The Water Towers in Buchanan Park
Near this site stood two water towers that for approximately seventy years were part of Lancaster’s skyline. In the early twentieth century the Conestoga River was the sole source of public water in the city. As the west end grew, distance from the reservoir at the eastern end of the city resulted in insufficient water pressure in this neighborhood. At first the city constructed a reservoir in Buchanan Park, around the site of the wading pool, to increase water pressure, but when the reservoir failed the city built the two towers in 1925 and 1932, respectively. Franklin & Marshall students and townspeople alike referred to the older structure, with its pointed top, as George, and the younger tower, with is low dome, as Martha.
The water towers became obsolete when Lancaster began drawing its water supply from the Susquehanna River during the 1950s. Although some preservationists and nearby residents urged the city to preserve the towers as pieces of Lancaster’s history, when the cost of maintenance exceeded their value as scrap metal, the city chose to demolish the towers in 1996.
Second Marker : >
The City of Lancaster
and
Franklin & Marshall College
Gratefully recognize
Carolyn and Robert S. Wohlsen ‘50
whose generosity made possible
major improvements to Buchanan Park in 2003
including removal of the foundations
of the Water Towers.
Marker is on W Frederick Street, on the right when traveling east.
Courtesy hmdb.org
