Built in 1897 by the Challenge Wind and Feed Mill Company of Batavia, Illinois, this rare tower and wood tank structure is an original example of a nineteenth century public water utility facility, its construction methods, and its technology. The tower has a limestone foundation, stands 104 feet tall, and is approximately 20 feet in diameter, with two-foot-thick brick walls. The original 1897 tank was replaced in 1924 by Challenge, and the 66,000 gallon tank is made of horizontally curved cypress battens held in place by metal binder rings. Additions were made to the structure, which has housed various governmental services. It received the American Water Works Association’s Water Landmark Award in 1986 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.