Dominion Atlantic Railway Digital Preservation Initiative - Wiki
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Category talk:Water Towers
Email discussion with Bill Linley concerning the Middleton water tower led to some observations about water towers in general:
It appears from descriptions and photos of all the DAR water towers that about 1931 a selection of the previously exposed water towers (see Windsor, Kentville or Grand Pre for examples) were replaced by the standard CPR enclosed water towers in Middleton, Annapolis Royal and Hectanooga for example. Interestingly enough in 1949 in Windsor when the water tower was replaced, they still built yet another exposed tower.
The artist’s painting of the Hectanooga tower though shows the enclosed tower in 1956 as still a wooden sided structure. As it’s not a photo, it could have been an artist’s best recollection.
Even on the exposed towers though, the enclosed bottom had Insul-Brick applied as you can see in Digby (after 1937) and approximately the same date on the Kentville old water tower in before 1937 and after 1943. The visual clue was that previously on the exposed tower, the enclosed base was painted cream.
So while not having specific information on the Middleton tower, one could surmise that around 1931, the new enclosed tower was built to replace the old exposed tower and after approximately 1937 it had been clad in Insul-Brick. http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/glossary/insulbric.shtml
As for the Middleton roof.. that will be a best guess. It probably is a similar product – asphalt based – strips not shingle.
