Fort Atkinson Water Tower
National Register of Historic Places

Fort Atkinson Water Tower

Fort Atkinson, Jefferson County, Wisconsin
Listed
November 15, 2005
Type
Structure
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
05001298

About this property

The Fort Atkinson Water Tower is an unused water tower that was built in 1901 in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 2005. It is a 112 feet (34 m)-tall structure: a 78 feet (24 m) cream brick masonry base supports a 33 feet (10 m) steel tank. It has diameter just over 25 feet (7.6 m) at the base. The tower was deemed historically significant in its NRHP nomination in part as "a fine example of the type of water tower construction popular in Wisconsin during this period. It is distinctive in its overall height and its intact original steel tank. The tower also has fine brick construction making it a masonry landmark in Fort Atkinson." Also it is significant for representing the creation of a municipal water system, whose development "was fraught with considerable political debate. For almost 10 years, the issue of a municipal water works was debated and strongly opposed by a vocal minority. When the water works was finally built, it was both a political and historical event. That it happened in 1901, the beginning of a new century, was symbolic in that it was part of the overall growth and development of utilities that dramatically changed the way people in the community lived in the twentieth century. The water tower is the largest and most prominent symbol of the development of the Fort Atkinson water works, a symbol of the history of this important public service."

Location

Fort Atkinson, Jefferson County, Wisconsin
42.92591, -88.83297

Categories

ARCHITECTURECOMMUNITY 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

May, Eli, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Fort Atkinson Club
Early Republic
0.1 mi
Merchants Avenue Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Hoard, Arthur R., House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Main Street Historic District
Listed
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Fort Atkinson Water Tower listed on the National Register?

Fort Atkinson Water Tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 2005.

What type of historic resource is Fort Atkinson Water Tower?

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

What is the period of significance for Fort Atkinson Water Tower?

The period of significance for Fort Atkinson Water Tower is recorded as the civil_war era, specifically around 1901.

Can I research the history near Fort Atkinson Water Tower?

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