Inspiring Innovation

Inspiring Innovation. The 1833 Water House. , By 1833 the Pleasant Hill Shakers had completed one of the earliest public waterworks west of the Allegheny Mountains. The Water House, one component of the water system, was built to store water pumped uphill from a spring one-half mile north of the Centre Family Dwelling., Shaker engineer Micajah Burnett was likely inspired by Cincinnati's 1821 public waterworks. While there are similarities between the two water systems, Brother Micajah adapted this technology to meet the needs of the Shaker community. This early engineering feat helped the Shakers live a healthy lifestyle by delivering clean water to the family dwellings. In addition to improving access to water, the system kept the community safe from many epidemics of the day., The water system was so successful that South Union, another Kentucky Shaker community, called upon Burnett in 1837 to help them establish their waterworks!, (Captions):, In order to stabilize the Water House during restoration efforts, much of the brick and mortar nogging and clapboarding on the north and south facades needed to be repaired. , c. 1960s, Background Image: The Shakers were constantly improving upon existing technology and infrastructure to meet their needs. The 1926 reproduction tank that sits inside the Water House is modeled after the last Shaker tank, completed in 1871. , c. 2010s, Water was pumped into this water tank using a horse-powered common force pump. When water started flowing in April, 1833, the Shakers noted that the horse could easily pump up twenty-four hours worth of water in only one hour, without any strain. , 1963 , Credit: HABS, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, "We shall not abandon the enterprise [until] we have our kitchen, wash house and every other place we [choose] supplied with good water.", - Joel Shields, September 23, 1832 Credit: Western Reserve Historical Society