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| New England States | Massachusetts | Northborough |
Northborough was first settled in 1672.
Local resident Holloway Taylor built an aqueduct using bored logs to serve his farm about 1790. The length was 70 rods, or about 1,155 feet.
The town was authorized to built water works in 1882, and built a gravity system that year using cement-lined wrought-iron pipes.
Water is provided by Town
of Northborough.
References
1793 History of the County of Worcester
by Peter Whitney
Page 278-279: [Town of Northborough] There are, in this town,
curious works for the conveyance of water to a great distance, the
property, contrivance, and execution of Major Holloway Taylor. I know not
that there are any similar works in the county, and would therefore
describe them.
From springs issuing out of ledges of rocks on rising lands, this
gentleman has raised a small pond, and from thence brings fine water
(about seventy rods, through bored logs, under ground, not only in low
lands, but in some places higher lands, where the water repeatedly ascends
and descends into the back part of his house, into a large vat, near three
feet in height, by a tube, from the last log, entering the bottom of the
vat, which is, or may be kept constantly full, and running over ; and the
superfluous water is conveyed from the vat, by another tube, out on to the
grass land. As the water passes under ground nigh the barn yard by a tube
from a log, entering the bottom of a large trough, he has a rich supply of
water for a great flock of cattle ; and such is the quality of the water
that it has seldom ever been known to freeze in trough or vat.
1882 An act to supply the town of Northborough with water. April 29, 1882.
1883 Northborough, from Engineering News 10:27 (January 20, 1883)
1886 Seventh
Annual Report of the State Board of Health, Lunacy, and Charity of
Massachusetts
Page 273: Northborough Water Works.
1888 "Northborough," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 1.
1890 "Northborough," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 2.
1891 "Northborough," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 3.
1897 "Northborough," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 4.S
© 2017 Morris A. Pierce