Thomas Sparks

Shot Tower. First in the nation. Built 1808 by Thomas Sparks & John Bishop to make hunting shot, it symbolized a new U.S. industrial independence. Bishop, a Quaker, sold his share when ammunition was made here for the War of 1812. The Sparks family stayed in control until 1903.

Carpenter & Front Sts., Philadelphia, PA, United States where they built (1808) and owned (1808)