Documentary History of American Water-works

Berwick

Berwick, Pennsylvania

Berwick was first settled in 1769.

The Berwick Water Company was incorporated in 1818 with John Brown, John Venet, Samuel Headley and Sherman Clark appointed as commissioners to sell stock. The company built a water system using wooden pipes.

The Hydraulic Company of the Borough of Berwick was incorporated in 1831 with Samuel lladley, George Mack and Ashbel B. Wilson appointed as commisioners to sell stock. This company was granted the same rights and privileges as the Berwick Water Company, and the two companies merged around 1848 when the Water Company was reorganized and iron pipes were installed.

Berwick had a typhoid epidemic in 1905 caused by taking water from the Susquehanna river that had been contaminated by sewage.

The Berwick Water Company was at some point purchased by the American Water Works Company, and in 1973 it and 16 other nearby water systems were merged into the Keystone Water Company.

Water service is provided by Pennsylvania American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water.

References
1818 An act authorising the governor to incorporate the Berwick Water Company. January 27, 1818

1821 A supplement to the act, entitled "An act authorising the Governor to incorporate the Berwick Water company," April 2, 1821

1831 An act authorising the governor to incorporate the Hydraulic Company of the Borough of Berwick, March 21, 1831

1834 A supplement to the act entitled "An act authorising the governor to incorporate the Hydraulic Company of the Borough of Berwick" April 14, 1834

1841 An act to compel the Supervisor of the unincorporated District of the Northern Liberties, in the county of Philadelphia, to give security, and for other purposes, April 21, 1841 Section 9 authorized the Nescopeck Bridge company to purchase and complete the works of the Berwick Hydraulic Company.

1844 A supplement to an act to compel the Supervisor of the unincorporated District of the Northern Liberties, in the county of Philadelphia, to give security, and for other purposes, approved the twenty-first day of April, A.D., eighteen hundred and forty-one. February 21, 1844

1844 A further supplement to an act to compel the Supervisor of the unincorporated District of the Northern Liberties, in the county of Philadelphia, to give security, and for other purposes, approved the twenty-first day of April, 1841, April 11, 1844

1849 An act relative to the Berwick water company in Columbia county, March 6, 1849

1852 An act to incorporate the Bloomsburg and Columbus turnpike and plank road company; relating to elections and election districts in certain counties ; to levying a tax in and renting public conmon by town council of Wilkesbarre ; extending and confirming certain powers to the Hydraulic company, of Berwick ; to the real estate of Nathan Beach, deceased ; to the borough of Towanda ; to the Chester and Media plank roud company; legitimating the children of Jacob Geisinger ; to the sale of a lot of ground by the trustees of the First New Jerusalem Society of Philadelphia ; to the sale of certain real estate of the Millerstown school; to the female asssociation of Philadelphia; to the real estate of John Angue, Junior, deceased ; to the destruction of game in Bedford, Chester, and Delaware counties; and to the Perryville ana Zelienople plank road company. May 3, 1852

1882 Berwick, from Engineering News 9:122 (April 15, 1882)

1887 History of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, edited by J. H. Battle
Page 198: January 27, 1818, the legislature authorized John brown, John Vennet, Samuel F. Headley and Sherman Clark to organize the Berwick Water Company. Water was brought from Briar creek, two miles distant, in wooden pipes. The supply from this source was inadequate, and in 1841 George Mack, Samuel F. Headley and A.B. Wilson projected hydraulic works and perfected arrangements for pumping water from a spring below the hill. In 1848 the Water & Hydraulic Companies were consolidated. The decayed wooden pipes were replaced with cement and iron mains. Upon the reorganization of the company in 1883 the general condition of its distributing service was greatly improved.

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

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

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

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

1905 "Typhoid Epidemic at Berwick" from First Annual Report of the Commissioner of Health of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

1915 "Berwick Water Company," by Franklin A. Witman, from Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania