Catalog of Manuscript Collections

Creator: New Haven Water Company Extent: ca. 4 ft. Description: The New Haven Water Company was incorporated in 1849 to meet the need for a greater supply of water for the growing city. Its first properties lay just north of the city and most were acquired from Eli Whitney (1820-95), who became involved in the development of the Company. Initially, the Mill River met the city's needs, but the Company took Lake Maltby and Lake Saltonstall as reserves to meet future needs. It absorbed the Fair Haven Water Company in 1875 and the Milford Water Company in 1900. In 1980, the New Haven Water Company was acquired by the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority, owned by the State of Connecticut. This collection consists primarily of letters from customers, most from 1923-1943. It also includes annual reports, account books, property deeds, legal and financial papers, maps, waterworks schedules, printed material, and other papers; as well as material on Eli Whitney, who helped construct the company's waterworks; diaries (1895-96) of the groundskeeper; and other papers relating to Lake Saltonstall. Additions include reports and legal documents pertaining to Water Company land, as well as material from the Historic American Engineering Record documenting the Lake Whitney Filtration Plant, Armory Street Pump House, and Lake Whitney Dam. Research Topics: Water in New Haven; development of infrastructure and natural resource management in New Haven; Eli Whitney, Jr.