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Baltimore Inner Harbor

Phoenix Shot Tower
Sightseeing in Downtown Baltimore

In days of old, shot for rifles was made in the "Shot Tower." Molten lead was dropped from the top of the tower into a vat of water at the bottom. The lead droplets, like raindrops, would form into perfect spheres, cool and solidify as they fell into the cooling water vat below. CLICK the picture to the right for a better view of Baltimore's Phoenix Shot Tower.>>> What else would you like to see?

The Shot Tower appears to "stand sentry" near the entrance to Little Italy and directly in front of the Post Office building. In the distance can be seen Memorial Stadium, former "home" of the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Colts.

One of only a very few similar buildings left in the United States, the Phoenix Shot Tower was used to make lead shot from 1828 to 1892. Molten lead was dropped from a platform at the top of the 234' tower through a sieve and into a vat of cold water. Being constructed of one million bricks, the Shot Tower was the tallest building in the United States until the Washington Monument in Washington, DC, was completed after the Civil War. The Shot Tower was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1972.

801 E. Fayette Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Phone: 410-837-5424.

May 09, 2008