Fire, Disease, and the Pump House: What Had to Happen Before Fredericton Had Running Water

The problems and issues related to getting fire and disease under control were common to most communities across America, and they were solved much the same way. What were the motivations for getting a water supply? What were the options, the barriers? Who supported the idea and why? Where did the technology and materials come from?

This is the story of the little pump house at the bottom of Smythe Street in Fredericton and its connections to the past, to technology and invention, to Fredericton citizens and to the rest of the world. It includes the heroes of the time, especially the local ones.

This is part one of the history of Fredericton's water supply.