Near Morgantown in Monongalia County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Who Wants Clean Water?
The Story of the Tibbs Run Reservoir
| | West Virginia Botanic Garden at Tibbs Run Preserve | |
Photographed by Bradley Owen, September 26, 2026
1. Who Wants Clean Water? Marker
We all need water, but Morgantown area residents did not always have access to clean water. As you walk along the Reservoir Loop Trail, you'll see that this land played a very important role in providing clean water for Morgantown.
Water delivery at just 10 cents a barrel!
The Borough of Morgantown first discussed providing water to its residents in 1859, long before this was a reservoir. Sometime after May 1865, John Edwards started a water-hauling business. Water from the Monongahela River cost 10 cents a barrel, while water from Deckers Creek cost 15 cents a barrel. Edwards provided water until 1889, outlasting several attempts to establish water companies.
A call for "comfort and health in every home"
In 1885, the newly established Morgantown Improvement Company (MIC) proposed establishing a public water works system that would supply clean water via pipes to residents. There was a great deal of public support surrounding the effort. The Morgantown Weekly Post and New Dominion reported:
There would be "No danger of drinking nasty woolly water worms in Water Works water!"
"Our people will hereafter take pure water from the bowels of the earth, in preference to impure drainage from the bowels of humanity so to speak."
"A town that has been drinking and washing in the hardest kind of water for fifty or one hundred years is entitled to a change."The ladies were "a little fastidious about their houses, about their cooking, about their complexions-soft water [was] essential to all these things."
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A water works would increase property values "quite as much as a railroad," while bringing "comfort and health to every home."
But despite the enthusiastic support of residents, the 1885 effort to develop a water works failed. Of course, this is not the end of the story....
(Captions:)
Children sitting on Mr. Edwards' water wagon.
John Edwards supplied water to Morgantown residents for about 24 years.
Erected 2026 by West Virginia Botanic Garden.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Natural Resources. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1865.
Location. 39° 37.731′ N, 79° 52.002′ W. Marker is near Morgantown, West Virginia, in Monongalia County. It can be reached from Tyrone Road (County Route 75) 0.1 miles south of Quartz Drive, on the left when traveling south. Marker is located on the Reservoir Loop Trail at the West Virginia Botanic Garden. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address:
Photographed by Bradley Owen, September 26, 2026
2. Who Wants Clean Water? Marker
Regionally, this marker is in North Central West Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 351 Commercial Street: Blanche Lazzell's Provincetown Studio (here, next to this marker); A Small Dam and a Big "Bowl" Meet the Need for Clean Water (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Prehistoric Garden (about 500 feet away); Rooted in Monongalia County: Home as Inspiration (about 500 feet away); Strong Men and Horses Build the Basin (about 500 feet away); Clean Water Comes to Morgantown (about 600 feet away); The Tibbs Run Reservoir: Then a Water Source, Now a Local Treasure (about 800 feet away); Modernism and Mastery: Lazzell's Paris Influence & the White-Line Woodcut (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Morgantown.
Other markers no longer nearby. Who Wants Clean Water? (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Clean Water Comes To Morgantown (was about 600 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Remnants of the Past: The Dam and Outlet Tower (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced another at this location.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 29, 2026, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 29, 2026, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.
