| Introduction | Historical Background | Chronology | Geography | Biography | Technology | Ownership and Financing | General Bibliography |
| Middle Atlantic States | New York | Medina |
Medina was incorporated as a village in 1832.
The village installed a "Hawley pump" for fire protection in 1860, which was probably a Holly pump manufactured by the Holly Manufacturing Company in Lockport.
The Medina Water-Works Company built a system that began service on March 17, 1893. This company may have been bought by the Consolidated Water Supply Company, which was incorporated in 1894 to operate water systems in Brockport, Clyde, Holley, Medina, and Palmyra. The company had difficulty providing acceptable water service to the village, and was in receivership twice. Finally in 1905 the Village decided to buy or build it own water system, which was authorized for a law passed that year. After awarding contracts for a new system, local residence voted to buy the water company.
The village connected to the Niagara County Water District in 1959.
Water is currently purchased from the Niagara County Water District and distributed by the Village of Medina.
References
and Timeline
1859 New York Evangelist, December 22, 1859, Page 3.
A disastrous fire occurred in the village of Medina, Orleans county,
Sunday morning. The flouring-mill of Messrs. Hill, Whalen & Co.,
was destroyed, together with $20,000 of grain. The total amounts to
$60,000, on which there was an insurance of $36,000.
1871 Auburn Daily
Bulletin (Auburn, New York), February 23, 1871, Page 1.
A severe fire occurred at Medina, N.Y. yesterday, in which five frame and
two brick buildings were destroyed, involving a loss estimated at
$33,000. The hydrants were frozen, and the firemen had great
difficulty in getting water.
1888 "Medina," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 1.
1890 "Medina," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 2.
1891 "Medina," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 3. | Also see projected works |
1894 Landmarks
of Orleans County, New York by Isaac Smith Signor
Page 353: For a long time engines were supplied with water directly
from the canal or race, but after some years a water main with hydrants
was placed in Shelby street through the business part of the village. This
main was supplied with water when necessary by pumps driven by the power
in Becker's flouring mill, near the railroad. In 1874 the pumps were
changed to the Bignall works, and the mains were extended on Center street
to Orient street on the east and Catherine street on the west. By the use
of these pumps and mains water could be thrown directly from hydrants on
fires in their immediate vicinity, or supplied to engines at some distance
through hose.
Pages 355-356: Water Works.—The lack of an ample supply of pure
water for domestic and fire extinguishing purposes was felt in Medina many
years before the present works were established. The village had suffered
from several disastrous fires, one on September 19, 1869, causing a loss
of about $100,000; another December 26, 1870, destroying the Presbyterian
church and other property, besides numerous others, and public spirited
citizens finally determined to inaugurate a better condition of affairs in
this respect. A public meeting was called July 15, 1889, to consider the
subject and decide upon the most feasible plans. On October 14 of that
year a meeting was held at which authority was voted to the trustees to
contract with parties for water works, and on the 17th of the same month
John J. Neagle, of Washington, D. C, and Frederick Collin, James H.
Costello, P. H. Dempsey, Lewis M. Smith, John B. Stanchfield, and P. J.
Neagle, of Elmira, submitted a proposal to organize a company with a
capital of $70,000, and establish water works for the village, to be
supplied from wells or springs in the southwest part of the village. This
application was granted, but the action was rescinded on November 25.
Resolutions were afterwards adopted to publish in the local newspapers
proposals for bids to establish a water system, bids to be delivered to E.
L. Pitts on December 17, the works to be built according to contract and
specifications on file in his office. Several bids were offered, among
them that of Bassett Brothers, of Buffalo, who proposed to build the
works, put in eighty hydrants, and supply the village for $3,000 annually.
Their bid was accepted, and work was begun by driving wells and
experimenting, continuing through the summer of 1890, without satisfactory
results. They then proposed taking water from Fish Creek and were granted
an extension of time to complete the works. After further abortive
experiments, their time was again extended to the spring of 1891 ; but the
unsatisfactory outlook for the whole enterprise led to its transfer to the
Medina Water Works Company, as it is at present organized, and on February
3, 1892, the Board of Trustees resolved to contract with this company,
cancelling the former action. The company were to take the water supply
from the Ross farm near Knowlesville, and this source of supply was
approved March 18, 1892. The plant was promptly established, including a
large standpipe on the high ground in the southwest part of the village,
the streets laid with pipe, hydrants set and every facility provided to
give the people a splendid supply of pure water and the authorities an
ample supply under sufficient pressure to extinguish fires at any point in
the village. The officers of the company are: William F. Ross, president;
Thomas A. Smyth, vice-president; James L. Bruff, secretary; Charles F.
Pond, treasurer.
1897 "Medina," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 4.
[1900?] A History of the Alert Hose Company and the Fire Department of Medina, by George Albert Newell. No copy of this has been found.
1905 "Medina Water Works Company," Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York), April 6, 1905, Page 7.
1905 "Medina Will Own Water System," The Buffalo Enquirer, April 20, 1905, Page 11.
1905 Buffalo
Evening News, May 13, 1905, Page 4.
Shelby, May 13.- Nearly 100 Italians arrived here Thursday, and have began
work for the Media Water Works Co.
1905 "Voted
to Purchase Medina Water Plant," Democrat and Chronicle
(Rochester, New York), May 23, 1905, Page 4.
Special Election Held Yesterday - Price Agreed Upon was $70,000.
1905 "Medina Water Company's Stock," Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York), July 1, 1905, Page 3.
1907 "Medina's Successful Water Plant," Bulletin of the League of American Municipalities 7(6):176 (June, 1907)
1916 Thirty-Seventh
Annual Report of the State Department of Health of New York for the
year ending December 31, 1916. Volume II. Report
of Sanitary Engineering.
Page 475. Medina. The water supply is controlled by the
municipality and was put into operation in 1905.
2014 Medina
Fire Department, Area 10. The Historical Marker Database
Medina's first water works was installed for fire protection during the
1860's along Shelby (Main) Street. Pipes were laid along the east side of
the street, from the railroad to Pearl Street, with the raceway providing
water. This early hydrant system was later upgraded with larger pipe, more
hydrants and greater coverage. Water for this system came from Oak Orchard
Creek with a water wheel for pressure located at the Bignall Foundry.
Crude though it was, the system provided protection until the installation
of a village water system in 1892.
© 2017 Morris A. Pierce