Built in the summer of 1915, the semi-cylindrical Osseo water tower, which has become iconic of the Osseo area, celebrates an impressive milestone this June and awaits important recognition from the Minnesota Historical Society. “The tower is going to be 100 years old,” says Kathleen Gette, an Osseo resident who has worked diligently over the past two years to preserve and designate the tower on the National Register of Historic Places. “Every step takes several months,” says Gette of her volunteer effort. “So far, we’ve been successful.”
Standing tall over Osseo for 100 years, the water tower is now empty, yet the image remains fully in the hearts of residents both past and present, with many former Osseo residents joining the movement to save the tower. The team received a grant to hire a consultant through the Minnesota Historical Society, and presented their report to the city council and the historical preservation office. “Our goal is to use the water tower as an icon of Osseo,” says Gette. The 100th birthday of the tower also coincides with the 100-year anniversary of the Osseo Fire Department this December, located on the same property. In fact, “fire protection was an important benefit of the newly constructed waterworks” when the tower was built, according to the preservation report. Before the tower, firefighting in Osseo “relied solely on a bucket brigade.” Check out the tower at facebook.com/savetheosseowatertower.
