Water Tower & Pumping Station

First planned in the 1860s, the Water Tower is the oldest and most ornamental structure of its kind in the country. It merged “architectural beauty with industrial efficiency”.

Unknown to residents at the time, the lack of a safe water supply presented a significant health risk to the city. Louisville got the nickname “graveyard of the west” in the 1830-40s due to the polluted local water coming from tainted private wells, giving Louisville residents cholera and typhoid at epidemic levels.

After several devastating fires in the 1850s, Louisville voters approved the investment and the water company became a government-owned corporation.

The Greek temple themed tower was able to produce 12 million gallons of water a day that flowed through the city’s 26 miles of pipes. After the water project’s completion in 1866, Louisville was free of cholera.

A tornado in 1890 destroyed the tower, the original wood paneled tower was replaced with cast iron. Two of the original ten statues surrounding the tower were also destroyed. A new pumping station and reservoir opened in Crescent Hill after that, and the original water tower ceased pumping operations in 1909.

The water tower is a standpipe. When water is pumped to the top of the tower a gravity flow is created to fill a connected reservoir at an equal elevation without additional pumping.

The Louisville WaterWorks Museum opened in 2014. A portion of the facility is a museum that tells the story of Louisville’s water history.

Wed. – Fri. 1-5
Sat. – Sun. 10-3

$5, seniors $4, youths $3

3005 River Rd.

Louisville Water Tower Park