All About the History of Plumbing in the Buildings of the Northeast

Can you imagine your home without an indoor plumbing system? Indoor plumbing wasn’t feasible for most people until the mid­ 1850s. Plumbing systems have come a long way since then.

With the introduction of indoor plumbing, many health issues from contact with waste water and sewage were reduced, and the convenience of having running water in your home can’t be overstated.

Here’s an ode to the creation of indoor plumbing and the vital role it plays in our lives by taking a quick look at the plumbing history of America’s Northeast in the 1800s.

1840s: Looking for indoor plumbing? Go to a luxury hotel.

Before mass production was invented, the cost associated with having an indoor plumbing system was out of reach for all but the wealthiest families and luxury hotels. In 1829, the Tremont Hotel made waves for being the first hotel in America to have indoor plumbing. Water closets were installed indoors making this a truly luxurious amenity.

Can you imagine the bragging rights if you were the first house on the block to have your own water closet?

1842: The Croton Aqueduct Delivers Fresh Water

The Croton Aqueduct System of New York changed the way people lived their lives. Prior to the completion of the aqueduct, Manhattanites got their own water via well, cistern or a good old bucket at the nearest body of water. But what happens when all your water sources become polluted?

This was the dilemma facing Manhattan at this time. With the nearest body of water miles away, clean, available water was in short supply.

The Croton River supplied city dwellers with clean water delivered straight to their homes. The aqueduct was connected to the city’s water mains which also helped firefighters access readily available water during emergencies.

1850: Finally...indoor bathrooms become widely available.

Now that clean water could be delivered straight to your home, the only problem that needed to be solved was removing waste water and sewage. Luckily, an effective system was hatched and finessed between the years 1845 and 1850 to allow for the availability of indoor household bathrooms.

Understandably, people were excited for this development and quickly converted unused bedrooms into separate personal bathrooms. Homebuilders had to meet demand by designing all new houses with their own indoor bathrooms.

1870s: Pipes were made of wooden logs?

It may seem archaic that early plumbing systems used hollowed tree logs as pipes, but that’s the truth. Actually, many cities across America still had wooden pipes in use during the early 1900s. Luckily, metal piping was introduced shortly after World War I, however, metal wasn’t commonly used in plumbing systems until the 1960s.

We’ve come a long way!

For top­-notch residential and commercial plumbing services in Abingdon, MD, call our Plumb Crazy award-winning team at (410)­ 679-­7575 today.