Documentary History of American Water-works

Indiana

New Albany

New Albany, Indiana

New Albany was founded in 1813, incorporated as a town in 1824 and as a city in 1839.

The American Gas-Light Journal published a list of water works in 1861 which included a system at New Albany that had been built in 1855 with cement-lined wrought-iron pipes. William Carson was listed as a proprietor. No further information about this system has been found.

The New Albany Water Company was incorporated on March 10, 1871, but did not build anything.

The New Albany Water Works Company was incorporated on October 16, 1874 and built a system that pumped water from the Ohio River into a reservoir. The system began service on July 12, 1876.

The Indiana Water Company was incorporated in 1899 and built a competing system, but they were merged in 1904. The New Albany Water Company was sold to the Interstate Public Service of Indiana in 1921, which was owned by Samuel Insull of Chicago and managed by his brother, Martin, who lived in New Albany. The name was changed to Public Service of Indiana in 1931 and later became part of the Indiana Gas and Water Company. In 1967, it was sold to Indiana Cities Water Corporation, which became a part of Indiana-American Water Company.

Water is provided by Indiana American Water.

References
1857 The commercial and manufacturing advantages of New Albany, Ind., by the Board of Trade

1861 "Water-Works of the United States and British-North-American Possessions," The American Gas-Light Journal 2:203 (January 1, 1861)

1869 Daily Wabash Express (Terre Haute, Indiana), April 20, 1869, Page 1.
New Albany is talking of water works.

1881 New Albany, from Engineering News 8:328 (August 13, 1881)

1888 "New Albany," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 1.

1890 "New Albany," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 2.

1891 "New Albany," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 3.

1897 "New Albany," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 4.

1903 New Albany Water-Works et al. v. Louisville Banking Co., 122 Fed. 776, January 6, 1903, Circuit Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit.
Page 777: The New Albany Waterworks was Incorporated in 1874 for a period of 50 years, under the General Statutes of Indiana; and In 1875 the city of New Albany conferred upon it a franchise to construct, operate, and maintain waterworks therein for the term of 40 years, under provisions specified. Waterworks were built and operated thereunder continuously up to the transfer under the lease in question, but dissatisfaction had arisen on the part of the city over failure to improve and extend the system, and in reference to the service and supply, and the city had recently refused to extend the term of the franchise for that reason. The outstanding capital stock of the company is 4,659 shares, of the par value of $232,950; and It has a bonded indebtedness of $150,000, secured by mortgage upon the property. The Indiana Water Company was organized in 1899: and on January 7, 1901, the city of New Albany adopted an ordinance authorizing this company "to construct, establish, acquire, operate and maintain water works" therein, "to continue for the period of thirty-five years." The capital stock of this corporation is $400,000, and a mortgage is executed to secure bonds for $350,000; the proceeds to be used for the purposes of the corporation. Its expenditures for mains and other work under the ordinance, prior to acquiring the property of the New Albany Waterworks by lease, is stated in the bill "not to exceed thirty thousand dollars," while the answer states the amount to be sixty thousand dollars. Persons Interested in the new company purchased a controlling interest In the shares of the old company—2,343 shares of the outstanding 4,659 shares—-and made overtures for consolidation and exchange of bonds and shares in the new company for those of the old, at specified rates. This failing, the board of directors of the old company was reorganized, so that the five individual defendants became members and controlled the board. Thereupon the lease in controversy was executed, granting to the Indiana Water Company "its entire waterworks system and plant and appurtenances, and all franchises and contracts under and in pursuance of which the business of the lessor" was conducted, for an annual rental of $19,250 (of which $7,500 was to be paid by the lessee to the holders of the bonds outstanding against the lessor for the annual interest, and, in case the lessee became the owner of such bonds by payment or exchange, the amount of interest was to be retained by it out of the rent), "until the 9th day of January, 1936"—the date of the expiration of the franchise of the lessee.

1903 "New Albany Water Works Merger Enjoined," Municipal Engineering 24(5):371 (May, 1903)

1904 "New Albany Water Works Consolidation," Municipal Engineering 26(5):329 (May, 1904)

1913 "New Albany Water Matter," December 17, 1913. Annual Report of the Indiana State Board of Health. Order requiring the New Albany Water Works Company to install filtering.

1962 Early days in New Albany, by William Augustus Scribner

1963 New Albany on the Ohio: Historical Review, 1813-1963, by Betty Lou Amster
Page 72: The Vincennes Street factory complex was also responsible for the water works. Woolen Mill superintendent Gebhart was having trouble getting the exact shade of scarlet for the red flannel shirting popular in the Victorian Ave. Available water would not do the proper dyeing job. In 1875 Gebhart talked city leaders into organizing the New Albany Water Works; in July, 1876, the Ledger reported that the hydrants on State Street spewed forth eight streams of water - simultaneously - 125 in the air. The water pressure worked so well that the Fire Department's new steam pumper - the W. L. Sanderson - was kept in shiny reserve most of the time.

2003 A history of New Albany, Indiana, edited by John E Findling

Sanborn Maps of Indiana, Map #4 for New Albany includes the Water works pumping station

Silver Hill Reservoirs, New Albany Water Works Company, 1875-1999, by Kelly Carnighan