Groveville's Water Supply

This is a photo, taken in 1947, this is Gary Lippincott (me) and my cousin and next door neighbor, Janice Rollings. This photo was taken in front of the water tower belonging to the Groveville Water Company, operated by George Rollings, Janice's Grandfather, Gary's Great grandfather, this was Groveville's water supply.

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The tower was located at the top of the hill at the edge of the woods across from the Groveville Elementary School, behind the Rollings home, which is no longer there.

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The four concrete pillars that supported the tower are still there on the property now owned by Chuck and Joann Elliott and located next to their house.

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My mother has told me the switch that controlled the pump that filled the tower was located in the Rollings house cellar. The pump would be turned on and allowed to fill the tower, there was no automatic switch. When the tower was full, someone would yell "The Tower is Full" as the water tower overflowed. Someone, would run to the cellar and pull the switch. Mom said not only was the cellar of the house "Scary", long, dark, & narrow, like a tunnel, but the switch you had to throw was a "Knife" Switch, she said like the kind in the horror movies, and when you threw the switch big sparks came from the switch.

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The tower, the pump, and the pump house were removed in the 1950's by Bob Heaton, long time Groveville resident, Groveville Fire Company member, who's business was tearing down buildings and salvage.

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The concrete reservoir still remains at the base of the hill on the edge of the swamp, still filled with water, the roof over the reservoir and the long wooden steps that extended from the base of the tower, down into the woods to the Reservoir and pump house are long gone also.