The Old Baltimore Phoenix Shot Tower

    This past weekend, I visited the Phoenix Shot Tower in downtown Baltimore. I have driven past this tall landmark many times and have always noticed the red brick, standing-out alongside Fayette Street. The shot tower is also known as the Old Baltimore Shot Tower built in 1828, to make shot for guns. The 14 floor tower standing at 234 feet was the tallest structure in the United States at the time. The shots would be made by dropping hot, molten lead from the top of the tower into cold water at the bottom where the lead would solidify into round shapes perfect for the guns.

Phoenix Shot Tower

    I was always curious what the tower was used for, especially being so hard to miss driving on your way to the heart of downtown Baltimore. I was shocked to learn its purpose and how significant it is being the only surviving shot tower among three that existed in Baltimore. At its height, the tower was one of the biggest providers of ammunition in the country, producing up to 500,000 25-pound bags of shot annually.

Standing at 234 feet tall,
composed of 1.1 million bricks

    In my time visiting the National Historic Landmark, I found it most interesting to learn that after the shot tower was no longer in commission, it was at threat for demolition. The community of Baltimore responded and advocated for the city to preserve the shot tower. I was really inspired by the group of citizens that came together to stand for something they believed in was important. This speaks a lot to the people of Baltimore’s sense of pride they have in the city’s history and how important they found that the history was preserved. Not only was the Shot Tower helpful to the military during the War of 1812, but it became a part of Baltimore’s identity, being a symbol of the city’s strength and perseverance in hard times.