The Jackson Ferry Shot Tower is a tall tower used for manufacturing lead shot located in

Wythe County, Virginia Wythe County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,290. Its county seat is Wytheville. History Wythe County was formed from Montgomery County in 1790. It was ...

and now adjacent to the

New River Trail State Park New River Trail State Park is a rail trail and state park located entirely in southwest Virginia, extending from the trail's northeastern terminus in Pulaski to its southern terminus in Galax, with a spur from Fries Junction on the main trai ...

, a lineal

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

park connecting the historic towns of Pulaski and

Galax, Virginia Galax is an independent city in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,720. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Galax with neighboring Carroll County for statisti ...

. As one of the few remaining shot towers in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, the Jackson Ferry tower was constructed by Thomas Jackson and is the centerpiece of the

Shot Tower Historical State Park Shot Tower Historical State Park is a state park located near the town of Austinville, Virginia. Its centerpiece is the Jackson Ferry Shot Tower, located along the New River, which was for many years used for the creation of ammunition. The towe ...

. Construction began on the tower shortly after the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and was completed in 1807. The tower was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on October 1, 1969.

Manufacturing process

Shot towers or shot factories were designed and constructed to manufacture

lead shot Shot is a collective term for small spheres or pellets, often made of lead. These were the original projectiles for shotguns and are still fired primarily from shotguns and less commonly from riot guns and grenade launchers, although shot shells ...

for

firearms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...

. At the top of the tower a firewood furnace melted lead with

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, but ...

, which was poured through a sieve; forming drops of lead corresponding to the size of the sieve. The lead droplets would then fall 150 feet to become spherical and cool sufficiently to become rigid. At the bottom of the tower was large kettle of water for the shot to land in, in order to complete the cooling process and provide a soft enough landing to keep it from deforming. The finished shot was then marketed to hunters, traders and merchants.

Design

The Wythe County Shot Tower is unique for several reasons. Unlike most other shot towers, which were constructed of brick, this shot tower was built of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. The 2.5-foot-thick solid stone walls not only made the structure stronger, but kept its interior temperature cooler and more consistent, improving the quality of the shot it produced. Designers also used the local terrain to reduce the height of the tower by building the tower on the edge of a cliff and digging a 75-foot vertical shaft to accomplish the 150-foot vertical constraint. Access to the bottom of the shaft was made by a horizontal

adit An adit (from Latin ''aditus'', entrance) is an entrance to an underground mine which is horizontal or nearly horizontal, by which the mine can be entered, drained of water, ventilated, and minerals extracted at the lowest convenient level. Adits ...

that opened up near the shore of the New River.

Controversy

There have been claims that the Jackson Ferry Shot Tower predates the recognized year of 1807, and that

Moses Austin Moses Austin (October 4, 1761 – June 10, 1821) was an American businessman and pioneer who played a large part in the development of the lead industry in the early United States. He was the father of Stephen F. Austin, one of the earliest ...

& his brother, Stephen Austin (not to be confused with Moses's son,

Stephen F. Austin Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas,Hatch (1999), p. 43. he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization ...

, "Father of Texas") were producing drop shot in Wythe County prior to 1800 at the Jackson Ferry Shot Tower. Those who hold this view reference newspapers of the era; however, the newspapers identify factories in cities such as Lynchburg and

Richmond, VA (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, both located on the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and likely don't relate to what would be the Jackson Ferry Shot Tower, located on the New River in the Ohio River watershed. Letters from the time also very explicitly identify Richmond as the location of the factories. The confusion likely stems from Moses Austin & Co. owning the Austinville lead mines, near where they would build the shot factory in Jackson Ferry.

References

External links

Virginia.gov
{{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Industrial buildings completed in 1807 Towers completed in 1807 National Register of Historic Places in Wythe County, Virginia Shot towers Buildings and structures in Wythe County, Virginia Towers in Virginia Tourist attractions in Wythe County, Virginia

Manufacturing process

Design

Controversy

See also

References

External links