By Sterling McGinn
If you are traveling north-bound on M-123 descending down the hill toward Newberry, a bright orange landmark immediately catches your eye. It’s the Village of Newberry water tower, outfitted in orange and black in loyalty to our school.
But it hasn’t always featured orange and black. For many years it was painted the traditional grey or blue, like many water towers.
Newberry water tower from 1938
It’s an old tower. Plans for a 100,000-gallon water tower for Newberry Water and Light were first announced in 1937.
The Water and Light Board had hoped to construct a unit prior to 1937, but the idea was not acted upon. A devastating fire in January 1937 destroyed the Robbins Flooring Co. in Newberry, the largest producer of hardwood flooring in the county. The total loss sparked an agreement to construct a tower for fire protection.
A local committee, along with the village council, offered to finance the tower if the Robbins Flooring Co would rebuild here.
The Newberry Village Council contracted Chicago Bridge and Iron Works to construct the 115-foot tower for $10, 275. The Newberry News reported, “The erection of this tower will not only furnish a reserve water supply, but will give increased water pressure and afford better fire protection, with a consequent lowering in fire insurance rates.”
It took six weeks for contractors to build the tower. The tower is 115 feet high with a 22-foot-tall tank with a diameter of 28 feet. A water main was constructed for Robbins Flooring for their sprinkler systems.
More than 70 years later, the Village of Newberry received a Community Development Block Grant in 2009 to recondition the tower’s water storage tank.
This project also resulted in the entire structure being repainted and finished in 2012. With input from community members, the council agreed to paint the water tower orange at their regular meeting on September 19, 2011, to match the school colors. The new paint job also sported a large black “N.”
Later, funds were donated to add a large black moose was added to the north side of the tank.
Though the water tower is an iconic landmark of the community, it has reached its life expectancy and its tank is undersized.
Reports in past Village Council meetings noted that Newberry’s daily water usage averages 250,000 gallons. The water tower holds only 100,000 gallons.
It is not known when the Newberry Village Council will be able to construct a new water tower, but someday when a new one is constructed, it is hoped that the tower will continue to be orange and black.
