The Beaver Area Heritage Foundation in presenting
this short history of the water supply of the Borough of Beaver
considers the subject to be an inseparable part of the history
of Beaver. It is a living history that has been developing and
unfolding to the present time and is certain to continue into
the future as well. The water supply has been the lifeline of
the town, not something that happened once. It is a link that
connects the present with the past. Certainly it is not a static
event that is being described here but a substance that has been
a vital part of the life of the town continously from 1802 to
the present.
This is neither an exhaustive history of
this most important subject nor a scientific appraisal. It is
a simple narrative concerning the water supply of Beaver Borough,
the system in terms of human effort, the investment that it represents
and the critical role that it plays in our life.
History encompasses not only what has happened,
but also what is happening in our life daily. To this extent the
Beaver Area Heritage Foundation is very much interested in our
water supply problems. It is local history, pure and simple.
The effort to restore the reservoir still standing on the "Water
Lot" at Wayne and Fifth Streets and to beautify the surrounding
area is consistent with the interest of the Foundation in the
history of the Beaver Area. That reservoir is the last monument
and visible evidence still remaining from the original gravity
supplied water system used by our forefathers. Very few such structures
are still standing in Western Pennsylvania to remind us of that
distant past.
We would welcome letters of additional information or correction of dates, names, events or locations.