A Piece Of Kitchen History Unearthed In Skowhegan
According to the KJ, workers in Skowhegan recently unearthed a 150+ year old piece of water main.
The wooden pipe is about four feet long, eight inches in diameter, and has a two inch hole in the end. According to Brent Dickey and Gary Cowan, from Skowhegan's pollution control plant, the pipe is most-likely from the 1850s. It is made of hemlock and was found about seven feet down (to keep it from freezing).
As most houses back then did not have indoor plumbing, the pipe probably ran to one spot in the house (the kitchen or pantry). Regardless, it was still a step up from having to run outside every time you needed water.