In Columbus, Texas, a former water tower built in 1883 as part of the town’s water system later became one of the community’s most unusual historic structures. After the system was modernized in 1926, the tower was no longer needed, and efforts to demolish it with dynamite failed because of its exceptionally solid three-foot brick walls. The United Daughters of the Confederacy purchased the building, used it as a meeting place, and opened a museum there in 1962. Recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, the building now houses a War Memorial Museum with artifacts from veterans of many wars, photographs, and local history items.