When it was built over two hundred years ago in 1808, the 150′ tall Sparks Shot Tower was a very important part of Philadelphia’s still young skyline. It is many things: the first shot tower built in the United States, a fine example of early Philadelphia brickwork, and a model for engineers designing early lighthouses in the Northeast due to its ability to withstand gale force winds.

Originally producing shot for colonial hunters, Sparks Shot Tower became an important munitions plant during the War of 1812 and again in the Civil War. Gunshot was made by pouring molten lead through perforated pans at the top of the tower. As the drops fell through the tower, they formed a spherical shape, solidifying when landing in cold water at the tower’s base.

This location was acquired in 1913 by the city and opened as one of the earliest playgrounds. It continues today to be an active center within the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. In 1958, the original plan for I-95 construction was directly through Queen Village. This plan placed the Shot Tower in the median strip between the north and southbound lanes. On Election Day that year, Mayor Dilworth toured the route and as a result changed the plans further east to save the recreation center and to reduce the number of 18th and 19th century homes destroyed in the city, so saving many of the homes you see today!