The Dubuque Shot Tower is a 120-foot limestone tower standing on the riverfront near the Ice Harbor, a striking remnant of the city's 19th-century lead industry. Dubuque was the center of American lead production in the 1850s, and this tower was used to manufacture shot by dropping molten lead from the top — the lead formed into spherical pellets as it fell. The tower has been preserved as a historic landmark since the industry that built it long ago departed.
The tower itself is not open for interior access, but it can be viewed from the outside and from the National Mississippi River Museum complex nearby. The exterior stonework is impressive, and the tower makes an evocative contrast with the modern riverfront development around it. The adjacent Dubuque Freight House, a beautifully restored 1868 warehouse now housing restaurants and a food hall, is worth combining with a visit to this area.