Jackson Ferry Shot Tower

Construction on the Jackson Ferry Shot Tower, located in Wythe County, Virginia, was begun shortly after the American Revolutionary War and was completed in 1807. Shot Towers, often referred to as Shot Factories during the industry's heyday, stand as testaments to ingenious yet antiquated technology. The purpose of the shot tower was to produce lead shot to be used in firearms. Firewood and lead were taken to the top of the tower where a furnace was fired to melt the lead. The molten lead was then poured through a sieve which would form individual drops of lead of a specific size. Different sieves were used to produce shot of varying size. The molten drops would then free-fall 150 feet during which they would become spherical in shape and cool enough to become rigid. A large kettle full of water at the bottom would finish the cooling process and provide a soft enough landing to keep the shot from deforming.The finished shot was then sold to hunters, traders and merchants. Looking more like a fortress than a manufacturing facility, Shot Tower was soundly built during the early 1800s by Thomas Jackson. Taking seven years to construct, Jackson used local gray limestone blocks for the walls that measured two and a half feet thick. Built on a bluff that overlooks the New River, the tower was used to produce lead shot for hunters, merchants and soldiers during the War of 1812. With the 75 foot tower standing over a 75 foot vertical shaft, molten lead was poured through a sieve and would form properly shaped shot as it fell 150 feet into a large kettle of water. The shot was retrieved through a tunnel that exited near the river's edge. Thomas Jackson was born in Appleby, England, and immigrated to Virginia in 1785. With his holdings in a lead mine Jackson branched out on his own, building Shot Tower near present day Austinville, Virginia. Jackson operated the tower until his death in 1824. During the Civil War the tower was reopened, producing shot for Confederate troops. It is one of only a few remaining shot towers in the United States.