HERCULANEUM SHOT TOWER It might come as a surprise to some residents that a little town called Herculaneum in Jefferson County was instrumental in the birth of this nation. After Frenchman, Philippe Francois Renault, began excavating lead in the mines around Ste. Genevieve in 1720, all that was needed was a more convenient place on the west side of the Mississippi to produce the mineral into shot. In 1798, Moses Austin, (father of Stephen F. Austin , who later became the Father of Texas), came to what is now Jefferson County from Virginia with the intention of establishing a central shipping port for lead. In 1809, John Nichola Maclot erected the first shot tower in Herculaneum. The 100 foot tower was built atop a high overhanging bluff along the Mississippi River. Austin constructed another nearby a year later. A third was added later. The process of making shot began at the top of the tower where molten lead, mined from area lead, was dropped through a sieve-like device. As the lead fell, surface tension formed the lead into perfect spheres. The spheres landed on a cushion at the bottom of the tower and were immediately cooled in a vat of water. Varying sizes of shot could be made just by varying the size of the sieve used—everything from shotgun pellets to .50 caliber rifle balls. The War of 1812 enabled Austin’s enterprise to become so successful that he was unable to find enough local employees in the sparsely populated land, so he brought in slave labor. However, he soon discovered that it cost more to feed and house the slaves than it did to pay employees. Within two years, Austin was bankrupt, and determined to move on to what was at the time Mexico. Moses Austin died before reaching his destination and was returned to Potosi to be buried; his son, Stephen F. Austin, continued the journey and the rest is history. The shot tower continued to produce the ammunition which was used in the early wars, including the one in which some of Mexico became a part of the United States known as Texas and the Austin name would forever be remembered. Production at the tower continued through the Battle of New Orleans, the Civil War, the Spanish American War and World War I. In the 1920s, a move was made to preserve the remaining tower, but whatever happened between then and now seems to be lost to history. The only known photograph of the tower is said to be found in the Missouri State Capitol. If anyone has a photograph of the old tower, please let us know. We’d love to preserve this important piece of history. (mh/nh) Sources: “Herculaneum’s place in U. S. history is anchored by lead and buckshot” by Jeremy Kohler, Jefferson County Post; “Fortune hunters seeking gold find profit in Herculaneum lead” by Mary Scarpinato, Globe-Democrat; The Mack Marsden Murder Mystery, by Joe Johnston, Missouri History Museum, 2011.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 19:13:20 +0000
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