Friends of the Old Millstadt Water Tower, Millstadt

2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Advocacy

Friends of the Old Millstadt Water Tower led a successful, years-long advocacy campaign to save one of their community’s oldest and most notable landmarks: the old tin man-style water tower built in 1931. The group was first organized in 2013 by a small number of local women as the water tower sat neglected and threatened with demolition. Over the next several years, they worked to prevent demolition and secure control of the tower while fundraising for necessary restoration work. Their campaign caught the attention of Landmarks Illinois in 2014, leading to the tower’s inclusion on the Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois that year. Working with Landmarks Illinois, the Friends group leaned on state preservation law to stop the village board from voting to demolish the water tower. In 2016, the board entered into a lease agreement with the group for control of the water tower, giving Friends until 2022 to raise necessary funds for its restoration. The subsequent grassroots fundraising campaign, which included individual donations, money raised at community events and grant funds from Landmarks Illinois, helped pay for the preservation project, which included repainting the tower. Work was completed in 2023 with a community celebration taking place in 2024.

(Scott Olson Photography)

Additional Information

Friends of the Old Millstadt Water Tower’s phenomenal advocacy includes a $5,000 Landmarks Illinois Preservation Heritage Grant that the Millstadt Historical Society matched. Millstadt IGA Supermarket had a short-lived program where they would pay non-profits for submitting the bar codes from IGA products. Friends submitted 20,500 bar codes for $2,050. Friends’ fundraising activities included trivia nights with silent auctions, half-marathons and 5K races, car shows, bowling fundraisers, soup suppers, and bake sales. Tin Man merchandise, such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, greeting cards, mouse pads, beer mugs and buttons, was also available for purchase to raise awareness and funding.

(Scott Olson Photography)

Project Principals

• Friends of the Old Millstadt Water Tower: Advocacy Group
• OX2 Engineers, Structural Engineer
• Maguire Iron, Consultant

(The tower shown before restoration.)

Why is this place important to you?

Betty Keller Timmer, Friends of the Old Millstadt Water Tower

As long as my father was alive, I never drove in snow. His theory was that it was easier to take me himself rather than to pull me out of a ditch somewhere. This plan worked as long as he lived, but he passed away when I was 23. From then on, I would get a ride to work if there was snow in the forecast, but if it snowed unexpectedly during the day, I’d have to drive myself home. Many times during the 1980s, when we had “winter,” I’d be gripping my car’s steering wheel tightly on my way home. About three miles from Millstadt I would see the tower on the horizon, and I’d say, “I’m going to make it!! One more night, I’m going to make it home!”

I can’t imagine coming to Millstadt and not seeing the tower. Many other people have similar stories, from fondly remembering playing ball near the tower (it stands in a park), to a couple sharing their first kiss there. The Tin Man is the most visible landmark in Millstadt, seen for several miles from all directions. Children seem to be very fond of the Old Millstadt Water Tower. The Friends have a replica of the tower that they bring to local parades, and hearing the little voices shouting, “It’s the Water Tower,” is a treat to hear.

(Betty Keller Timmer at the tower dedication in 2024.)

How did saving this place impact people in your community?

Betty Keller Timmer, Friends of the Old Millstadt Water Tower

Since the Friends successfully raised the money to restore the tower, it has become the symbol for the whole town. Some businesses and organizations have incorporated the tower into their logos or painted it on the side of their buildings. Some of the Khoury League teams have the tower on their uniform sleeves. The Old Millstadt Water Tower has served other purposes: During World War II, arrows were placed on its roof showing the direction to Scott Field (now known as Scott Air Force Base). For a while, the tower was used as a visual marker for small aircraft. As Millstadt has evolved over the last century, many of the old, historic structures in town have been razed. The Old Millstadt Water Tower is one of the few remaining historical sites.

When the Friends were organized in March 2013, few people took us seriously. Few thought a small group, made up of mostly women, without any funding, could get a project of this size completed. The Friends is a small organization. Many people volunteered whenever the Friends had a fundraiser, from helping take tags off runners as they crossed the finish line at one of the races to scoring answer sheets at trivia nights, to donating baked goods at one of our bake sales, to just attending a fundraiser. Many other people donated money, from spare change to several thousand dollars. Many people have thanked members of the organization for pulling this project together. Our work has been inspirational, too, with the owners of the Millstadt Milling Company working to restore its mill.

(Scott Olson Photography)