Thomasville Furniture Industries
Thomasville, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
You don't always have to photograph the landmark itself. Sometimes it's the scene around it that tells the story. Here, the old Thomasville Furniture Industries plant fills the foreground while the city's historic water tower rises above it in the distance. 03-08
For decades, both were familiar sights in Chair City. The factory helped make Thomasville a furniture manufacturing powerhouse, while the 1935 municipal water tower became a permanent fixture on the skyline. Although the factory closed in 2006 and was demolished in 2024, the water tower still stands today, quietly watching over a much different Thomasville than the one captured in this photo.
UPDATE: The Thomasville Furniture plant is now gone, but the city's historic 1935 water tower remains standing and continues to serve the community. 08-26
Lucky Strike Plant Water Tower
Durham, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The old Lucky Strike plant water tower still watches over downtown Durham, reminding visitors of the city's tobacco heritage. Rising above the restored American Tobacco Campus, it's one of the area's most recognizable landmarks. 03-08
Built to serve the former Lucky Strike cigarette plant, the tower remained after manufacturing ended in the 1980s. Rather than disappearing with the factory, it became part of the remarkable transformation of the old complex into restaurants, offices, apartments, and entertainment venues. Along with the famous Lucky Strike smokestack nearby, it continues to define the Durham skyline.
UPDATE: The Lucky Strike water tower remains beautifully preserved as the centerpiece of the American Tobacco Campus and is still one of downtown Durham's most photographed landmarks. 08-26
Downtown Seneca Water Tower
Seneca, SC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The old Downtown Seneca Water Tower has become one of those familiar sights that lets you know you've made it into town. Rising above the rooftops near downtown, it has watched over the community for decades and remains an important part of the city's skyline. 03-08
Painted with its simple "SENECA" lettering, the tower is easy to spot from around the historic business district and nearby railroad tracks. While it continues to serve the city's water system, it also recalls a time when nearly every town had a classic steel water tower standing guard over Main Street. It's the kind of landmark that longtime residents hardly notice anymore, but visitors can't help but admire.
UPDATE: The historic Seneca water tower remains standing and continues to serve the community, still watching over downtown as one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. 08-26
Historic Westminster Apple Water Tower
Westminster, SC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The old Historic Westminster Apple Water Tower stands high above town with something you don't see every day painted across its side: a giant apple. It may seem like an unusual choice at first, but around here it makes perfect sense. 03-08
Westminster has long been known for its apple-growing heritage and is home to the annual South Carolina Apple Festival, making the colorful artwork a fitting symbol for the community. The classic steel tower has watched over the town for generations, and its bright apple has become one of the area's most recognizable landmarks. It's a simple touch, but one that gives the tower plenty of hometown character and makes it stand out from countless other water towers across the South.
UPDATE: The Westminster Apple Water Tower still stands proudly over town and remains a colorful reminder of the area's rich apple-growing history. 08-26
Historic Liberty Municipal Water Tower
Liberty, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The old Historic Liberty Municipal Water Tower has been part of the town's skyline for nearly a century. Standing just off the downtown streets, it's one of those classic steel towers that gives a community its own unmistakable identity. 03-08
Built in the 1920s as Liberty modernized its water system, the tower has quietly watched over generations of residents while overlooking the heart of town. Its simple "LIBERTY" lettering makes it easy to recognize, and it remains one of the first things many people notice when passing through. Like so many vintage water towers, it's become more than just a piece of infrastructure. It's a familiar hometown landmark that has outlasted many of the businesses and buildings around it.
UPDATE: Nearly 100 years after it was built, the historic Liberty water tower still stands proudly over downtown and remains one of the town's most recognizable landmarks. 08-26
Water Tower
Pittsboro, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The old Pittsboro water tower rises above the west side of town, standing as one of those familiar landmarks that's been part of the local skyline for generations. Even with all the changes around it, the classic steel tower remains easy to spot. 03-08
Located near the historic Horton School, the tower has watched over Pittsboro for decades while serving the community's water system. Its simple "PITTSBORO" lettering and traditional four-legged design give it the kind of timeless look that has become increasingly rare across North Carolina as many older towers have been replaced. It's not flashy, but it's the sort of hometown landmark that quietly becomes part of the scenery and lets you know exactly where you are.
UPDATE: The historic Pittsboro water tower remains standing and continues to serve the town, overlooking one of Chatham County's best-known historic communities. 08-26
Historic Stoneville Furniture Company Water Tower
Stoneville, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Hidden behind a blanket of vines is one of Stoneville's forgotten landmarks. This old Historic Stoneville Furniture Company Water Tower still rises above the trees, even though the factory it once served is long gone. 04-08
The weathered tower is all that remains of the furniture plant that helped shape this small North Carolina town. After Stoneville built a modern municipal water system, the old industrial tower was retired and left to nature. Today, thick vines climb its legs, giving it the look of an abandoned relic slowly disappearing into the landscape.
It's easy to miss, especially with a newer town water tower standing nearby, but for anyone who enjoys old industrial roadside sights, this rusty survivor is still worth a second look.
UPDATE: The old Stoneville Furniture Company water tower still stands above the former mill site, quietly overlooking the property as one of the last surviving reminders of the town's manufacturing past. 08-26
Historic Dan River Mills / Schoolfield Mill Water Tower (Gone)
Danville, VA Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
This old Historic Dan River Mills / Schoolfield Mill Water Tower once stood high above the Dan River Mills complex, serving as a reminder of the textile industry that shaped Danville for generations. By the time this photo was taken, it had already become one of the city's most recognizable industrial landmarks. 04-08
The tower rose about 260 feet above the former Schoolfield Mill, where Dan River Mills employed thousands of workers during its heyday. In September 2021, it was intentionally brought down as part of the redevelopment that transformed the old mill property into the Caesars Virginia resort and casino.
Today the tower is gone, but for decades it was a familiar sight on the Danville skyline and one of the last towering reminders of the city's proud textile heritage.
UPDATE: While the tower is gone, much of the surrounding Schoolfield Mill district has found new life. Along with Caesars Virginia, several of the historic mill buildings have been restored into apartments, offices, and other new uses, helping preserve part of Danville's industrial past. 08-26
Thomasville Furniture Industries
Downtown Seneca Water Tower
Historic Westminster Apple Water Tower
Water Tower
Historic Stoneville Furniture Company Water Tower
Historic Dan River Mills / Schoolfield Mill Water Tower (Gone)
