Documentary History of American Water-works

Honesdale

Honesdale, Pennsylvania

Honesdale was settled in 1826 and incorporated as a borough on January 28, 1831.

The Honesdale Water Company was incorporated in 1850 "for the purpose of introducing water into said borough." Zenas H. Russel, Russel F. Lord, Thomas H. R. Tracy, Richard L. Leely, Henry W. Stone, C. C. Graves, Isaiah Snyder, John Kelly, William H. Dimmick, Stephen W. Genung, Samuel E. Dimmick, Edward Murry, John A. Patmore, Oliver Hamlin, Stephen D. Ward, F. M. Crane, M. H. Tracy, H. B. Beardslee, and Theodore Groves were appointed as commissioners to form the company. This company did not built a system.

The Jefferson Water Company was incorporated in 1852 "for the purpose of introducing water into said borough." M. B. Bennett, Thomas E. Grier, A. Strong, J. C. Delezene, A. Cummings and A. A. Striker were appointed commissioners to form the company. According to a 2013 history, "Their plan was to provide pure water to the town from various springs. No authority was granted to draw water from the area streams. The Jefferson Water Company was under the impression that they had the rights to utilize these springs but once the task of laying the pipelines was begun disputes arose, laws suits were filed regarding the proprietorship of these springs and the project was abandoned."

Another Honesdale Water Company was incorporated in 1863, C. F. Young, Z. H. Russell, C. P. Waller, Chalrs Robinson, John Henigan, John Kelly, R. F. Lord, junior, G. G. Waller, R. L. Seely, S. E. Dimmick, J. Snyder, W. H. Foster, E. F. Torrey and H. B. Beardslee were appointed commissioners to form the company. This company built a system using square hemlock conduits, which were supplement with terra cotta (earthen) pipes and later iron pipes.

The Consumers Water Company of Honesdale was incorporated on June 20, 1902 with the intention of supplying water to Honesdale, but the Honesdale Water Company brought suit against them. Before it came to trial, the two companies agreed to merge and formed the Honesdale Consolidated Water Company on February 10, 1905.

Aqua America acquired the Honesdale Consolidated Water Company on September 30, 2008 in a transaction valued at $6.7 million.

Water service is provided by Aqua Pennsylvania.

References
1850 An act to incorporate the Honesdale Water Company. March 14, 1850.

1852 An act to incorporate the Jefferson Water Company. April 23, 1852.

1854 Wayne County Herald, February 2, 1854, Page 3.
Trial List for February Term, 1854. Gabrier vs Jefferson Water Company

1863 An act to incorporate the Honesdale Water Company. April 11, 1863.

1886 History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe Counties, Pennsylvania, by Alfred Mathews
Page 376: Water Supply.- Honesdale's water supply is from th Glass-Factory Pond and the First and Second Ponds in Dyberry. The first movement towards the introduction of water was made in 1850, when an act was passed incorporating a company for that purpose, consisting of the leading citizens of the place. the movement was not at once successful, but finally the project was realized and a supply of good, pure water brought into town. The pipe system has been gradually extended through the thicky-settled parts of the borough. The stock of the company is now owned almost entirely in Wilkes-Barre by one or two individuals.

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

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

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

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

1909 "Honesdale Consolidated Water Company," Fourth Annual Report of the Commissioner of Health of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1909, Part 1.

2008 "Honesdale Water Co. being bought by Aqua Pa.," Wayne Independent, July 2, 2008.

2008 Aqua America Pennsylvania Subsidiary Acquires Water System in Honesdale, Wayne County Seat, September 30, 2008.

2013 "Heat, light and water come to Honesdale," by By Gloria McCullough, Wayne County Historical Society, from Wayne Independent, September 9, 2013.