The George W. Rogers Shot Tower was built in 1856. Shot towers were built for the manufacture of lead shot for the military. Molten lead, when dropped from a significant height, will shape itself into consistently sized spheres. The tower continued in lead shot manufacture until 1881 when better techniques were available to make ammunition and musket balls were more than obsolete. The tower was sold to the Standard Lumber Company and was used as a fire watch tower until 1911, when it was (ironically) gutted by fire. The top portion of the tower was destroyed, and was replaced by well-meaning restorers. (You can see the red brick near the top, out of character for the test of the tower.) The tower is undergoing a renovation. At 120 feet, it is a distinctive shape on the Dubuque skyline and is a well recognized landmark. The shot tower is one of four known extant in the United States and the last one west of the Mississippi River. It was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1976. read more