Trappe in Talbot County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Ball on Top of the Water Tower 1927-1998
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 5, 2025
1. The Ball on Top of the Water Tower 1927-1998 Marker
"the Ball" was part of the original town water tower, so the history of the tower is also the history of the ball.
The original tower was constructed in 1927. The ball served multiple purposes. In 1927 almost everything that was built was decorated so the ball served as a decoration. It also covered the point where the various sheets of steel that formed the roof of the tower came together. In addition, the ball was the the pivot for the painter's ladder on the roof. If one climbed the ladder to the base of the tank, the climbed another ladder up the side of the tank, one would come to the edge of the roof. There was a ladder that laid on the roof and went up to the ball. That ladder had a yoke that went around the ball. The other end of that ladder had rollers on it. Painters would paint a section of the roof then roll the ladder along so it would swing all the way around the roof and end lining up with the ladder on the side of the tank.
At one time the towner was painted white, but generally it was silver.
Erected by Rural Life Museum of Trappe Md. Inc.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1927.
Location. 38° 40.412′ N, 76° 3.79′
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Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, on the Delmarva Peninsula, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Home Run Baker Park (approx. 0.6 miles away); Site of Trappe High School (approx. 1.2 miles away); Nathaniel Hopkins (approx. 1½ miles away); Nathaniel (Nace) Hopkins (approx. 1½ miles away); Compton (approx. 1.6 miles away); Hole in the Wall (approx. 1.6 miles away); Old White Marsh Episcopal Church (approx. 1.6 miles away); Robert Morris, Sr. (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Trappe.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 5, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 46 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 5, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
