Ransom Water Tower
National Register of Historic Places

Ransom Water Tower

Ransom, La Salle County, Illinois
Listed
November 2, 1990
Type
Structure
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
90001723

About this property

The Ransom Water Tower is a former water tower in the LaSalle County, Illinois, village of Ransom. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It was demolished in January 2025. After a fire in the early 1890s the village of Ransom decided to construct a public waterworks with a central water tower. The first meetings were held in 1893 and 1894. After some controversy over the size of the tank and tower a 45,000–50,000 gallon tank was constructed atop a brick water tower in 1896. The tower served the village from its construction until July 19, 1990. In January 2025, the Village of Ransom demolished the water tower over concerns of safety. The Ransom Water Tower is located atop a hill, what was the highest point in the then-center of town. Upon its construction, a 40 foot brick tower was topped with a 28-foot-tall (8.5 m) wooden water tank. The brick tower is a round, "barrel", tower. At its base it has a diameter of 29 feet 4 inches which tapers as the tower rises to a diameter of about 24 feet. The tower is locally significant to the settlement of Ransom. It helped the village flourish after a devastating fire and attracted settlers and business growth to Ransom. The Ransom Water Tower was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on November 2, 1990. Media related to Ransom Water Tower at Wikimedia Commons 1990 photograph, via Illinois Historic Preservation Agency Property Information Report: Ransom Water Tower, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency

Location

Ransom, La Salle County, Illinois
41.15663, -88.64918

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

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Streator Public Library
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Ambler's Texaco Gas Station
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11.7 mi
Armour's Warehouse
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11.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Ransom Water Tower listed on the National Register?

Ransom Water Tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 2, 1990.

What type of historic resource is Ransom Water Tower?

Ransom Water Tower is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Ransom Water Tower?

The period of significance for Ransom Water Tower is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Ransom Water Tower?

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