FOREWORD
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.
The Publications Committee
Beaver Area Heritage Foundation
1972