Schaefferstown Water Company
Heidelberg Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
One of North America's oldest documented public water systems. Alexander Schaeffer built a hotel on the square in 1744, and construction of the water system began shortly after. On July 16, 1763, he and his wife Anna Engle deeded this land--today Fountain Park--for the use of the inhabitants of Market Street. The present company was chartered in 1845 as successor to The Fountain Company of Heidelberg.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In 1744 Alexander Schaeffer built a hotel on the square of this Lebanon County village, and soon after began piping spring water into what became one of North America's oldest documented public water systems. In 1763 he and his wife Anna Engle deeded the land—today's Fountain Park—for the benefit of Market Street's inhabitants, an unusually civic-minded act for a colonial-era settlement. The present company carried the tradition forward when it was chartered in 1845.
Why it matters
This early gravity-fed water system shows how colonial Pennsylvania communities engineered shared public infrastructure long before modern municipal utilities existed.
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Related people
- · Alexander Schaeffer
- · Anna Engle
Themes & tags
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