100 Years Later, Belton's Standpipe Still Stands Tall

This unique, castle-like structure was built in 1908-09 as a water tower for the City of Belton. Rising 155 feet into the air, it has long been used by pilots to pinpoint their location along the eastern seaboard.


— Belton Standpipe © Michael Lollis —

Interestingly, the tower is not a true standpipe in that standpipes store water throughout their lengths, not just in tanks at top. Another odd fact is that, unlike a lighthouse, the "standpipe" has no stairs inside it. A ladder reaches along the exterior, and water flows through a 10-inch pipe in the tower's center. The small windows in the wall were included to allow ventilation and visibility during construction.

The tower's unusual shape helps to evenly distribute its weight. It is constructed from concrete which was poured in stages, giving the tower the illusion of being built of stone!

Still used to store the city's water supply, the capacity of the water tank within the tower is 165,000 gallons. It is located one block from Belton's business district.

In 1987, the first annual Belton Standpipe Festival was held to raise money for renovations needed to preserve Belton's most distinguished landmark. The image of the standpipe is included in the design of the town seal and is found on the city's letterhead.

Of note, there is a similar standpipe-style water tower in Walterboro, as well as one in Allendale. These are the only three such towers in South Carolina.

Thanks to photographer Michael Lollis for sharing this iconic photo from his home in Belton. See more of Michael's photos here.

Do you have information about the Belton Standpipe you'd like to share with our state? Send it here. Also, take some time to add your pictures to SCIWAY's South Carolina Picture Project. The next "SC Photo of the Month" could be yours!
South Carolina's February Calendar of Events

Myrtle Beach Marathon
February 14-16, 2013

You'll get a lot more than sand in your shoes from this beach run as the 16th-annual Myrtle Beach Marathon runs wild! This year, the marathon adds our four-legged friends to their charitable recipient list through a partnership with the Rare Species Fund for International Wildlife Conservation. Funding for the group is provided by The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (TIGERS), located in Myrtle Beach. TIGERS is home to a stunning collection of the world's most rare and endangered animals, some of whom you'll meet during exciting animal encounters scheduled throughout the three-day event! Let us hear you roar!


South Carolina Events
Complete Calendar of February SC Events
Statewide – February 1-28, 2013

Want to see the full calendar? Click here to check out SCIWAY's complete calendar of February SC events. Also, remember that all of our event calendars, for every month of the year, are always available on SCIWAY's website – just go to https://www.sciway.net/calendar.html.










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