01/29/2023
This history of the Sparks Shot Tower begins in June 1802 when two Philadelphia plumbers, John Cousland and John Bishop, went into business together at 49 South Wharves (near where the Hilton stands today on Columbus Blvd, between Walnut and Dock Streets). Cousland and Bishop took on a 17-year-old apprentice named Thomas Sparks.
Thomas was the son of Richard and Sarah Sparks. They lived in the vicinity of 2nd and Spruce Streets. There were few plumbers in Philadelphia then, so Cousland and Bishop were in high demand. Thomas proved himself to be an intelligent and industrious worker.
After Cousland died in 1807, Thomas, at age 22, was made junior partner, and the business's name was changed to Bishop and Sparks.
In December of 1807, President Jefferson enacted an embargo against England and France, who were at war with each other and were both guilty of violating the United States' neutrality by raiding American ships. Most of the shot used in the United States came from England. Since no trade was allowed with the British, shot became scarce and costly. Young Sparks recognized an opportunity and convinced Bishop that they should build their own shot tower. They purchased land formerly part of a Swedish burial ground on John (now Carpenter) Street between Front and 2nd and laid the tower's cornerstone on July 4, 1808.
By November 1808, they were open for business, operating as the John Bishop and Company American Patent Shot Manufactory. Although it has often been billed as America's first shot tower, a smaller one was operating in Wythe, Virginia, by 1807. For the first couple of years, Bishop and Sparks partnered with James Clement, a merchant, but he died in 1810.
The shot tower was built 142 feet tall and had nine floors. At the center on the first floor was a well that was 19 feet deep. The raw lead was stored on the first floor. The shot was made by pouring molten lead through a screen letting it drop into the well. Smaller shot (birdshot) was dropped from the fifth floor while larger shot (buckshot) was dropped from the 9th floor.
On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on England. Until then, Bishop and Sparks had only made shot used for sport but now had an order for military purposes. John Bishop was a Quaker, and his religion barred him from having anything to do with violence. On February 12, 1813, he sold his share of the company to Sparks. Sparks did well on his own and became very wealthy.
On June 23, 1813, a tornado preceded by a lightning storm hit Philadelphia. During the storm, a half hour of uninterrupted lightning strikes melted the Franklin rod atop the shot tower down to the roof.
On September 18, 1820, three 17-year-old boys broke into the shot tower and went to the 9th floor. They wagered on who could reach the bottom first using rope and tackle. In haste, one did not secure his rope and fell from the top to his death, landing in the shot well. After that, a night watchman was employed to guard the shot tower.
In 1818, Sparks made his cousin Richard a partner. Richard died in 1821 from yellow fever, leaving behind a 5-year-old son named Thomas. Thomas saw to his young namesake's education and, when he turned 16 in 1832, brought him to the shot tower as an apprentice. In 1838, Thomas made him a partner.
Thomas (the elder) Sparks was well respected in the community. He served as a Commissioner for the District of Southwark and was the president of the board appointed to supervise the construction of Eastern State Penitentiary. He was also on the board of directors of several Railroad and Insurance Companies and was the president of the Southwark Bank. When President William Henry Harrison died in April 1841, a memorial service was held in Philadelphia. Thomas was appointed one of the City Ambassadors who greeted out-of-town guests arriving by rail for the ceremony. Thomas retired in 1854 and, on May 15, 1855, died at his home at 148 (now 278) S. 3rd Street, about a block from where he was born 70 years earlier. A three-masted schooner was named in his honor.
Thomas (the younger) Sparks became the sole owner of the shot tower in 1854. He was also the president of the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company, vice president of the Southwark Bank, and was on the board of several corporations. Thomas was married to Anne Brown in 1841, and they had five children: Clara (1842), Sophia (1846......she married Major William Beebe, a Medal of Honor recipient), Thomas W. (June 21, 1854), Frances (1856) and Anna (1862). The family lived in a four-story mansion at 1813 Walnut Street, across from Rittenhouse Square. They also had a country estate called Kaluna in Darby. They belonged to St. James Episcopal Church in Kingsessing.
By the early 1860s, besides shot, conical bullets were manufactured at the tower. During the Civil War, they produced 3,000 tons of ammunition annually.
Thomas died suddenly from heart disease at age 57 on October 8, 1874. His obituary published in the Philadelphia Inquirer spoke of his quiet generosity, proven in his Will. He left $24,000 (worth nearly $500,000 today) to various charities......about a third of it to the church and the rest to the poor and aged of Philadelphia. He left the shot tower to his 20-year-old son, Thomas Weston Sparks.
Thomas Weston Sparks married Kate Graham, a Scottish immigrant, on June 11, 1879, and they had six children: Elizabeth (1880), Frances (1882), Janet (1884), Hannah (1887), Thomas (1892), and Catharine (1893). They lived at 4100 Walnut Street.
A survey of the shot tower by Ernest Hexamer on July 20, 1880, shows that about a dozen buildings and sheds were a part of the complex besides the tower. Six men, one boy, and a watchman were employed there. Curiously, the survey states that the tower was 150 feet tall. It was only 142 feet tall when built in 1808, so it was raised eight feet at some point.
The Sparks family vacationed in Ocean City, NJ, during the summer of 1897. On July 7, Kate and Hannah (who was just shy of her 11th birthday) went for a swim. Hannah went out too far and started to get sucked under the waves. A woman on the beach heard the girl's screams, swam out, and brought her back to shore. However, Kate had also heard her daughter's cries and tried to make her way over to her. While doing so, she got pulled under and needed help. A man on the beach, Alter Megear, saw her and swam out to save her, except by the time he reached Kate, he was exhausted and also needed help. Megear's two children, Thomas, age 14, and Ethel, age 12, saw that their Dad was in trouble, so they too swam out to help.....but they got exhausted as well. Finally, the chief lifeguard, Captain Thornton, swam out and kept them all afloat until the lifeboat arrived. Everyone made it out of the ocean alive, but it was a close call. Tragedy struck the Sparks family, however, the following Spring. Janet Sparks, age 14, came down with Rheumatic fever and died of endocarditis on April 20, 1898.
As the 20th Century dawned, newer methods of making shot rendered the tower obsolete. After 95 years of Sparks family ownership, Thomas sold the property to the United Lead Company on October 24, 1903.
United Lead merged with National Lead two years later and closed the shot tower forever. A group of 16 prominent citizens purchased the tower property in 1912 to be used as a playground. In 1913, they donated the property to the City on the condition that it would remain a playground, which it has been for over a hundred years now.
As for Thomas W. Sparks, after selling the shot tower, he remained busy as the senior director of the Philadelphia Salt Works, was a vestryman at Old Swede's Church, and was a member of the Franklin Institute Historical Society. He died on September 10, 1921, at age 67, after a lengthy illness.
Researched and written by Bob McNulty, October 1, 2014. For more stories, go to: https://www.facebook.com/PhiladelphiaStoriesbyBobMcNulty
