History towers over the New River in Virginia

The summer sun shimmers on the peaceful waters of the New River as travelers following the ancient river along U.S. 52 encounter a tall enigmatic tower looming high above the opposite river bed. The frontier-looking structure stands in stark contrast to the soaring bridges of the adjacent Interstate 77.

This strange tower located about 8 miles southeast of Fort Chiswell, Virginia, once served an important manufacturing operation, providing Appalachian settlers with lead shot they needed to hunt game in the early 1800s. Today, the peaceful park in the rolling hills of southwestern Virginia provides more recreational activities than munitions.

“It’s real prominent for travelers up and down I-77,” said Sam Sweeney, park manager for Shot Tower State Park. “In this area here in Wythe County, they found iron as well as some other minerals, zinc, lead and stuff, back around 1756 by Col. John Chiswell when he was out scouting the land.”

The discovery attracted entrepreneurs to the region to begin mining operations, including Moses Austin, whose son Stephen Fuller Austin later became one of the founders of Texas. Nearby Austinville is named for the legendary “Father of Texas,” who was born not far away in 1793. 

Joining the mining efforts was Thomas Jackson, who expanded his mining business to shot production after learning how blacksmiths would drop molten lead through a sieve from a high distance to create a ball or sphere, perfect for ammunition in shotguns and muskets. Around 1808, shot towers for such a purpose were constructed in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Of the four created in Baltimore, a later example built in 1828, known as the Phoenix Shot Tower, still stands today.

“They knew from England it has been done like that,” Sweeney said. “It’s believed the tower was finished in 1812, and Thomas Jackson sent his nephew to Baltimore to observe their operation and learn the skills necessary to operate the shot tower. They operated from 1812 to roughly 1839. They produced shot there predominantly for people hunting small game.”

Jackson purchased land along a bluff above the New River and began production after having a fallout with one of his mining partners, Sweeney said. It offered easy access to the cold river water essential to production of the shot. 

“The tower walls are roughly about 2-and-a-half-feet thick,” said the park manager. “The base area is about 20-foot square and tapers to about 15-feet at the top.”

The thick stone walls not only supported the structure, but insured a constant interior temperature so the molten shot wouldn’t cool too quickly and fail to form into a sphere.

 “They had a single door or hatch into the top when they were working up there. They basically had a blacksmith operation up top to melt lead into a liquid form and then pour it through a sieve to drop down 150 feet, and of course as it drops, it creates that round ball. They had a kettle at the bottom with cold water. When it hit that, it would solidify the shot.”

The Jackson Ferry Shot Tower itself stands only 75-feet tall. To gain the needed distance, the builders dug a shaft an additional 75 feet into the ground. At one time, a tunnel ran from the shaft of the tower to the river bank to supply the needed water. Over time, it was filled in because the railroad bed passed over top of the tunnel, Sweeney said.

“Typically, shot towers produce 3-to-4 tons per hour of small shot or 1-to-2 tons of large type. We don’t have any real history as to what sizes they made. We’ve found some shot in the yard, and it runs in shape and size from what you would consider buckshot size up to the larger balls for muskets,” he said.

The tower and the neighboring state park attract around 35,000 visitors a year, who are welcome to climb a restored wooden staircase to the top room. Admission is free, but there is a modest fee for parking. 

“The New River Trails State Park runs along the old railroad bed, which is right below the shot tower,” Sweeney said. It’s 57 miles long and crosses parts of four counties. “Our headquarters are at Foster Falls, located a mile from the shot tower by way of the river. We have day use activities. We rent canoes, bikes, kayaks, innertubes for floating on the river. We do shuttle service. We have picnicking areas. We’ve got a campground here, but it’s primitive camping.”

The campsites are located along the edge of the river with reservations available by calling 800.933.7275, the park manager said. Drinking water and non-flush toilets are also available.

The recreation area along the old railroad line proves popular with bicyclists and horseback riders, offering a gentle slope and passage through two 135- and 195-foot long tunnels boring through the mountainside. The trail also crosses nearly 30 bridges and trestles including a few spanning nearly 1,000-feet. The park’s Hoover Mountain Biking Area offers more extreme terrain for those seeking an added challenge.

The trail follows the New River for 39 miles of the route, offering anglers access to some excellent fishing areas. One of the three oldest rivers in the world, the north-flowing waterway serves as a habitat for several species of fish. According to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the river supports populations of smallmouth bass, spotted bass, largemouth bass, rock bass, striped bass, white bass, hybrid striped bass, muskellunge, walleye, black crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish, yellow perch, redbreast sunfish and bluegill. 

State-record setting catches in the New River include a 45-pound, 8-ounce muskie and an 8-pound, 1-ounce smallmouth bass. Parts of the river where the water runs cold and fast near large rock outcroppings favor smallmouth bass and flathead catfish, according to Virginia wildlife officials. The lazy, slow waters near the dams along the river can yield big channel catfish and walleye.

“A lot of folks come in to fish for walleye,” Sweeney said. “During the summer, it’s muskie, catfish and bass they people are after.”