Croton Aqueduct
Old Croton Aqueduct | |
New York City, New York | |
Built | 1837–1842 |
---|---|
Architect | John B. Jervis; David Douglass; James Renwick Jr. |
NRHP reference No. | 74001324 |
NYSRHP No. | 11912.000082 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | December 2, 1974[1] |
Designated NHL | April 27, 1992[2] |
Designated NYSRHP | June 23, 1980 |
The Croton Aqueduct or Old Croton Aqueduct was a large and complex
Background
The island of Manhattan, surrounded by
The unsanitary conditions caused an increase in disease. Epidemics of yellow fever ravaged the city. A polluted aquifer, overcrowded housing, the lack of sewers, public ignorance of basic sanitary conditions, and the existence of polluting industries near wells and residential areas contributed to an unprecedented mortality rate of 2.6% (1 death per 39 inhabitants) in 1830. Then in 1832 cholera first reached New York in the deadliest epidemic to that date. The need for a new supply of fresh water was crucial.
Construction
In March 1833, Major
The
From the Receiving Reservoir, water flowed down to the
The aqueduct opened to public use with great fanfare on October 14, 1842. The day-long celebration culminated in a fountain of water that spouted to a height of 50 feet (15 m) from the beautifully decorated cast iron Croton Fountain in
Impact on the city
Water started flowing through the aqueduct on June 22, 1842, taking 22 hours for gravity to take the water the 41 miles (66 km) (at a velocity of 1.86 miles per hour [2.99 km/h; 2.73 ft/s]) to reach Manhattan.[7] Even though only 6,175 houses had been connected to the system by 1844, the Croton water had already dramatically improved both domestic hygiene and interior design. Baths and running water were being built in the private homes of wealthy New Yorkers, and public bathing facilities were constructed for the masses. The water system had another inadvertent consequence. The decline in the number of residents drawing water from the city's wells resulted in a rise in the water table, which flooded many cellars. To address this problem, the city built sewers in many residential streets. By 1852, 148 miles (238 km) of sewers had already been constructed.
About this time the German cockroach attracted attention and was called the "Croton bug" in the mistaken belief that the aqueduct brought the insects into the homes being connected to the new water supply system.[9]
Despite its size, the capacity of the Old Croton Aqueduct could not keep up with the growth of New York City, and construction on a
Old Croton Trail
Old Croton Trail | |
---|---|
Length | 26.2 mi (42.2 km) |
Location | Lyndhurst |
Hazards | Poison ivy, falling off sides due to steep cliffs, large number of people, slow bikers and walkers impeding faster bikers and runners' ability to pass, people not paying attention. |
The Old Croton Trail extends for 26.2 miles (42.2 km) in
Both the trail and the tunnel are part of the Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park,
The trail runs roughly parallel to
Heading southbound into downtown Yonkers, the trail goes on-street at Bishop William J. Walls Place and N. Broadway, where it follows the sidewalk on N. Broadway for one block, and then makes a left onto Ashburton Avenue going east. At Palisades Avenue, it makes a right and the trail bed restarts.
Remnants of the aqueduct still exist and can be seen along the trail, including 21 stone ventilators, three stone weirs (chambers which were used to empty the aqueduct for maintenance), and one "Keeper's House" located in
The interior of the Old Croton Aqueduct has been explored and documented by The LTV Squad, Miru Kim and historian Steve Duncan.[17]
Gallery
-
"Shutting off the Croton", from Harper's Weekly (November 12, 1881)
-
A weir in Sleepy Hollow. The weir chambers were used to empty the aqueduct for maintenance by diverting the waters to a nearby waterway. The line could be emptied in two hours.[18]
-
Croton Walk, south of Kingsbridge Road,Bronx
-
119th Street gatehouse, Manhattan
-
1857 Keeper's House in Dobbs Ferry; open to the public.
-
Inside the Old Croton Aqueduct at the weir inOssining
-
A section of aqueduct inside a viaduct with hydraulic cement lining
-
A section of aqueduct with brick walls and exposed ceiling
-
A gate at Ossining Weir to close the aqueduct off for maintenance
-
A valve at Ossining Weir to redirect water out of the aqueduct
-
Ventilator No. 16, Irvington, New York (May 2005)
-
135th St Croton Aqueduct Gatehouse in New York City is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
See also
- Croton Aqueduct Gate House
- List of National Historic Landmarks in New York
- National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Westchester County, New York
- National Register of Historic Places listings in southern Westchester County, New York
- New York City water supply system
Notes
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ a b "Croton Aqueduct (Old)". National Park Service. National Historic Landmark summary listing. September 17, 2007. Archived from the original on August 13, 2014.
- U.S. National Archives. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ISBN 0-195-11634-8. pp. 360, 362, 589
- New York City Parks Department, Storch Associates. 1986. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
- ^ A Trail through History (Old Croton Aqueduct Staste Park brochure).
- ^ a b c "Old Croton Aqueduct Trail". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
- ^ "Great Lawn". Central Park Conservancy. Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
- ^ Cockroach insect information & pictures. Retrieved November 29, 2006.
- ^ "An Engineering Marvel". Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct. January 15, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ "Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
- ^ "History of the Aqueduct Trail". Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
- ^ "Old Croton Aqueduct Trail Map" (PDF). New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
- ^ "DEP Donates Century-Old Valve Actuator from New Croton Dam for Permanent Display at Education Center". New York City Department of Environmental Protection. December 9, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
- ^ Lange, Robie S. (October 1991). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Croton Aqueduct". National Park Service.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) and Accompanying 20 photos and drawings, from 1978 and 1843. (6.95 MB) - ^ "Croton Water Supply System". ASCE Metropolitan Section. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
- ^ Gibberd, Ben (July 29, 2009). "Children of Darkness". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
- ^ Descriptive display at the weir chamber in Ossining, New York in the Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park. Accessed: September 6, 2010
References
- Chazin, Daniel D., ed. (2005). New York Walk Book (7th ed.). New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. ISBN 978-1-880775-30-1.
- ISBN 0-691-01139-7.
- Rappole, George H. (1978). "The Old Croton Aqueduct". JSTOR 40967954.
External links
- NYC GOV Water System History
- NYC GOV New York City's Water Story [1] Archived 2018-12-02 at the Wayback Machine
- "How a Massive Public Works Project Saved a Parched New York," by SAM ROBERTS, New York Times, December 4, 2017
- Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park
- Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct
- NYC Segment according to the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
- ASCE History and Heritage of Civil Engineering - Croton Water Supply System
- "Croton Aqueduct" in 1902 Encyclopedia
- "The New Croton Aqueduct New York" Scientific American (1890-07-12)
- John B. Jervis Drawings Collection of the Jervis Public Library on New York Heritage Digital Collections
- Account of the New York Guard protection of the aqueduct in World War I Archived November 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- HAER No. NY-120, "Old Croton Aqueduct, New York, New York County, NY", 53 photos, 1 measured drawing, 185 data pages, 7 photo caption pages
- HAER No. NY-119, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Harlem River Crossing, Spanning Harlem River, Bronx, Bronx County, NY", 13 photos, 2 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. NY-117, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Quarry Railroad Bridge, Aqueduct Lane at Williams Street, Hastings-on-Hudson, Westchester County, NY", 3 photos, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NY-110, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Sing Sing Kill Bridge, Spanning Aqueduct Street & Broadway, Ossining, Westchester County, NY", 18 photos, 4 measured drawings, 2 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. NY-112, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Mill River Culvert, U.S. Route 9 at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Tarrytown, Westchester County, NY", 7 photos, 1 color transparency, 3 measured drawings, 3 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. NY-113, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Mill River Waste Weir, U.S. Route 9 at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Tarrytown, Westchester County, NY", 5 photos, 3 measured drawings, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NY-114, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Jewels Brook Culvert, Spanning Station Road, Irvington, Westchester County, NY", 8 photos, 4 measured drawings, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NY-115, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Overseer's House, Walnut Street, Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County, NY", 2 measured drawings
- HAER No. NY-116, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Maintenance Building, Walnut Street, Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County, NY", 1 measured drawing
- HAER No. NY-118, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Saw Mill River Culvert, Spanning Nepperhan Avenue, Yonkers, Westchester County, NY", 19 photos, 3 measured drawings, 5 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. NY-207, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Ventilator No. 10, North of Scarborough Road, Briarcliff Manor, Westchester County, NY", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NY-208, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Ventilator No. 18, South of Main Street, Irvington, Westchester County, NY", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NY-111, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Ventilator No. 9, Spring & Everett Streets, Ossining, Westchester County, NY", 1 photo, 1 color transparency, 1 measured drawing, 3 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. NY-109, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Northern Waste Weir, Snowden Avenue & Van Wick Street, Ossining, Westchester County, NY", 4 photos, 2 measured drawings, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NY-108, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Indian Creek Culvert, Reservoir & Quaker Bridge Roads, Crotonville, Ossining, Westchester County, NY", 5 photos, 3 measured drawings, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NY-107, "Old Croton Aqueduct, Entrance Entablature, New Croton Reservoir, Yorktown Heights, Westchester County, NY", 1 photo, 1 measured drawing, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NY-132, "New Croton Dam & Reservoir, Croton River, Croton-on-Hudson, Westchester County, NY", 22 photos, 7 color transparencies, 3 data pages, 3 photo caption pages