Hamilton Waterworks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hamilton Waterworks |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Victorian |
| Town or city | Hamilton, Ontario |
| Country | Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°15′22.45″N 79°46′14.51″W / 43.2562361°N 79.7706972°W |
| Opened | 1859 |
| Design and construction | |
| Main contractor | George Worthington |
| Official name: Hamilton Waterworks National Historic Site of Canada | |
| Designated: | 17 November 1977 |
The Hamilton Waterworks is a really old and important building in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It's also known as the Hamilton Waterworks Pumping Station. This place is a National Historic Site of Canada because it's a special example of a water works building from the Victorian era. It's amazing because it still looks and works much like it did when it was first built! Today, it's home to the Museum of Steam and Technology, where you can learn all about how steam power helped pump water.
Building the Waterworks started in 1856. A local stonemason named George Worthington was in charge of the work. It was finished by 1859. A very important person, Edward VII, who was then the Prince of Wales, officially opened it on September 18, 1860. This happened during his two-month royal visit to Canada. The Hamilton Waterworks became a protected heritage site on November 17, 1977. It was officially listed as a National Historic Site of Canada on June 12, 2007.
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Why Hamilton Needed Clean Water
Back in 1833, Hamilton only had five wells for its water. This wasn't enough for a growing city. In 1853, a report suggested using Ancaster Creek for water. This would avoid needing pumps or using water from Burlington Bay, which might have been dirty. But this idea wasn't chosen.
In September 1854, the city held a contest. They wanted someone to design a public water system for 40,000 people. This was four times the city's population at the time! They offered £100 as a prize. This urgent need for clean water came after a terrible cholera outbreak. In the summer of 1854, 552 people in the city died from cholera.
Choosing the Best Water System Design
A smart engineer named Thomas Keefer was hired to look at all the designs. On December 23, 1854, he announced that American engineer Samuel McElroy had the winning plan. His design included a pumping station and a reservoir (a place to store water).
However, the city council decided not to build McElroy's station. Thomas Keefer had pointed out some "peculiar" things about the water from Burlington Bay. So, in January 1857, the Hamilton City Council chose Keefer himself to be the main engineer. His job was to build a public water system that would get water from Lake Ontario.
Once clean water was available, a beautiful fountain was put in Gore Park. It was there to remind everyone in the city about the fresh, pure water they now had.
What the Waterworks Looks Like
The Hamilton Waterworks is next to Globe Park. The Queen Elizabeth Way is to its east, and Woodward Avenue is to its west. The site has several important parts:
- The pump house used steam to push water about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from Lake Ontario. The water went up to a reservoir above the Niagara Escarpment.
- The boiler house made the steam needed for the pumps.
- The chimney let out the smoke from the boilers.
- The woodshed stored the fuel, which was first wood and later coal.
Once the water reached the reservoir, it flowed by gravity through pipes to homes and buildings in the city.
Inside the Pump House
The pump house building has an Italianate style. Inside, you can still see the original machines, floors, and railings. Two huge steam engines, called Woolf Compound Engines, were first installed. Each one was a powerful rotative beam engine that made 100 hp. They were built in Dundas. Each engine weighed a massive 90 tons and was 14 meters (46 feet) tall! A huge stone structure was built around each engine to support it. One of these amazing steam engines still works today, but now it's powered by an electric motor.
The Tall Chimney
The chimney is 150 feet (46 meters) tall. It's made of brick and sits on a large stone base. This base uses two kinds of stone. One is a yellow-brown Eramosa dolomite, and the other is a grey Whirlpool cross-bedding and laminated sandstone. Both types of stone were dug up at Stoney Creek.
A National Historic Site
On November 17, 1977, the Hamilton Waterworks was officially named a National Historic Site of Canada. This means it's a very important place in Canadian history. The site includes more than just the original pumping station. It also has:
- The boilerhouse, chimney, and a shed, all built in 1859.
- A second shed built in 1910 by George Worthington, which has another steam pump.
- A pumphouse built in 1913.
- A carpenter shed built in 1915.
- Various valves and valve chambers that were put in throughout the 1900s.
Waterworks in Pop Culture
The outside of the Hamilton Waterworks building has even been on TV! It was used as the setting for the Toronto morgue in the television show Murdoch Mysteries.
