Water and Sewer Systems
1895-1963
(UA 17/17)
Size: 1 box
History:
One of the first things the college administrators needed to address when the college moved to Durham in 1893 was to secure an adequate supply of water for the college. A dam was built on Pettee brook creating a reservoir that was used for boilers, irrigation and fire fighting. Drinking water was carried from springs until artesian wells were drilled in 1910.
There was a typhoid fever outbreak in the winter of 1911-12. In the fall of 1914 the State Board of Health demanded that the college install a septic tank. In 1916, a new deep well was drilled to increase the water supply and a wooden tank, with a capacity of 6,000 gallons was erected on the knoll behind Nesmith Hall. A second, steel water tower was built in 1923. In 1935, a sewage disposal plant and a water supply system, including a new reservoir was finished with W. P. A. assistance.
Scope and Content:
This series contains several reports and contracts concerning the water and sewer systems for the college. (See also UA 8/5/1 Correspondence between Charles E. Hewitt and the Metcalf and Eddy Firm.)
| F. 1 | 1895 | A System of Water Works for the Town of Durham, NH, Thesis by Charles A. Trow |
| F. 2 | 1895 | A Sewage System for Durham, Thesis by Frank S. Adams |
| F. 3 | 1910 | Contract and Specifications for Sewers in Durham (Metcalf and Eddy) |
| F. 4 | 1914 | Report from Charles Pettee to Pres. Fairchild on College Sewer System |
| F. 5 | 1923 | Design and Specifications for a water tower (Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Co.) |
| F. 6 | 1934 | Contract and Specifications for water supply system from Oyster River (Weston and Sampson) |
Map Case B-5, Map of Sewerage System (Weston and Sampson) 1962 updated from original 1932 map