Memories shared amid demolition of historic New Carlisle water tower

For 87 years the New Carlisle water tower has stood strong against wind, downpours, lightning, sleet, and blizzards, but on Monday, May 10, it only took a few hours for a demolition crew to erase it from this city’s skyline forever.

Mayor Mike Lowrey and other city officials including Public Service Director Howard Kitco joined New Carlisle residents and neighbors to watch the demolition. Most bemoaned the loss of the beloved local landmark but knew it was pretty much their only option.

There were a few stories and memories shared throughout the morning.

Who remembers when the tower overflowed back around 1990? Even though the sun was shining it was a rainy day for the First Presbyterian Church which is located next to the tower.

When the overflow happened in January of 1985, everything below it was covered in a thick layer of ice.

New Carlisle Historical Society President David McWhorter has posted a collection of clippings and old photographs on the Society’s Facebook Page.

The old siren on the water tower used to be tested on Sundays at noon, much to the angst of those still in worship services. That Sunday siren was not very popular in the community and the Monday noon test was an improvement.

The old New Carlisle tower had done its job for decades before New Carlisle’s population grew to the point that another bigger water tower was needed. The newer Scarff Tower holds 1,700,000 gallons and the older Adams Tower held only 100,000 gallons. That is a huge difference.

Sadly there was no real reason to keep the old tower except for sentimental reasons. High estimated costs for upkeep made the destruction of the tower inevitable.

Watching the tower come to earth piece by piece and seeing those rusted and corroded sections illustrated to me how much work it truly needed. I had to agree that it was time.

The same thing must be happening in other small towns across the country because the crew said that they had 70 similar water towers all over the country to deconstruct this summer.

The mayor explained that demolition costs were reduced by recycling the steel and iron. All pieces of the tower were cut down to manageable sizes and loaded onto semis.

It was obvious from the efficiency of the operation that the crew knew what they were doing. I was impressed that they kept the roof of the nearby church wet in case any of the welding sparks drifted down to the roof.

Two drones from Busy Bee Aerial Productions recorded every minute of the demolition and thousands of photos were taken from just about every angle in New Carlisle.

The News-Sun’s Bill Lackey was one of the first to post photographs. These may be seen in the photo gallery on the website at springfieldnewssun.com.

While most of the tower is now gone some bits of it were kept back for the community. A section of the guard rail was saved. The church has a small piece of steel to remember their neighbor of 87 years. No decisions have been made yet on how the city’s souvenirs and the drone video will be shared.

Some old bullet holes were found in the old siren when it was taken down. Evidently it really was hated back then. That siren, the aviation lights, a ladder and the finial that sat on top of the tower were saved by Kitco.

First Presbyterian Church now has an empty back yard for the first time in nearly a century. Church member Larry Allingham, who was on hand to oversee the demolition, told me that the congregation is quite excited about the possibilities and is considering a variety of uses for the space.

And there is one more piece of business that has not been completed.

The plaque that was welded onto the northeast leg of the tower is missing. It would have been a large bronze oval and had the date of construction and name of the builders on it. Right now there is just an oval hole in that spot. The city is keeping a section of that leg in hopes of locating that oval plaque. They are optimistic that it might be found under a few inches of soil somewhere on the lot.

If it doesn’t turn up, it is hoped that perhaps the plaque is in the care of a member of the community or perhaps someone has moved into a house and found it left in the attic by the former owner.

Credit: Bill Lackey

Credit: Bill Lackey

Personally I’m hoping it didn’t end up in one of those metal drives in WWII.

Howard Kitco is asking community members if they have ever seen it or have any idea where it might be to please contact his office.

I think the sky will seem a bit empty tomorrow now that the water tower is gone, but we can take heart that it is also a sign of progress. After all a town that needs to construct a newer bigger water tower is doing well, moving forward, and cares about its people.

The old water tower will be remembered fondly and hopefully that annoying Sunday noon siren will be forgotten.

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