Groom, Texas - Leaning Water Tower

I dated a "Brittain" from Groom so this is the real story: The man that put the Leaning Water Tower there did so on a bet that he couldn't get it to stay up leaning like that. Obviously he did and he won the bet. He painted his last name on the tower before putting it up and it really should be called Brittain USA because the whole town is practically made up of Brittains.

Now ya know. [Jessica Batetes, 02/22/2006]

[RA: Photo added November 2007.]

This Is Why It Says Britten U.S.A.: Located in Groom, near the Big Cross, is the Leaning Water Tower which is the last surviving element of the Britten U.S.A. Truck Stop. It was brought to Groom by Ralph Britten to serve as a tourist attraction and a reason for people to stop at his truck stop and ask questions. For travelers today the truck stop is gone -- but the questions remain. [Tom Landers, 06/18/2003]

The water tower looks exactly as it did the last time I saw it in 1997 (no visible sign of increased tilt). A star can be seen on the top of the water tower and a light can be seen at the base. Curiously, the tower is painted with the words "Britten, USA" though the tower is located outside of Groom, TX. I searched for Britten, TX and could not locate a town with that name. [Greg Brown, 06/16/2002]

[RA: Tipster Beverly Boyce points out "The name represents a large family that has had long ties with the area."]

While passing thru Groom, Texas, last month we saw the "Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere" but that was nowhere as spectacular as the leaning water tower. Painted red and white this old water tower leans at about 45 degrees, two of it's legs completely off the ground and the center pipe where the water goes up and down is terribly kinked. Actually it looks as if it's the only thing still holding the thing up at all. It's easily seen traveling east on interstate 40 a little harder to see from the westward bound side. [Sharon, 07/05/1999]