The Old Stand Pipe

During the 1890s, McHenry saw a substantial boost to its population, due to business and farming doing so well. While this was very much a positive, basic needs had to be met for the citizenry, including fresh water for the town and setting up hydrants for fighting fires. While not a problem yet, by the summer of 1897, the city board decided to take it upon themselves to start looking into having a new water system built for McHenry. A central part of the water system would located at the city hall and the other, a large stand pipe, the would hold the water. There were several things that needed to be decided, but the two of the biggest questions were: where to put the pipe and who would construct it. The city council knew time was on their side and held bids from different companies to see who would build the stand pipe. Each company would have five minutes to describe where they would build the water system and what type of materials they would use.

The winning bid was provided by H.A. Keith & Co. from Chicago at a price of $21,662 in August 1897. To pay for the project, the board proposed a tax that would spread out over a 10 year period. When it came to deciding where the pipe would go, the city chose an area north of city hall. They paid C.H. Parks $425 for a small parcel of his land on the corner of Waukegan and 4th Street. (The area is now Walsh Park.) During the first week of September, H.A. Keith and his crew started digging the well for the structure. Initially the well was 12 feet deep and showed plenty of prospects of being a great water source. The foundation had been laid and the iron walls were steadily going up. During the last part of the month there was a bit of a scare. Construction was hoped to be finished by the end of the year. Word had spread that there was a fire at the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., which is where the Keith Co. was storing their iron for the stand pipe and all the material had been destroyed. This was only partially true, there was a fire at the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., but the Keith Co.’s iron was being processed at the time and was completely safe.

The Keith Company did run into trouble though as at about 16 feet down, they weren’t getting enough water needed, and the City Board hired the Geo. H. Spaulding Co., out of Ringwood dig down until a sufficient water supply could be found. Using an 8-inch pipe, they struck a rich vein of water at about 64 feet down below the stand pipe. When finished, the pipe would produce 60,000 gallons of water a day and hold 105,000 gallons total. The water coming from the vein was reported as being crystal clear and delightfully cold. When finished in November, the stand pipe would stand over 110 feet tall and 16 feet in diameter with a 20-foot wide base. Initially, there wasn’t a top put on it occasionally causing the pipe to overflow, sometimes this was intentional, sometimes it wasn’t. The stand pipe would be a local landmark for years. Standing at over 90 feet and with the name “McHenry” painted on it in very large letters, people could see it for miles as they entered that city. However, by 1971 the pipe was an image of a bygone era. City administers deemed it dangerous, unsightly and no longer serving a purpose. In September 1971, just before its 74th anniversary, the stand pipe was torn down, cut up and sold for scrap.  

Sources

• “Iron For The Stand Pipe” The McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL) News. 8 Dec 1897, 5. Newspapers.com. Web. 29 Jan 2020.
• “The Mains For The Water Works” The McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL) News. 24 Nov 1897, 5. Newspapers.com. Web. 29 Jan 2020.
• “Flowing Well” The McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL) News. 27 Oct 1897, 5. Newspapers.com. Web. 28 Jan 2020.
• “The Water Works” The McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL) News. 15 Sep 1897, 5. Newspapers.com. Web. 28 Jan 2020.
• “The Contractors Have Sunk…” The McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL) News. 20 Oct 1897, 5. Newspapers.com. Web. 28 Jan 2020.
• “Work On The Water Works System” The McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL) News. 8 Sep 1897, 5. Newspapers.com. Web. 26 Jan 2020.
• “The Water Works” The McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL) News. 4 Aug 1897, 5. Newspapers.com. Web. 26 Jan 2020.
• “The Water Works” The McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL) News. 25 Aug 1897, 5. Newspapers.com. Web. 28 Jan 2020.
• “Vote New City Lights” The McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL) News. 11 Jun 1971, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 27 Jan 2020.
• “Death Of A McHenry Landmark” The McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL) News. 24 Sep 1971, 14. Newspapers.com. Web. 27 Jan 2020.