Excavating Beekman - Area 1 - Archaeology Magazine Archive


Excavating Beekman	January 18, 2008
by Courtney Scott

Area 1. Wooden Water Mains (Beekman Street South between Water and Pearl Streets)

It was the discovery of the two sections of wooden water pipe that led to the archaeological monitoring of this phase of the Wall Street Water Mains Project. Found four feet beneath the surface the wooden pipe was evidence of the city's earliest water system.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, obtaining fresh drinking water was always a concern New York City. By the last quarter of the eighteenth century, the freshwater ponds had become polluted by local industry and the water from the shallow wells residents used was brackish. In 1789, the Manhattan (Water) Company was chartered by the New York State Assembly to address the problem by establishing a fee-based citywide water system.

The wooden water main at the beginning of archaeological monitoring (Chrysalis Archaeological Consultants)

The Company promised to provide "clean and wholesome" water to residents in the community, and their plan included digging a 25-foot-wide well at the corner of Reade and Center Streets. Water from the well would be distributed to customers via a system of hollowed-out yellow pine logs. The Manhattan Company chose wooden pipes over cast-iron to save money. They also used an antiquated pumping system powered, in part, by horses.

As a matter of policy, the Manhattan Company only provided enough water service to maintain its franchise. Efforts to develop and expand the water system were exceptionally slow, but the company had laid enough pipes to begin water delivery by 1801, the same year that the Chambers Street reservoir was completed.

Ultimately, the Manhattan Company's water venture failed as the system proved unreliable. Some customers endured days or weeks without the running water for which they were paying. Additionally, the wooden water pipes were prone to leaks and disturbance at the joints from tree roots. The system was insufficient to meet the demands of a growing population and complaints were frequent, among them objections to the water quality. Though the initial proposal called for bringing fresh water from the Bronx, "some wells have been dug in the filthiest corners of the town; a small quantity of water has been conveyed in wretched wooden pipes, now almost worn out, for family use; and in a manner scarcely, if at all, preferable to the former method of supplying water by the carts" (New York Evening Post, January 26, 1808). Some even blamed the frequency of stomach ailments in Manhattan on the poor water quality. One of the few benefits of the system was the relatively easy access to water in the event of fire. The pipes, laid at a relatively shallow depth, were provided with a means to quickly connect fire hoses if necessary.

The opening of the wooden pipe showing the iron joining ring or collar, left, and the wooden water pipe, right (Chrysalis Archaeological Consultants)

Excavation in the area of the exposed wooden water pipe continued with caution. The construction crew dug the area surrounding the entire length of the log before attempting to remove it.

Once it was fully exposed, the pipe was carefully lifted out by Judlau foreman Joe DeAngelis and his crew. A second log was found connected to the first. Both were part of a longer section of pipe composed of interlocking pieces. The two logs each measured approximately 14 feet in length with an average width of 9.5 inches and a hollowed-out core of 6 inches. One log had a conically shaped end that fit into the hollowed-out end of the other log and an iron collar that bound the two together.

Pearlware sherds (Chrysalis Archaeological Consultants)

From the area surrounding the water pipes, 226 objects were recovered including 155 pottery sherds. Among the pottery types were North American salt-glazed stoneware, decorated red wares, and transfer-printed pearlwares (1795-1840). The stoneware sherds represented typical storage vessels in a range of sizes and decoration. The red ware types included a black glazed teapot and local slipwares. Among the pearlwares were different forms of serving vessels including plates, cups, and bowls. Other remains included clam and oyster shells, glass liquor bottle fragments, animal bones, and pipe stems dating from 1700 to 1800. Among the liquor bottle pieces were both blown and two-piece molded forms dating from the eighteenth to the nineteenth centuries.

No intact stratigraphy was discovered in this area, making it difficult to associate these artifacts with the water mains or any other specific occurrence. Based upon the date range, it is possible that the artifacts were deposited before or during the installation of the main.

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