Small Towns, Wisconsin Southwest Region Summer 2014 | Page 30

Give it a shot ... Just down the road from the American Players Theatre lies Tower Hill State Park; it includes trails, camping, and picnicking. The highlight of the park, however, is the (reconstructed) Helena Shot Tower. In the 19th century, the tower was used for manufacturing lead shot. The smelting house sits at the top of a steep walk up the hill; not being familiar with lead shot creation, I wondered at first why in the world anyone would want to build a manufacturing facility in that location! Step inside the building, however, and it becomes clear. After being brought to the top, the lead is heated up and then the molten lead is poured into a shaft; as the droplets fall they become spherical, a shape they hold when they land in the cooling water below. The land was purchased in 1830 specifically for building a shot tower, due to the sharp bluff nearby. A 60-foot wooden shaft was built against the side of the cliff, connecting p.30 Small Towns, Wisconsin | 2014 Southwest Summer Edition | www.smalltownswisconsin.com | e. [email protected]