redwood Sequoioideae, commonly referred to as redwoods, is a subfamily of Pinophyta, coniferous trees within the family (biology), family Cupressaceae, that range in the Northern Hemisphere, northern hemisphere. It includes the List of superlative tree ...

water tank; steel bands held the tank's wooden planks together. The tank held 15,000 barrels of water when full and was connected to the ground by a diameter supply pipe. Ladders allowed access to both the inside and outside of the tower, and a catwalk surrounded the barrel.

History

The village of Benson experienced major fires in its business district in 1884 and 1889, hindering its development as a commercial center. In response, citizens petitioned the village for improved fire protection, and the village commissioned the water tower in 1891. Fitchen Brothers Construction built the tower for $6,400, or approximately $ in present-day terms.Inflation automatically calculated 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, as well as to steam trains on the Chicago, Pekin and Southwestern Railroad. Due to the tower's height, it became a town landmark that could be seen for miles. The water tower provided the village's water until 1985, when a new water tower was constructed.Shields, Lois M. ''National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Benson Water Tower''.

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

. June 28, 1987. The water tower was added to the

on November 20, 1987. It has since been demolished.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Woodford County, Illinois Buildings and structures in Woodford County, Illinois Towers completed in 1891 Water towers on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Former National Register of Historic Places in Illinois