Bedminster Water Main Break 1948

Next time you visit THSSH headquarters at the Brick Academy in Basking Ridge, NJ, stop outside to view the old hand water pump.  The pump, which dates to the 19th century, belonged to Dr. Frank L. Field (1870-1962) and helped Bedminster village survive a water crisis.

On April 26, 1948, a river cleanup crew severed the water main of the Gravity Water Supply Company, the local utility, at the Raritan River Bridge (now U.S. Route 202).  The damage cut off all water to Bedminster village for 26 hours.  A crew from H.W. Alward Construction in Bernardsville worked throughout the night to repair the six-inch main.  The crew constructed a coffer dam to reach the pipe which was buried a foot under the riverbed.    

During the cutoff,  Dr. Field allowed 115 families to use his private well as did Raymond Shapley and Mrs. Edward Osbourne.  Bottled drinking water was also provided from a natural spring on the Ladd estate in Peapack.