Baltimore Phoenix Shot Tower Once tallest structure in America
Phoenix Shot Tower, Baltimore: Historical Overview, Arcane History, and Paranormal Claims
Historical Significance
The Phoenix Shot Tower, also known as the Old Baltimore Shot Tower, is a prominent historic landmark located at 801 East Fayette Street, Baltimore, Maryland. Completed in 1828, it was the tallest structure in the United States until 1846 and remained the tallest building in Baltimore until 1875. Designed by architect Jacob Wolfe, the tower stands 234.25 feet tall and was constructed from red bricks supplied by the Burns and Russell Company of Baltimore. Notably, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, laid the tower’s cornerstone on July 4, 1828. The walls are remarkably thick, measuring 4.5 feet at the base and narrowing to 21 inches at the top (National Park Service, n.d.; Wikipedia, 2025).
The Phoenix Shot Tower was initially constructed to manufacture spherical lead shot for firearms. The process involved dropping molten lead from the top platform through a sieve, allowing gravity to shape the drops into spheres, which then cooled and solidified upon falling into a vat of water at the bottom. At the height of its operation, the tower produced roughly 100,000 bags of shot per year, with capacity expandable during times of high demand. Production ceased in 1892 due to technological advancements rendering the tower obsolete (Wikipedia, 2025).
Preservation Efforts
In 1921, the Union Oil Company acquired the Phoenix Shot Tower intending to demolish it to make way for a gas station. Public opposition swiftly arose, prompting a successful community-led fundraising campaign. By 1928, the tower was acquired by preservation advocates and donated to the City of Baltimore. It achieved National Historic Landmark status in 1971 and was designated a Baltimore City Landmark in 1975, thereby securing its preservation and recognition as a historically significant site (Wikipedia, 2025).
Arcane History and Paranormal Claims
While the Phoenix Shot Tower primarily holds historical and architectural significance, some undocumented local traditions and folklore hint at mysterious and possibly paranormal occurrences associated with the site. These stories are generally anecdotal and lack substantial documentation or verifiable evidence. A recent TikTok video, “The Secret Usage of this Tower in Baltimore,” briefly explores speculative and arcane theories surrounding the tower’s hidden past (Findings on Earth, 2024).
Overall, despite intriguing but unverified paranormal claims, the Phoenix Shot Tower stands predominantly as an emblem of Baltimore’s industrial heritage and community commitment to historical preservation.
Bibliography
Findings on Earth. (2024). The Secret Usage of this Tower in Baltimore [Video]. TikTok. Retrieved March 28, 2025, from https://www.tiktok.com/@findingsonearth/video/7460596785384262958
National Park Service. (n.d.). Baltimore Shot Tower. Retrieved March 28, 2025, from https://www.nps.gov/places/baltimore-shot-tower.htm
Wikipedia contributors. (2025). Phoenix Shot Tower. Wikipedia. Retrieved March 28, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Shot_Tower
The cornerstone was laid by Charles Carroll, who was the wealthiest man in America at the time and the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence.
At 215 feet tall, it was the tallest building in the US until 1846.
It has 1.1 million bricks in the structure.
It produced about 2.5 million pounds of shot per year.
It was in operation for 65 years before more efficient methods of shot production took over (and the need was reduced, as many species of birds had been hunted to or near to extinction).
You can definitely tour inside the shot tower on weekends; you buy tickets at the Carroll Mansion museum a block away at 800 E. Lombard. One of the tour guides I had last year was amazing, full of all kinds of details. I think his name was Matt. You can’t go up the tower anymore but there are cool displays inside at the bottom.
In the 1920s Union Oil bought the shot tower and wanted to raze it to put in a gas station. Baltimore citizens rallied to stop them, and raised funds to preserve the tower in what was one of the city’s earliest acts of historic preservation.