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| Middle Atlantic States | New York | Plattsburgh |
Plattsburgh was founded in 1785.
The first waterworks were built by John Mallory (1787-1871) who had been a captain in the NY 15th Infantry Regiment during the War of 1812. In 1818, the legislature granted him "the sole and exclusive right to bring and convey into the village of Plattsburgh, and furnish to the inhabitants thereof, or such part thereof as may choose to contract with him for the same, a supply of good and wholesome water, by means of conduits or aqueducts." An 1877 history notes that he built a system that served residents on the west side of the Saranac river "in limited and uncertain quantities until the fall of the year 1871," when the system was sold to the Village of Plattsburgh for $6,400.
In 1827, William P. Halsey and John Heath were also granted "the exclusive right of supply the inhabitants of Plattsburgh with pure and wholesome water." This law does not mention the 1818 right given to Mallory, and no further information has been found about this system.
A public meeting on January 31, 1868 started the process of building a municipal water system, which was approved by the legislature in April of that year and began operating late in 1870. The law authorized the acquisition of "the present water works on the west side of the Saranac river," The system utilized cement-lined wrought-iron pipes, tile pipes, and a small section of cast-iron pipe to cross the Saranac River. Construction of the system cost more than the original estimate, and the legislature approved additional borrowing in 1870 and 1871.
Water service is provided by the City of Plattsburgh.
References
1818 An act granting to John Mallory the
exclusive right of supplying the inhabitants of the village of
Plattsburgh with pure and wholesome water. April 15, 1818.
1827 An act granting to William P. Halsey and John Heath the exclusive right of supplying the inhabitants of the village of Plattsburgh with pure and wholesome water. January 24, 1827.
1868 An act for supplying the village of Plattsburgh with pure and wholesome water. April 17, 1868
1870 An act to amend an act for supplying the village of Plattsburgh with pure and wholesome water, passed April seventeenth, eighteen hundred and sixty-eight. April 21, 1870;
1871 An act to amend an act for supplying the village of Plattsburgh with pure and wholesome water, passed April seventeenth, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight. March 2, 1871
1877 "Village Water Works" from History of Plattsurgh, New York, from Its First Settlement to January 1, 1876 by Peter Sailly Palmer
1882 Plattsburgh, from "The Water-Supply of Certain Cities and Towns of the United States," by Walter G. Elliot, C. E., Ph. D.
1888 "Plattsburgh," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 1.
1890 "Plattsburgh," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 2.
1891 "Plattsburgh," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 3.
1897 "Plattsburgh," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 4.
© 2015 Morris A. Pierce