Documentary History of American Water-works

William C. Weir

William Chatham Weir was born in Seneca Falls, New York on February 9, 1840. He was living in Auburn, New York when that city built a Holly water works system, and he later worked as an engineer for them, although how that came to be is not known. His later partner, Truman Cowell, worked with Weir's father producing lampblack in Auburn and he and his wife lived in the same house with the Weir family. Weir was involved in several Holly water works projects from 1868 to 1872. He then severed his connection with the Holly company and next appears in Iowa in 1874, where he built five water works and proposed several others.

Weir died on August 29, 1876 in Hot Springs, Arkansas and was buried in Muscatine, Iowa.

William C. Weir's Water Works Experience
City	State	Years	Projects
Ann Arbor	MI	1868	Proposal and estimate, February 1868
Milwaukee	WI	1869	Proposal and estimate, November 1868
Dayton	OH	1870	Engineer for Holly water works, completed March 1870
Atlanta	GA	1871	Proposal with T. W. Yardley; December 1870; visit to Covington, completed September 1875
Covington	KY	1871	Presentation, engineer for, completed March 1871
Columbus	OH	1871	Prepared estimate and supervised construction of Holly equipment, completed May 1871
Portsmouth	OH	1872	Engineer for Holly water works, completed February 1872
Ironton	OH	1872	Engineer for Holly water works, completed May 1872
Evansville	IN	1872	Engineer for Holly water works, completed June 1872
Clinton	IA	1874	Designed and built water work, completed in December 1874
Keokuk	IA	1875	Proposal and estimate
Lyons	IA	1875	Designed and built water works, completed in March 1875
Council Bluffs	IA	1875	Proposal and estimate, May 1875
Marengo	IA	1875	Designed and built water works for fire protection
Anamosa	IA	1875	Designed and built water works, completed August,1875
Muscatine	IA	1876	Designed and built water works, completed April 1876
Fairfield	IA	1876	Visited and talked to local businessmen, January 1876

References
1865 Boyd's Auburn City Directory 1865-6
Page 114: Cowell, Truman (M & T Cowell; also Weir & Cowell) h 62 Van Anden
Cowell M & T., grain dealers, Garden n the depot
Page 171: Rublee, H.I. & Co. (W. C. Weir) photographic smalt background, 87 Genesee
Page 193: Weir, Hugh S. (Weir & Cowell) h 62 Van Anden
Page 194: Weir, William C (H. L. Rublee & CO.,) bds 62 Van Anden
Weir & Well, (H.S. Weir and T. Cowel,) lamp black manuf, Van Anden n Washington

1876 Anamosa Eureka, January 13, 1876, Page 3.
The hook and ladder company of this city has doped the name of "Weir" in honor of W. C. Weir, Esq., chief engineer of the Anamosa water-works.

1876 Anamosa Eureka, August 3, 1876, Page 3.
We are informed that W. C. Weir, the chief engineer of the water-works construction last summer, is at Hot Springs, Arkansas, under medical treatment for hemorrhage of the lungs. He has had several attacks and is in critical condition.

1876 William Chatham Weir (1830-1876) grave

1876 "Obituary," Muscatine Weekly Journal, September 8, 1876, Page 4.
Death of W. C. Weir.

1876 "Funeral of Mr. Weir," Muscatine Weekly Journal, September 8, 1876, Page 6.

1876 Auburn Daily Bulletin (Auburn, New York), September 8, 1876, Page 4.
Wm. Chatham Weir, familiarly known in this city some years ago as "Chet," died at Muscatine, Iowa, last week, where he was engaged as engineer, in company with Truman Cowell, in constructing water works at various points west and south.

1876 "W. C. Weir," Anamosa Eureka, September 21, 1876, Page 1.
Associating with Truman Cowell in 1866, the following water-works were successfully built by this partnership:
Covington, Ky., cost $50,000; Portsmouth, O., cost $120,000; Ironton, Ohio, $115,000; Waynesville, Ind., $215,000; Clinton, Iowa, $115,000; Lyons, Iowa, $30,000; Anamosa, Iowa, $10,500; Marengo, Iowa, $6,500; Muscatine, $10,000.