Erected in 1946, this all-steel 50,000-gallon water tank supplied running water to Madison's residents until 1979. Built by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. of Birmingham, the tank drew water from a deep well on land deeded to the city by the Montgomery family. To fund the project, a $40,000 bond issue was approved by a vote of 85-0. By 1950, the well water was found to contain large amounts of iron, which stained residents' laundry. The water woes resulted in the election of Mayor Dorothy Crawford and five women to the Board of Alderman.