A historic wood water tower that was relocated from Greenfield has been refurbished and is now on display at a living history museum in Rushville.
RUSHVILLE – The historic water tower that was removed from a vacant lot in Greenfield last December has been restored and reinstalled in Rushville.
The painstaking project was performed by the Pioneer Engineers Club of Indiana, a club of antique steam engine, gas engine and tractor enthusiasts.
Members strive to celebrate the past at the club’s property, Caldwell Pioneer Acres, a living history museum in Rushville.
The Rush County nonprofit has been posting updated pictures of the water tower’s makeover on Facebook, including when the base was installed July 13, and the water tower was lowered into place earlier this week.
The pictures tell the story of the process that transformed the faded wood tower into a beautifully restored piece of history.
The public can get a first-hand glimpse of the finished product at the Pioneer Engineers club’s 76th annual reunion, which takes place at Caldwell Acres Aug. 1-4.
The annual event is a celebration of history and heritage, as the public is invited to stroll the grounds among a number of historic structures like a covered bridge, country store, machine shop, blacksmith shop and woodworking shop.
The iconic water tower will be the newest not-so-new feature at this year’s reunion.
For well over a century, the historic tower served as a local landmark for those traveling the path connecting Greenfield to Indianapolis.
The site was previously home to a farm estate known as The Sycamores – once owned by Walter and Eloise Weil – but the original farmhouse burned down in 1950 and the lot eventually became vacant.
The property will soon be home to Greenfield’s future water treatment plant.
City officials embraced the offer late last year to have the Pioneer Engineers Club remove the old water tower from its base and relocate it to Rush County.
On Dec. 2 club members spent about half a day carefully deconstructing the time-worn tower before loading it into a flatbed trailer and hauling it to Caldwell Pioneer Acres.
Mark Dieckmann, club president, said at the time that club members were thrilled to acquire the historic structure and give it a permanent home.
The newly restored water tower will be publicly unveiled at next week’s reunion, where roughly 800 antique tractors will be on display. The public is welcome to attend.
Greenfield’s water utility manager, Charles Gill, has said he appreciates the Pioneer Club giving the historic water tower a new lease on life.
“It’s a pretty neat part of history for us, so it’s great they’re going to be able to share that with others,” he said.
The Pioneer Engineer Club’s annual reunion takes place Aug. 1-4 at Caldwell Pioneer Acres, located at 3707 S. 200 West in Rushville. To learn more, visit PioneerEngineers.com.
