Archival Services

Akron City Water Department, Photographs. 1917-1937. 1 cubic foot.

Reference Code:

Repository: University of Akron Archival Services

Title: The Akron City Water Department Photographs

Dates: 1917-1937

Extent: 1 cubic foot Number of Containers: 3 letter size document boxes

Creator: Akron City Water Department

Language: English

Access: Collection is open for research.

Finding Aid prepared by: Hamp Smith, 1982

Related Material:

Administrative History:

Akron's first water system was formed in 1881 by the Akron Water Works Company, a private firm which was given a long-term franchise to supply the city's water in 1894. The company drew its water from wells and Summit Lake, but Akron's rapid growth soon made these sources inadequate.

This situation was made worse by increasing industrial pollution of the company 's water supplies.

In 1907 a movement began for the creation of a city-owned water system. After several years of indecision, the city decided to buy out the Akron Water Works Company. But, a controversial valuation of the company's worth and heavy lobbying by company owners, who wanted to preserve their franchise, caused the defeat of a needed bond issue in 1910. Mayor William T. Sawyer and the city council then pursued the possibility of creating a completely new system. An engineering team's survey report recommended that Akron buy land and build a reservoir on the upper Cuyahoga River at a site just north of Kent. This would serve as the city's main water source with large pipelines running from the reservoir to Akron.

A continuing deterioration in water quality spurred Akron officials to pursue this plan. After successfully lobbying the state legislature for permission to build the reservoir, city council brought another bond issue up for public approval. In December of 1911, Akron voters passed

The issue authorizing $815,000 and over the next four years approved issues total ling over $2,000,000. These monies were used for the purchase of land and water rights as well as construction costs for the dam, purification and pumping faci1iti s and pipe lines. The system became operable in August 1915 with additional feeder mains being added i n the late teen's and the twenties. Ironically, Mayor Sawyer lost some of the credit due him for the project's success when the new reservoir was named for his successor, Frank Rockwell, who had also supported the new system.

Over the years Akron's water quality has been a positive factor in the city's growth. The Water Department, under the leadership of Wendell R. LaDue, has gained a nationwide reputation for innovation and efficiency.

Sources: Grismer, Akron and Summit County

Knepper, Akron City at the Summit

Wendell R. LaDue Papers

Scope and Content:

The photographic files of the Akron City Water Department were donated to The University of Akron American History Research Center in 1981. The files contain several hundred 3x5 prints which record Water Department construction activities from c.1917 to c.1937. While most of the photographs are technical in content they also include views of streets, neighborhoods and working conditions in early twentieth century Akron.

The photographs i n this collection were intended to serve as records of various Water Department projects from c.1917 to c.1937. These include major additions to the water purification plant, extensive pipeline and water main surveys and construction, as well as new water towers, standpipes, and pumping stations. While the photographs are basically technical in nature, they also include a great deal of incidental detail concerning Akron's streets and neighborhoods i n the early twentieth century.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged a1phabetically by subject and chronologically within each subject heading. Among the subject areas of particular interest are Streets, Machinery, and Employees. Streets are 1isted a1phabetically by name and include working class neighborhoods not often photographed, including views of houses, street conditions and local residents. The Employees group contains photographs of construction showing workers at their jobs. This series well illustrates working conditions from c. 1917 to c. 1931. The Machinery group includes detailed views of machines in operation. Most of the machines depicted are excavating machines, such as trenchers, or steam shovels. These photographs are arranged according to machine type and the date of the photograph.

In addition, there is a large group of photographs taken of construction projects which is arranged according to the type of construction and the date. The series shows' various stages of each project and details of construction techniques.

Other series include: photographs of the Cuyahoga River and its Watershed dams in the Akron area and Water Department,facilities such as pumping stations, standpipes and water towers. Finally, there is a group of negatives, arranged by subject, showing a number of activities not seen on the prints. The most notable of these is a series showing the construction of the Mogadore Dam taken in 1936.

Container List:

*This is a tentative identification