What is the origin of Philly’s Shot Tower?

It’s impossible to overlook Sparks Shot Tower at Front and Carpenter Streets, one of Philly’s landmarks for more than 200 years, protruding from a park in Queen Village near the Delaware River.

However, it’s also impossible to discern from outside what it was used for back in the day. A plain brickwork tower, it could have been a smokestack or part of a barbican. Its mere shape reveals little more than being a silent witness from early industrial times.

So what is the origin of the shot tower?, several readers asked through Curious Philly, The Inquirer’s forum for questions about the city and region. A reader was wondering if it is still there.

Here’s what we found out about Sparks Shot Tower, according to Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, which manages the site.

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To start off with, a site visit has doubtlessly shown: The shot tower is still there. More precisely, it’s been there for 215 years. Built by John Bishop, a plumber, in 1808, it was part of a factory where Bishop’s company, John Bishop & Co., produced lead shot for hunting rifles. The shot tower was one of the first in the country, and lighthouses were modeled on it in later years.

Thomas Sparks, a colleague of Bishop’s, originally started out as an apprentice. When the War of 1812 broke out, the site promptly became key in producing ammunition for the battlefield. Being a Quaker, Bishop didn’t want to participate in war production and sold his share. Sparks took over, and his family stayed in control of the shot tower until 1903, thus it’s still carrying Sparks’ name.

When the shot tower was constructed, it was among the tallest buildings in Philadelphia, and its height, 142 feet, was key to its initial use. The shot was produced by pouring molten lead through a colander. Dropping from a short distance, it would form a teardrop shape, as gravity pulled it down. But dropping from a structure this high, the lead cooled and shaped pristine globes. A pool of water at the bottom cooled them, before they were polished and bagged for their destructive purpose, not just in the War of 1812, but also in the Mexican and Civil Wars.

After the factory was shut down, the “Playgrounds Association” acquired the shot tower in 1912 and donated it to the city. Most of the plant was demolished and reconstructed as a playground. The tower was left intact, today standing as part of the “Shot Tower Recreation Center,” including a staffed center with a playground, benches, a sports field, and picnic tables. There’s also a gym, a sprayground, multipurpose spaces, and bathrooms. Apart from adult volleyball, the gym is also used for yoga and marching band rehearsals.

The actual shot tower isn’t accessible to the public, despite being featured on postcards, paintings, and photographs for more than 200 years.