Sulphur Springs Water Tower

Sulphur Springs Water Tower is a landmark of Tampa, Florida. It stands 214ft tall, with a foundation 45ft deep which makes it visible from nearby Interstate 275 and much of the rest of Sulphur Springs. It's located in the historic district of Sulphur Springs.HistoryMaritime loreMaritime lore maintains that during the time of early European explorers there existed a nautical lighthouse here to guide European ocean frigates from the Bay up through Hillsborough River to replenish their fresh water tanks from the local springs. When the tide came in, ships would come in from Tampa Bay up the Hillsborough river to the various springs and artesian wells. The original lighthouse at this location also served as a landmark on pirate and buccaneer treasure maps. There are several pirate-marked trees in the vicinity.Modern historyThe water tower was built in 1927 by Grover Poole for realtor and developer Josiah S. Richardson to supply adequate water pressure to the Sulphur Springs Hotel and Apartments and Mave's Arcade Richardson had developed next to Sulphur Spring with plans to expand the resort spa, alligator farm tourist attraction, and other enterprises. Mave's Arcade occupied the first floor of the hotel building and was the first shopping mall in Florida.Richardson mortgaged the entire resort ($180,000 at the time) to finance the construction of the tower. However, in 1933, with the sabotage and collapse of the Tampa Electric Company dam that ripped through downtown Tampa during the Depression (draining cow pasture land that had been inconveniently flooded by the dam's construction), the arcade was heavily damaged, the businesses in the arcade failed, and Richardson lost everything.