Oliver Hardy Water Tower
Harlem, GA Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
You don't have to look very hard to know you've arrived in Harlem, Georgia. Just glance up at the town's water tower and you'll find the smiling face of hometown favorite Oliver Hardy watching over Main Street. 05-08
The Oliver Hardy Water Tower proudly honors the legendary comedian, who was born in Harlem in 1892 and went on to become one half of the beloved Laurel and Hardy comedy team. Standing across from the Laurel and Hardy Museum, it's a fitting welcome to a town that has never forgotten its most famous son.
For movie fans and roadside travelers alike, it's one of those simple landmarks that instantly tells you where you are. Sometimes all it takes is a familiar face painted on a water tower to make a place memorable.
UPDATE: The Oliver Hardy water tower remains one of Harlem's best-known landmarks and continues to welcome visitors, especially during the town's annual Oliver Hardy Festival each fall. 08-26
Red Rams Water Tower
Franklinton, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
This old cone-shaped water tower is one of Franklinton's most recognizable landmarks. When this photo was taken, the words "Red Rams" were painted proudly across the side, a tribute to the mascot of nearby Franklinton High School. 05-08
Unlike most modern water towers, this vintage standpipe has a distinctive cone-shaped top that gives it plenty of character. It has watched over the town for generations and remains a reminder of Franklinton's past, while also showing a little hometown pride for the Red Rams.
UPDATE: The historic water tower still stands over Franklinton, although it has been repainted over the years. Even without the original lettering, it remains one of the town's most recognizable landmarks. 08-26
Alspaugh Cotton Mill Water Tower
Millersville, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
This old Alspaugh Cotton Mill Water Tower rises above one of Millersville's historic textile mills, a reminder of the days when cotton manufacturing helped drive the local economy. Even today, it still gives the complex an unmistakable industrial look. 05-08
The tower is part of the old Alspaugh Cotton Mill, an early 20th-century textile operation near the Lower Little River. While the mill's original purpose has long since changed, the buildings continue to see new life with commercial and industrial uses, and the old water tower still stands watch over the property.
It's not a flashy roadside attraction, but for anyone who enjoys old mills and industrial landmarks, it's a nice reminder of North Carolina's manufacturing heritage.
UPDATE: The historic mill complex remains in use, and the old water tower continues to stand as one of the last visible reminders of Millersville's textile past. 08-26
Historic Town of Dallas Water Tower
Dallas, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Here's an old Historic Town of Dallas Water Tower that's still doing its job, even if it's no longer holding water. Rising above downtown Dallas, North Carolina, this 1920s landmark has become one of the town's most recognizable sights. 07-08
Built around 1925, the steel tower once supplied the community's growing water system. Today it serves as a communications tower, but its vintage framework and the painted "Historic Dallas 1863" lettering continue to give it plenty of character. It's a nice reminder of the town's early days and stands out among the historic buildings nearby.
UPDATE: The old water tower remains standing and continues to serve as a communications site while overlooking downtown Dallas. It remains one of the community's best-known landmarks. 08-26
Loray Mill Village Water Tower (Gone)
Gastonia, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
This old Loray Mill Village Water Tower stood as one of the last reminders of Gastonia's once-busy mill village days. Rust covered much of the steel by the time this photo was taken, but it still made an impressive sight rising above the old Loray neighborhood. 07-08
Built in 1929, the tower supplied water to the nearby Loray Mill Village and remained part of the skyline long after it was retired from service. Years of neglect eventually took their toll, and in November 2019 the 90-year-old landmark was demolished after the city determined it could not be economically restored.
UPDATE: Although the Loray Mill water tower is gone, the beautifully restored Loray Mill building still anchors the neighborhood, preserving an important piece of Gastonia's textile heritage. 08-26
Water Tower Place Shopping Center Water Tower (Gone)
Gastonia, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
For years, shoppers in Gastonia were welcomed by an old water tower with "Water Tower Place" painted across its side. It gave the shopping center its name and stood as a reminder of the property's industrial past. 07-08
As the area evolved into a retail center, the tower remained one of its most recognizable features, watching over everything from local shops to the old Water Tower Place movie theater. It was one of those landmarks that made the center easy to spot from the road.
UPDATE: The shopping center is still open, but the namesake water tower has since been removed. While the stores remain, one of Gastonia's most recognizable roadside landmarks has quietly disappeared. 08-26
City of Gastonia Municipal Water Tower
Gastonia, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
This old City of Gastonia Municipal Water Tower proudly carried the simple words "City of Gastonia" across its side, making it a familiar landmark for generations of local residents. 06-11
For years, the steel tower helped supply water to the city while standing watch over Gastonia's skyline. As the municipal water system grew, newer and larger tanks eventually took over, and the old tower was retired and dismantled.
UPDATE: The vintage tower is gone today, replaced by a modern municipal water tower nearby. Like several of Gastonia's older water towers, it has disappeared from the landscape, surviving only in photographs and memories. 08-26
Historic Town of Biscoe Water Tower
Biscoe, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The Historic Town of Biscoe Water Tower has been part of this Montgomery County town's skyline for generations. Rising above downtown on its steel framework, it's one of those familiar landmarks that quietly reminds you of an earlier era of small-town America. 12-07
Standing near Town Hall, the tower continues to serve the community while overlooking the streets that helped Biscoe grow during the railroad and textile years. Its classic design is becoming harder to find as many towns replace older steel towers with modern single-pedestal tanks, making survivors like this one especially enjoyable to spot. It may not be flashy, but it's the kind of everyday roadside landmark that's worth a second look.
UPDATE: The Historic Town of Biscoe Water Tower remains standing today and continues to serve the community, preserving another classic piece of North Carolina's small-town skyline. 08-26
Oliver Hardy Water Tower
Red Rams Water Tower
Historic Town of Dallas Water Tower
City of Gastonia Municipal Water Tower
Historic Town of Biscoe Water Tower
