Jackson Ferry Shot Tower in Wythe County, Virginia near the community of Cripple Creek. What in the world is a shot tower you ask? As explained in the book “Wythe County, Virginia - a Bicentennial History” by Mary B. Keagley, a shot tower is neither a furnace nor forge, but a unique structure used for the manufacture of lead shot. In the thirteen - foot -square room at the top, a small furnace was used to melt lead which was then poured through a circular colander three feet in diameter. The size of the shot produced depended on the size of the mesh used in the sieves through which the lead passed. The metal passed (fell) to the bottom of the tower into a kettle of water, where it was recovered, sorted, polished, and shipped. In other words, spheres of shot were formed of the molten lead through the force of gravity as it fell down the height of the tower shaft. This tower was built sometime between the dates 1807 - 1820. The community of Cripple Creek boomed long ago with men coming to the community to work in the nearby lead mines. Cripple Creek later became a strategic target for the Union Army during the Civil War as shot for rifles was a valuable commodity during wartime. Federal troops raided communities throughout Wythe County (pronounced “With”) throughout the war leaving devastation throughout and sending many county citizens to Northern prisons to suffer in intolerable conditions. Nothing remained the same following the war. Through genealogical study of my ancestry, I have discovered records in my family tree documenting the birth or death of some 13 relatives within Wythe County - including five in the community of Cripple Creek.