McQueens Run Storm Sewer Beginnings

Here's a nifty bit of information that goes back to the beginnings of the storm sewer that the stream from McQueen's Run flows into and eventually empties into the pondage area at the lower end of town. Thanks to donations to the Wellsville Historical Society's River Museum we can now date the beginnings of that 107 year old storm sewer.

There were two different donations that made it possible to piece it all together. The first was the picture shown above. It was not dated but on the back it was noted that in this picture is long time Councilman C.V. Shoub & John Myers, the contractor. Shoub was a councilman from the late 1800s well into the 20th Century. At one time he had Wellsville's only soap factory near today's 6th & Commerce St. That later turned into a paint factory. Shoub is the man in the top coat & derby hat. Myers is believed to be the man to his right.

The location is near where today's on-ramp from Route 39 to Route 7 is located at Aten & Crawford. Recognize it?

The second donation that enabled Historical Society President Brassy Beresford to put a date on it was a yellowed, brittle copy of a Wellsville newspaper called 'The Daily Union' dated February 25, 1903. In that edition was an advertisement for bids "for the building of 70 feet of storm water sewer and changing the channel of McQueen's Run". That ad is also shown here. All bids had to be submitted by March 3 of that year.

It required that the work had to be completed by the first of July of 1903. Considering there wasn't any mechanical, motorized digging equipment in those days it was a pretty remarkable feat. All the work had to be done by hand, digging and moving an estimated 2,700 cubic yards of rock and dirt. We wonder if it was accomplished in time with the seven other men shown in the picture.

The storm sewer runs from there to Clark to 18th Street before turning into the pondage area and channelled to the river. It is unknown when the whole project was completed. Brassy tells us he can recall from his youth adventurous kids walking through it. Some of them made it all the way through and others would pop out of manholes along its route.

Now you know how and when that "storm water sewer" got started. It's a flashback in Wellsville's history, one of the many available through Wellsville's River Museum. You can right click on either the picture or the ad to enlarge.

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