The Remington Water Tower and Town Hall were built in 1897 by Challenge Wind and Feed Mill Company of Batavia, Illinois. This is a rare wooden tank atop a brick tower type of water tower. Built on a limestone foundation, it is tall and about in diameter. The walls, painted common bond brick, are thick. The water tank holds . The double semicircular header bond arched opening holds two ledged batten doors that open out. A dedication plaque from the Challenge Wind Mill and Feed Mill Company is affixed above the door. Spiraling up the water tower are a series of eight arched wood frame windows with limestone sills. There are two windows on each "side" facing the cardinal points. The low pitched gable roof is covered with asphalt shingles and conforms on the west end to the curve of the water tower.
The original tank was replaced by the Challenge Company in 1924. The tank is made of horizontal battens of cypress, held in place by metal binder rings. The roof of the water tank was originally cedar shingles but it was replaced in 2003 with plywood and rolled shingles. The single story brick structure on the east side may have housed the town hall. The water tower was in use until 1984 when a new water tower was built.
The interiors of the tower and the town hall are covered with parging. The semicircular arch connecting the two has been altered to accommodate a rectangular door. Several pipes encumber the first floor of the water tower. There is a wood staircase leading up to the second floor. The floor itself was constructed of wood and repaired after a 1905 fire. From the second floor a narrow staircase spirals through the tower along the interior wall for about . The staircase and floors were constructed from the scaffolding the workers used to build the tower. Then the exterior metal ladder and walkway must be used to access the tank. The town hall retains the pressed metal ceiling and cornice.
The small farming community of Remington dates its founding to 1860. By 1870, the population reached 390. The needs of the town were growing and soon after there were three churches, a school, and several commercial buildings. Around 1887, a forty-foot tower was built near the town jail to house the fire bell. By 1890 when the town government had outgrown its jail building, the jail was sold to purchase a lot and school.
It was in the 1870sâÂÂ80s that water systems spread rapidly across the country. The city of Rensselaer, the county seat of Jasper County, had a population of 4000 before it had the infrastructure to provide regular city water in 1900. In 1897 the Remington water tower made wells and cisterns obsolete for firefighting and drinking water.