| Introduction | Historical Background | Chronology | Geography | Biography | Technology | Ownership and Financing | General Bibliography |
| New England States | Massachusetts | Great Barrington |
Great Barrington was incorporated as a town in 1761.
The Great Barrington Fire District was authorized to build water works in 1865, but the town could not agree that it should do so.
The Great Barrington Water Company was incorporated in 1868 and built a gravity system.
The Mansfield Lake Aqueduct Company was incorporated in 1884 and built another gravity system.
The Berkshire Lakes Water Company was incorporated in 1886 and built yet another gravity system.
The Great Barrington Fire District bought the existing systems in 1890 and 1894.
Water is provided by the Great Barrington Fire District Water Department, which has a history page.
References
1865 An act for supplying the town of Great
Barrington with pure water. May 5, 1865.
1868 An act to incorporate the Great Barrington Water Company. June 4, 1868.
1881 Great Barrington, from Engineering News 8:434 (October 29, 1881)
1882 History
of Great Barrington: (Berkshire County,) Massachusetts, by
Charles James Taylor
Pages 436-438: The Fire District
The Great Barrington Fire District was organized August 12, 1854,
embracing the village and sufficient outside territory to include 1,500
inhabitants. At a little earlier date February 21, 1854 nineteen men
in uniform, escorted by the Falls Village Brass Band, paraded the streets
drawing a small Garden Engine. To that date the village never had
either a fire engine or fire company, and this band of young men formed
the nucleus of the Hope Fire Company, organized at about that time. The
demonstration then made resulted in the purchase of a Fire Engine by
subscription, towards which the sum of $1,600 was raised within a week.
The Engine, a fine Button machine, was received by the Fire Company then
numbering eighty men, in uniform on the 13th of June, 1854.
The Engine House since removed to Bridge street was erected by the
Fire District, on Castle street, in the fall and winter of 1854, the town
contributing $500 towards the building. Reservoirs were built by the
District, in various parts of the village, the supply of water, to a
considerable extent, being furnished by the roofs of adjoining buildings.
For many years 1850-65 the subject of supplying the village with water
for domestic uses, as well as for the extinguishment of fires, was
discussed ; but no decisive steps were taken imtil 1865, when the
Legislature passed an Act for supplying the town of Great Barrington with
pure water. This act authorized the Fire District to conduct the water of
East Mountain Brook to the village, and also gave authority to the town to
issue Water Scrip, bearing interest and payable within thirty years, for
the expense of the proposed outlay. Under the Act, the town had authority
to assess and collect taxes upon the polls and estates of the Fire
District, for the payment of the scrip and interest, though it was
expected that the revenue to be derived from the water works, when
completed, would render such taxes unnecessary.
The town, on its part, at first accepted, but afterwards rejected the
provisions of this act. In 1866, in a very dry season August to October
measurements of the water in the brook were made by a committee of the
Fire District, and the result of nine measurements, on as many different
days, showed the minimum capacity of the brook to be but two barrels per
minute. Many were of the opinion that this brook could not furnish
an adequate supply of water for the village; but others were more
sanguine. The agitation of the water question, with the refusal of the
town to cooperate in the matter, resulted in the formation of
The Great Barrington Water Company, organized in August, 1868, with a
capital of $20,000 in shares of $100 each. This company, in the fall of
1868, built the reservoir, and brought the water of East Mountain Brook to
the village. Hydrants, for use in case of fires, were also put in; and the
supply of water, from that time, has proved abundant, with the exception
that, in very dry seasons, it has been necessary to enforce economy in its
use.
1884 An act to incorporate the Mansfield Lake Aqueduct Company. March 27, 1884.
1886 An act to incorporate the Berkshire Heights Water Company of Great Barrington. June 22, 1886.
1887 An act to authorize the Great Barrington Fire District to take or purchase the franchise and property of the Great Barrington Water Company. June 11, 1887.
1888 "Great Barrington," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 1.
1889 Examinations
of the water supplies and inland waters of Massachusetts. 1887-1890,
December, 1889.
Pages 140-141: Water Supply of Great Barrington. Great Barrington
Water Company.
Description of Works.Population in 1885, 4,471. The works are owned by
the Great Barrington Water Company. Water was introduced in 1867. The
source of supply is a small mountain brook, on which a very small storage
reservoir is built. The area of the reservoir is estimated to be about one
acre. Maximum depth, 12 feet; average depth, about 6 feet ; bottom, clay;
capacity, about 1,700,000 gallons. The natural drainage area, estimated
from the new topographical map of Massachusetts, is about 134 acres. The
slopes are very steep and heavily wooded. There is very little cleared
land and no population on the drainage area. In the vicinity of the
reservoir there is a dense growth of evergreen trees extending to the
water's edge. Water is distributed by gravity. Distributing mains are of
cast iron and service pipes of wrought iron.
In addition to the Great Barrington Water Company, there are three other
water companies in this town. The Mansfield Lake Aqueduct Company
furnishes water from Mansfield Lake to a very few persons, and at times
supplies water to the Great Barrington "Water Company. The Berkshire
Heights Water Company constructed works in 1887 for pumping water from
Green River in Great Barrington to a distributing reservoir to supply a
portion of the town. These works are not yet in operation. The Housatonic
Water Company was chartered to supply the village of Housatonic, which is
in the northern part of Great Barrington very near the line between Great
Barrington and Stockbridge. Water ivas introduced in December, 1888. The
source of supply is Long Lake in Great Barrington. Water is distributed by
gravity. Distributing mains are of cast iron; service pipes are of
galvanized iron.
1890 "Great Barrington," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 2.
1891 "Great Barrington," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 3.
1897 "Great Barrington," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 4.
1902 An act to authorize the Great Barrington Fire District to increase its water supply and to issue bonds for that purpose. April 1, 1902.
© 2018 Morris A. Pierce