The 234 foot Phoenix Shot Tower, also known as the Old Baltimore Shot Tower, is located in downtown Baltimore, and upon completion in 1828, was the tallest building in the United States. Molten lead was dropped from a platform at the top of the tower, through a seive-like device, into a cold vat at the bottom of the tower to produce both "drop shot" for pistols and rifles, and "molten shot" for larger weapons such as cannons. The annual production was about 100,000 bags of shot a year. The tower stopped production in 1892 when a new method of making shot made the tower obsolete. The tower was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1972.
