Introduction | Historical Background | Chronology | Geography | Biography | Technology | Ownership and Financing | General Bibliography |
Technology | Holly Water Works | Holly Water Systems |
The Holly Manufacturing Company of Lockport, New York built or provided machinery for over 100 water works between 1863 and 1890 that used direct-pressure technology patented by Birdsill Holly. The system numbers through 62 are in the order that contracts were received by the company as shown in their 1870 and 1872 brochures. Systems are shown chronologically after that based on the date they began operating. Where no system number is shown, the system was not recognized by the Holly Company, although they may have been referred to as "Holly systems" locally. Many other direct pumping systems were called "Holly systems," even though they didn't use Holly machinery. Holly's water patents expired in 1886 and the company was afterwards primarily engaged in building pumping engines.
System # |
City |
State |
Year |
Owner |
Engineers |
Contractor |
Water |
Steam |
Rotary |
Gang |
Quad |
Gaskill |
Remarks |
1 | Lockport | NY | 1863 | City | Holly | Holly | 1863 | 1 | |||||
2 | Auburn | NY | 1865 | Auburn Water-Works Company | 1865 | 3 | 1 | Water | |||||
3 | Gouverneur | NY | 1867 | Gouverneur water works Company | W. G. Hamilton | 1867 | 3 | Water | |||||
4 | Minneapolis | MN | 1868 | City | James E Waters | 1868 | 2 | Water | |||||
Aurora | IL | 1869 | City | 1869 | 3 | Three Holly pumps installed in local mills provided fire
protection. |
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5 | Vergennes | VT | 1869 | City | 1869 | 3 | Water | ||||||
6 | Ogdensburg | NY | 1869 | City | G W Pearsons | 1869 | 1872 | 3 | 1 | Water & Steam added 1872 | |||
7 | Binghamton | NY | 1868 | City | Jno. Evans | `1868 | 2 | 1 | Steam rotary pump, gang pump? | ||||
8 | Peoria | IL | 1869 | City | Holly | Holly | 1869 | 1 | 1 | steam rotary pumps, gang pumps added July 1871 | |||
9 | Batavia | NY | 1869 | Village | 1869 | 1869 | 1 | 1 | Steam & Water | ||||
10 | Canton | OH | 1870 | City | J L Pillsbury | 1870 | 1 |
Holly Water, Cameron pump added in 1874, Worthington in 1880 | |||||
11 | Kalamazoo | MI | 1869 | City | Holly | 2 | 1 |
Holly Rotary, Quadruplex added in 1873 | |||||
12 | Marquette | MI | 1870 | Town | Holly | 1 |
1 | 1 |
Steam Holly Gang pump and rotary pump | ||||
13 | Connersville | IN | 1870 | city | Holly | Holly | 1870 |
2 | 1 |
Water rotary pumps, Quadruplex added later | |||
14 | Ironton | OH | 1872 | City | Holly | Coverdale & weir | 2 |
1 | Steam Holly gang pump and 2 rotary pumps | ||||
15 | Dayton | OH | 1870 | City | Wm C Weir | 1 | 1 | 1 | Steam Holly Gang pump | ||||
16 | Covington | KY | 1871 | City | Wm C Weir, holly | 1 | 2 | 2 |
4 |
Holly Gang Pump with 12 pistons | |||
17 | Columbus | OH | 1871 | City | J. L. Pillsbury | 2 | 1 | Holly Rotary and Gang Pumps | |||||
18 | Indianapolis | IN | 1871 | Water Works Company of Indianapolis | James O Woodruff | 1 | Holly Gang Pump | ||||||
19 | Jackson | MI | 1870 | Jackson City Water Company | Holly | 1 | 1 | Steam rotary and piston, bought by city in 1871. | |||||
20 | Norwalk | OH | 1871 | City of Norwalk | Holly | Holly | 1 |
1 | Steam Holly Rotary and Gang Pumps, replaced with Worthington in 1878 | ||||
21 | Buffalo | NY | 1871 | City of Buffalo | 2 | 1 | Water & Steam gang pump | ||||||
22 | Saratoga Springs | NY | 1871 | Village | Gaskill | Holly | 2 |
1 | 2 |
Steam Holly Gang Pumps | |||
23 | Cumberland | MD | 1871 | City | Holly | Holly | 1 | Steam Holly Gang Pumps | |||||
24 | Evansville | IN | 1872 | City | Holly, Weir | Holly | 1872 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
Steam Holly gang and rotary pumps, Gaskill pump added in 1880. |
||
25 | La Porte | IN | 1871 | City | Holly | Holly | 1871 |
2 |
1 | Holly Steam Gang Pump and 2 rotary pumps | |||
26 | Columbus | IN | 1871 | City | Holly | 1871 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
||||
33 | Schenectady | NY | 1872 | Schenectady water co | 1 | Steam Holly Gang Pump | |||||||
Dubuque | IA | Contract awarded, but elevated source of water found. |
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28 | Syracuse | NY | 1871 | Syracuse Water Co. | 1 | Holly engine for sale ENR 1877 4:167 | |||||||
29 | Portsmouth | OH | 1872 | City | W.C. Weir | 3 |
1 | Steam Hollly Gang and rotary pumps | |||||
30 | Denver | CO | 1872 | Denver Water Company | 1 | Steam Holly gang pump | |||||||
31 | Potsdam | NY | 1871 | Village | Galen W Pearsons | 2 | Water | ||||||
Blue Rapids | KS | 1871 | Carlos E. Olmstead | 1 | Homemade system, first pump was in a boxcar during the Chicago fire and destroyed. | ||||||||
32 | Allegan | MI | 1872 | Village | Phelps | 2 | Water, replaced by Walker pumps around 1885 | ||||||
Plainwell | MI | 1872 | Village | 1 | Replaced by Walker pumps in 1885. | ||||||||
33 | Des Moines | IA | 1872 | Des Moines Water Co | 2 |
1 |
Steam | ||||||
34 | Big Rapids | MI | 1872 | City | 1 | Steam Holly gang pump | |||||||
35 | Youngstown | OH | 1872 | City | Holly | 2 |
1 | Holly rotary and gang pumps | |||||
36 | Mansfield | OH | 1872 | City | Holly | Holly | 2 |
1 | Steam rotary and gang pump | ||||
37 | Dunkirk | NY | 1872 | village | Holly | 2 |
1 | Steam First quadruplex | |||||
38 | Sedalia | MO | 1872 | CIty | 2 |
1 | Steam Holly gang pump | ||||||
39 | Memphis | TN | 1873 | Memphis Water Co. | A R Ketchum | Galen W Pearsons | 1 | Holly gang pump | |||||
40 | Decatur | IL | 1872 | Town | Kinsley & Mahler | Dodson & Holmes | 1 | ||||||
41 | Bay City | MI | 1872 | City | George C. Morgan | 2 |
1 |
1 |
Steam | ||||
42 | Rock Island | IL | 1872 | City | Holly | 2 |
1 | 1 |
1 |
Holly gang pump, Quadruplex added in 1882; Gaskill added in 1892 | |||
South Bend | IN | 1873 | Water commissioners contracted for Holly system, but voters chose a standpipe. | ||||||||||
43 | Saginaw City | MI | 1873 | City | Holly | 2 |
1 |
1 |
Steam | ||||
44 | East Saginaw | MI | 1873 | City | Holly | 1 |
2 |
1 |
Steam, second Quadruplex added in 1883; Gaskill pump ordered in 1889 | ||||
45 | Danville | PA | 1872 | Borough | Holly | O H Ostrander | 2 |
1 |
Steam rotary and gang pumps | ||||
46 | Titusville | PA | 1873 | City | M E Bassett | Steam | |||||||
47 | Sacramento | CA | 1873 | City | 2 | 2 | |||||||
48 | Norfolk | VA | 1873 | City | Steam | ||||||||
49 | Rochester | NY | 1874 | City | |||||||||
50 | Martinsburg | WV | 1874 | City | Water and steam | ||||||||
51 | Port Huron | MI | 1873 | City | Wm M Avery | 1 |
2 |
Steam | |||||
52 | Sidney | OH | 1873 | Village of Sidney | T R Scowden | 2 |
Holly rotary pumps water driven | ||||||
53 | Long Island City | NY | 1875 | City | Wm. M. Worthen | Steam | |||||||
54 | Town of Lake and Village of Hyde Park | IL | 1874 | Town | J. T. Foster |
1 |
Steam. Pumping plant was jointly owned be the Town of Lake and Village of Hyde Park. Hyde Park built its own pumping station in 1882 and both were annexed to Chicago in 1889. | ||||||
55 | Flushing | NY | 1874 | Village | |||||||||
56 | Kansas City | MO | 1875 | National Water Works Co. | Galen W Pearsons KC | ||||||||
57 | Litchfield | IL | 1874 | Town | 1 |
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58 | Pueblo | CO | 1874 | City | Galen W. Pearsons | ||||||||
57 | Atlanta | GA | 1875 | City | A R Ketchum | Jno A Grant | |||||||
60 | Middletown | OH | 1875 | Town | Holly | 1 |
Water-driven Quadruplex | ||||||
61 | Evanston | IL | 1875 | Town | Holly | Holly | 1 |
Steam-driven Quadruplex |
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62 | Rockford | IL | 1875 | City | Holly | 2 |
2 |
Steam |
|||||
63 |
Beaver Falls | PA | 1873 | Beaver Falls Water Co | Jno Reeves & H Rice | J W Ramsey | Holly water | ||||||
64 | Bangor | ME | 1876 | city | FH Eaton, Galen W. Pearsons | holly | |||||||
65 | Suspension Bridge | NY | 1876 | Municipal | Holly | C. F. Shelley | |||||||
66 | Garden City | NY | 1876 | A.T. Stewart's estate | W. R. Hinsdale | Henry Lewis, Flushing | |||||||
67 | Taunton | MA | 1876 | City | George H Bishop | Holly | Steam | ||||||
68 | Urbana | OH | 1878 | Urbana Water-Works Co | Holly | 1 |
1 |
Steam Quadruplex | |||||
69 | Burlington | IA | 1878 | Burlington water company | T N Boutelle | Holly, Russell & Alexander pipes | Holly | ||||||
70 | Keokuk | IA | 1878 | Keokuk water works co | W C Stripe | T. Cowell | 1 |
Steam | |||||
Omaha | NE | ||||||||||||
71 | Golden | CO | 1879 | Municipal | Russell & Alexander | Holly | |||||||
72 | Tiffin | OH | 1879 | Tiffin Water-Works Co. | S. L. Wiley | Wiley Construction Company | 1 |
2 |
Steam and water power |
||||
73 | Owensboro | KY | 1879 | Ownsboro Water Co | Steam | ||||||||
74 | Alpena | MI | 1879 | Alpena City Water Co. | Water | ||||||||
Lyons | MI | 1879 | Village | Holly pump used for fire protection | |||||||||
75 | Emporia | KS | 1880 | City | 1 |
1 |
Steam | ||||||
76 | Oskaloosa | IA | 1880 | Oskaloosa Water Co. | T E Cowell | Steam | |||||||
Fort Wayne | IN | 1880 | City | J D Cook | 1 | Primarily a direct pressure Holly system with a reservoir for backup. A Holly triple-expansion engine was added in 1891. | |||||||
St. Louis | MI | 1880 | Village | Jno T Noble | M. Walker | 2 holly, 1 walker | |||||||
77 | Fargo | ND | 1880 | Fargo Water & Steam Company | Holly, T. Cowell pipes | Holly |
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78 |
Silver City/Cliff | CO | 1881 | ||||||||||
79 | Far Rockaway | NY | 1881 | Holly | |||||||||
80 | Kenton | OH | 1882 | Kenton Water Works Co. | Holly, Truman Cowell | ||||||||
81 | Salem | NJ | 1882 | City | Isaac S. Cassin | Holly | Holly | ||||||
82 | Abilene | KS | 1882 | Abilene Water and Electric Light Company | C Orton | Holly | |||||||
83 | Milford | MA | 1882 | Milford water co | Moses Joy Jr | Geo B Inman NYC | Holly | ||||||
84 | Topeka | KS | 1882 | Topeka Water-supply Co. | Russell & Alexander | Holly | |||||||
85 | Jamestown | NY | 1882 | Jamestown Water Supply Co. | Holly | Holly | Holly | ||||||
86 | Dover | DE | 1882 | Town | Isaac S. Cassin | Holly | |||||||
Bluffton | IN | 1882 | Town | Holly | |||||||||
87 | Atlantic | IA | 1882 | Atlantic City Water Co | T Cowell | Denison & Cowell | Holly | ||||||
88 | East Orange | NJ | 1882 | Orange Water Co. | Holly | ||||||||
89 | Austin | TX | 1882 | Austin City Water Co. | M. C. Orton | ||||||||
90 | Fort Worth | TX | 1883 | Forth Worth Water Works Co. | M. C. Orton | Drake & Orton | |||||||
91 | Iowa City | IA | 1883 | Iowa City Water Co | T. Cowell | T. Cowell | |||||||
Racine | WI | Franchise received in 1883, but system not built |
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92 | Fort Collins | CO | 1883 | Municipal | H. P. Handy | Russell & Alexander | Holly water | ||||||
93 | Salina | KS | 1883 | Salina Water Works Co | Orton, Drake & Bonebrake | Holly | |||||||
94 | Adrian | MI | 1883 | Adrian Michigan Water-Works Co | S. L. Wiley | Holly | |||||||
Chase | MI | 1883 | Town | Wm Yates | Holly | ||||||||
95 | Flint | MI | 1883 | Flint city Water-Works Co | Holly | Holly | Holly | ||||||
96 | Manistee | MI | 1883 | Manistee Water Co | Holly | holly | |||||||
97 | West Bay City | MI | 1883 | City | Holly | ||||||||
98 | Oshkosh | WI | 1884 | Oshkosh Water Co. | Holly | Holly | |||||||
99 | Spokane Falls | WA | 1884 | Spokane Falls Water Works Assn | R. A. Jones | Philip Buehner | Holly | ||||||
100 | Olathe | KS | 1884 | Olathe Water Works ? | Galen W Pearsons; D. W. Pike | Holly | |||||||
Roanoke | VA | 1884 | Roanoke Water Co | Howard Murphy | holly (plant) | Holly reservoir & DP | |||||||
101 | Gainesville | TX | 1884 | Gainesville Water Co | Holly | ||||||||
102 | Lexington | KY | 1885 | Lexington Hydraulic & Mfg Co | J D Cook | S A Charles | Holly | ||||||
103 | Ashland | WI | 1885 | Ashland Water co | Holly | Holly | |||||||
Sioux City | IA | 1885 | City | W. C. Stripe; Elliott | Holly reservoir & DP | ||||||||
104 | Clay Centre | KS | 1885 | Clay Centre Water Co. | Drake & Orton | Drake & Orton | Holly | ||||||
105 | Tacoma | WA | 1885 | Tacoma Light & Water Co. | Holly water | ||||||||
106 | Wausau | WI | 1885 | City | W. R. Coats | Holly | Holly | ||||||
107 | Valparaiso | IN | 1885 | Valparaiso City Water Co | Holly | ||||||||
108 | Carrollton | MO | 1885 | Carrollton Water-Works Co. | Holly | ||||||||
109 | Vineland | NJ | 1885 | Chas J. Leighley | Holly tank | ||||||||
110 | Tampa | FL | 1885 | ||||||||||
111 | Fond du Lac | WI | 1886 | Fond Du Lac Water Co | Holly | ||||||||
Asbury Park | NJ | 1886 | village | Isaac S. Cassin | Holly standpipe | ||||||||
112 | Richmond | IN | 1886 | Richmond City Water-works Co | S. L. Wiley | Wiley Const co | Holly | ||||||
113 | Hutchinson | KS | 1886 | Water Light & Telephone Co | Drake & Orton | Drake & Orton | |||||||
114 | Beatrice | NE | 1886 | City | Holly | Holly | |||||||
115 | Tonawanda | NY | 1887 | Tonawanda City Water-Works Co. | Geo P. Smith | B. F Betts | Holly | ||||||
116 | Lima | OH | 1887 | Municipal | J. D. Cook | Holly | |||||||
117 | Pulaski | NY | 1887 | Village | E D Smalley | G. W. White | Holly |
© 2018 Morris A. Pierce