{"nrhp_refnum":"78002069","name":"Ohio Hospital For Epileptics Stone Water Towers","other_names":["Gallipolis State Institute Stone Water Towers"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Mill Creek Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gallipolis","county":"Gallia County","state":"OH","lat":38.82157980300008,"lon":-82.18679491499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-09-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A group of three square, two-story coursed-rubble stone water towers on the south side of Mill Creek Road in Gallipolis, Gallia County, Ohio, built about 1895 for the Ohio Hospital for Epileptics.","why_significant":"The nomination cites the towers as significant examples of 19th-century engineering and architecture. They represent the work of local builder John Andrew Stirling, and are the only stone water towers known in Southern Ohio. Their classical yet primitive decoration is attributed to on-the-spot decisions during construction.","narrative":"Three square stone water towers stand in a line beside Mill Creek Road in Gallipolis, Ohio. Each is two stories high and built of coursed rubble sandstone quarried from nearby hills. They served the Ohio Hospital for Epileptics, the first institution for epileptics in America said to be supported by public revenues. Built about 1895 over artesian wells, the towers received water by forced air and sent it by gravity to a cistern near the power house. Pumps were electrified about 1940, and the towers have been unused since 1950. Local builder John Andrew Stirling, possibly assisted by his father David, built or supervised them. Their decoration includes semicircular arched entrances, rock-faced dentils, stringcourses and cavetto cornices, giving a classical but primitive look. They are the only stone water towers known in Southern Ohio. In 1977 authorities ordered demolition, which was postponed so citizens could raise money for rehabilitation.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1895","architect_builder":"John Andrew Stirling","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Unoccupied and unused since 1950; the tanks are rusted through. Demolition ordered in 1977 was postponed while local citizens sought funds for rehabilitation and possible inclusion in the city park system.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:10.321364-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/78002069.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002069/adb2ae830a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002069/adb2ae830a-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ohio_Hospital_For_Epileptics_Stone_Water_Towers.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ohio_Hospital_For_Epileptics_Stone_Water_Towers.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988652","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138339621"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/gallia-county/ohio-hospital-for-epileptics-stone-water-towers-78002069/"}