Darrick Cox climbs 150 feet up the downtown Batesville water tower — the ascent, the view from the top, and the story in his own words. Three towers, two days: the climb, the I-74 tower from the inside, and the 1981 tower seen from home.
Batesville, IndianaLast updated November 13, 2026
Videos
Videos of this place.
I had 150 steps to go and I tripped up on step two. Here's what it was like climbing 150 feet up the Batesville water tower — the fatigue, the vice-like grip on every rung, and the transition from the ladder to the platform, the riskiest part of the whole climb.Geared up at the base — hard hat and GoPro on, harness checked. “We're going to be going up real soon. 150 feet up in the air.” Video: Darrick Cox.Geared up and ready at the base, the tank behind him. Video: Darrick Cox.Looking up the leg ladder from the base — a long way up. Video: Darrick Cox.One more selfie at the base, the tank behind him. Video: Darrick Cox.A slow walk around the base — the tower, the ladder, the Dixon Engineering van, the white Ram. Video: Darrick Cox.Terry Kneuven films from the ground as Darrick climbs the red extension ladder to the leg ladder — the start of the ascent, Jim's Auto & Muffler behind him. Video: Terry Kneuven.GoPro point of view, hands on the rungs of the leg ladder, arriving at the catwalk. Video: Darrick Cox.The full ascent from the ground — Terry Kneuven films the extension ladder, the leg ladder, and the catwalk, all 150 feet of it. Video: Terry Kneuven.GoPro point of view on the way up — the climb, the safety talk, and the arrival conversation at the top. Video: Darrick Cox.From the top, looking down at the town 150 feet below. Video: Darrick Cox.At the top, hugging the sides: “I'm a hundred and fifty feet up in the air and in all honesty, I'm hugging the sides.” The scary part wasn't coming up — it was the fatigue. Video: Darrick Cox.On the catwalk without the hard hat, the town behind him. Video: Darrick Cox.In profile on the catwalk, looking out over Batesville. Video: Darrick Cox.A selfie with the blue BATESVILLE letters on the tank behind him. Video: Darrick Cox.“This place is amazing. We're at the top of the water tower today... 150 feet in the air. Once in a lifetime opportunity.” Video: Darrick Cox.Pigeons on the brick smokestack, seen from the catwalk. Video: Darrick Cox.Closer in on the pigeons at the top of the smokestack. Video: Darrick Cox.A slow pan across downtown Batesville from 150 feet up. Video: Darrick Cox.Houses and streets from the catwalk, the town spread out below. Video: Darrick Cox.The clock tower and downtown rooftops from above. Video: Darrick Cox.Zooming in on the Dollar Tree and the strip below. Video: Darrick Cox.A slow 360-degree pan from the catwalk — the full circle from 150 feet up. Video: Darrick Cox.The long panorama — houses, the golf course, the strip, the whole town turning past. Video: Darrick Cox.The GoPro walk-around of the catwalk — the view, the crew talk, the whole circle. Video: Darrick Cox.On the catwalk with the green-hard-hat crew member, talking tank work. Video: Darrick Cox.The catwalk hatch — the way down through the tank roof. Video: Darrick Cox.Looking straight down the tank wall to the ground far below. Video: Darrick Cox.Looking down at his own feet on the catwalk, the town 150 feet below. Video: Darrick Cox.A flash of the rusted steel inside the tank. Video: Darrick Cox.The way down, filmed from the ground by Terry Kneuven — the full descent to the Dixon Engineering van. Video: Terry Kneuven.A crew member descends the tank ladder toward the catwalk, filmed from the catwalk. Video: Darrick Cox.Back on the ground, helmet off, looking up at what he just climbed. Video: Darrick Cox.The day before the climb, inside the I-74 tower: “It's not every day that you get a chance to go check out what's on the inside of the water tower.” The inside tour starts here. Video: Darrick Cox.With Josh Grover from Dixon Engineering at the arched doorway of the I-74 tower — “What's the likelihood that I die today?” Video: Darrick Cox.The inside-leg tour of the I-74 tower with Josh Grover — the arched doorway, the hollow pedestal, the ladder going up. He only made it halfway: wasps stopped him on the way up. Video: Darrick Cox.Inside the I-74 tower's pedestal leg — the interior ladder structure. He got about halfway up before the wasps turned him around. (The “finger” is Darrick pointing at the camera, not a finger over the lens.) Video: Darrick Cox.Inside the I-74 tower's leg, looking up toward the light — “It's loud. There's all kinds of work going on... Ooh, I can see a light up there.” Video: Darrick Cox.Inside the I-74 tower, the fall-arrest gear demonstrated on the rail — the only clip that shows how the safety system works. Video: Darrick Cox.Inside the I-74 tower, Josh Grover explains the rail and clip system — and the transition between them, where most falls happen. Video: Darrick Cox.A silent tour up the I-74 tower's interior ladder, the riser pipe alongside. Video: Darrick Cox.With Mom at the home he grew up in. The tower behind them is the BATESVILLE tower from 1981, seen from the front yard — the one he grew up staring at stood behind the house and came down in April 2024. Video: Darrick Cox.From home, Mom's view — the BATESVILLE tower from 1981 over the rooftops, two figures on its railing. That's not the tower he climbed; it's the one seen from the front yard. Video: Wanda Cox.From the street to the 1981 tower, zooming in on the two figures on its railing. Video: Wanda Cox.The 1981 tower from home, zoomed in — the figures small against the tank. Video: Wanda Cox.Let me tell you about my schedule for today. Climbed the water tower in the morning, then went out to every single memorial in Batesville for Veterans Day.
Photos
Photos of this place.
Darrick on top of the tower, hard hat and GoPro on, waving at the camera with the town spread out below him. Photo: Darrick Cox.Scouting the climb five days out — looking up the leg ladder at the downtown tower, the blue BATESVILLE letters overhead. November 6, 2026. Photo: Darrick Cox.The whole downtown tower from its base, five days before the climb. November 6, 2026. Photo: Darrick Cox.The downtown tower from the lot, the brick plant and smokestack beside it — sizing up what he was about to climb. November 6, 2026. Photo: Darrick Cox.Looking up the legs at the tank, five days before the climb. November 6, 2026. Photo: Darrick Cox.Base close-up — the leg ladder and the hatch he'd climb through, under the blue BATESVILLE letters. November 6, 2026. Photo: Darrick Cox.Inside the tank — the rusted steel structure under the roof. Photo: Darrick Cox.The tank roof, with the roof ladder and the hatch, seen from above. Photo: Josh Grover.A climber on the leg ladder, the Dixon Engineering van below.Peace sign on the catwalk, the blue BATESVILLE lettering on the tank behind him. Photo: Darrick Cox.In profile on the catwalk, the sun behind him and the town below. Photo: Darrick Cox.Looking out over Batesville from the catwalk. Photo: Darrick Cox.In profile, looking out over downtown. Photo: Darrick Cox.Smiling on the catwalk, the brick buildings of downtown behind him. Photo: Darrick Cox.Helmet off, peace sign, the town behind him. Photo: Darrick Cox.GoPro on, big smile, the brick smokestack behind him. Photo: Darrick Cox.In profile, looking out over the smokestack and the rooftops. Photo: Darrick Cox.Downtown Batesville from 150 feet up. Photo: Darrick Cox.The brick smokestack and the rooftops below. Photo: Darrick Cox.Zoomed in on a red-door house below. Photo: Darrick Cox.The lake in the distance, houses and autumn trees below. Photo: Darrick Cox.Pigeons on the rim of the brick smokestack. Photo: Darrick Cox.Full body on the catwalk, waving, the town below. Photo: Darrick Cox.The golf course and strip mall from 150 feet up. Photo: Darrick Cox.Downtown Batesville from 150 feet up. Photo: Darrick Cox.Looking up inside the I-74 tower's hollow pedestal leg — the central riser pipe and the internal ladder. Photo: Darrick Cox.Close up through the railing inside the I-74 tower — the round opening, an orange hard hat inside, bright light beyond. Photo: Darrick Cox.The base of the riser pipe inside the I-74 tower, the round opening below, a person in an orange hard hat inside it. Photo: Darrick Cox.Geared up at the downtown base — hard hat and GoPro on, tumbler in hand. The tower behind him is the BATESVILLE tower from 1981, seen from the front yard of the home he grew up in — not the one he climbed. Photo: Darrick Cox.From the street — the white house, the 1981 BATESVILLE tower behind it, two tiny figures on its railing. Photo: Wanda Cox.Arms out on the ground at the downtown tower lot. The tower behind him is the BATESVILLE tower from 1981. Photo: Terry Kneuven.Mom at the home I grew up in — the BATESVILLE tower from 1981 in the background, seen from the front yard. The tower he grew up staring at stood behind the house and came down in April 2024. Photo: Darrick Cox.The BATESVILLE tower from 1981, the white ball with the dark serif letters, seen from the front yard of the home he grew up in. Photo: Darrick Cox.
The story so far
What happened here.
On the morning of November 11, 2026, Darrick Cox climbed 150 feet up the downtown Batesville water tower — up the extension ladder, up the leg ladder, and onto the catwalk that rings the tank. Dixon Engineering opened the tower and walked him through it, Terry Kneuven filmed from the ground, and he was up there about 30 to 45 minutes. Across two days and three towers, he brought back 46 clips and 33 photos.
The climb itself was the story: 150 steps, a trip on step two, fatigue setting in three-quarters of the way up, and a transition from the ladder to the platform that he calls the riskiest part of the whole climb. The videos below run in climb order — the story in his own words first, then the gear-up at the base, the ascent, the top, and the descent. After that, a different tower on a different day: the inside of the I-74 tower, where he only made it halfway before wasps turned him around. And last, the view from home — the BATESVILLE tower from 1981, seen from the front yard of the home he grew up in.
Three towers show up in this footage. The downtown one he climbed, BATESVILLE in blue on the tank. The I-74 one he went inside the day before, halfway up before the wasps. And the 1981 one from the front yard, BATESVILLE in dark letters on a white ball. The tower he grew up staring at stood behind his mom's house and came down in April 2024 — its story is on the Old Water Tower page. The photos and videos here are his, Terry's, Josh Grover's, and his mom's.
Darrick scouts the downtown tower, five photos from the base, five days before the climb.
November 10, 2026
The day before the climb, Darrick and Josh Grover from Dixon Engineering go inside the I-74 tower's hollow pedestal leg — he only makes it halfway up before wasps turn him around. He stomps three on one platform right at the start; the inside of this tower only opens every five years. The interior photos on this page are from that visit.
November 11, 2026
Darrick climbs the downtown Batesville water tower with Dixon Engineering — up the extension ladder, the leg ladder, and onto the catwalk, 150 feet up. Terry Kneuven films from the ground. He spends about 30 to 45 minutes on top. From home, Wanda Cox films the BATESVILLE tower from 1981, seen from the front yard of the home he grew up in.
November 12, 2026
Darrick sends the footage — 118 photos and 62 phone videos, then the GoPro clips — and films two storyteller videos telling the climb in his own words.
November 13, 2026
The climb page is built — 46 videos and 33 photos.
Still to learn
Open questions.
The green-hard-hat crew member on the catwalk — who is he? He's a Dixon Engineering crew member, not Josh Grover, and his name is still unidentified.
V75–V78 — four clips in the numbering with no files anywhere. Were they never sent, or did the numbering skip?
How tall is the downtown tower, exactly, and when was it built? Darrick's clips say 150 feet, but that's his on-camera estimate — no verified height or build date is on record. The I-74 tower's height and build date are also unverified.
Who are the two figures on the 1981 tower's railing on the morning of November 11? They aren't Darrick — he was on the downtown tower at the time.
Share a memory, a photo, or a correction — or answer one of the open questions above. Submissions are reviewed by a person before anything appears publicly, and nothing is posted as-is. Photos are used only with your permission and with credit as you give it.
Last updated November 13, 2026. New memories appear here after review.
