By 1890 Worcester was one of the fastest-growing industrial cities in New England, and its municipal water system was one of the infrastructure projects that made that growth possible. The city had built its waterworks in the 1850s drawing from Lynde Brook Reservoir, and by the late 1880s the Water Department was actively metering service connections, sending labor crews to install and service meters across the city. William Sumner Barton, City Treasurer from his offices at No. 12 City Hall, handled the billing side of that infrastructure, dispatching notice cards like this one the moment a Water Department account came due.
Worcester\'s water infrastructure in this period was a matter of civic pride and public health debate. Cities across Massachusetts were racing to extend metered water service as a hedge against the typhoid and cholera outbreaks that plagued unregulated systems.
Zoom in on photos as they are considered part of the description.
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