Little River Bridge. water works on left

Little River Bridge. water works on left

Little River bridge, view of the water works on left The bridge in this view is on the Atlantic Highway (U. S. Route 1) south of Belfast and crosses the Little River. Upstream of the bridges is the current location of the Belfast Waterworks and dam. On the far shore of the river downstream of the bridges east of the Little River Bridge and on the north side of the Little River outlet into Penobscot Bay was is the building which at one time was the residence thought to have been built in 1796 by James Nesmith. In more recent years it housed the Little River Inn. BELFAST WATER SYSTEM The Belfast Water District pumping station (building with hip roof on the left) at Little River supplies Belfast's municipal water system. The present water system was established in 1887 by Parks & Wheeler of Boston. In 1919 the company was taken over by the City and the Belfast Water District was established. Archie C. Hopkins, former superintendent of the Penobscot Bay Electric Co. is the superintendent and along with Leslie A. Payson and Morris L. Slugg are the trustees. Mr. John Walker was superintendent for over a year before it was taken over by the City in 1919. Then Mr. Hopkins, formerly of Brunswick and Bucksport was made superintendent upon the resignation of Mr. Walker. Little River, about two miles from the city, was selected as the most advantageous source of water when the company was established and a dam 175 feet long near the river's mouth, was constructed, securing a reservoir covering fifty acres, with an average depth of twenty feet. The contract for laying the pipes through the streets was made with Ferrin & Halliday of New Jersey, who employed one hundred Italian laborers. These were encamped in the summer months in the old barracks at the Battery. Excavating was first begun at the corner of Main and High Streets in the Spring of 1887 and continued through the Summer. On the first day of December of that year, the works, so far as related to the fire service, were completed and proved satisfactory upon being tested by the fire department the following afternoon. Large crowds witnessed this exhibition which took place from over forty hydrants located in the principal streets. Houses were not piped until the next season. The power house, a brick building of handsome design, is located at the dam on the Belfast side of the river. It contains one electric, one steam and one big water wheel pumps with a daily capacity of 1,750,000 gallons. During the spring and Fall the waterwheel is used for pumping, the balance of the year the water is pumped by the electric pump. The water is forced to a standpipe situated on Wilson's hill, 26o feet above the pumping station. The standpipe is 45 feet high and holds 263,000 gallons. From it the hydrants and other services are supplied. A few years before the company was taken over by the city a big dam was constructed at Little River, on the back road and many other improvements have been made, including a filter system and recently a new chlorinator has been installed, assuring pure water at all times. NESMITH RESIDENCE The residence east of the Little River Bridge and on the north side of the Little River outlet into Penobscot Bay was thought to have been built in 1796 by James Nesmith. Nesmith operated a tidewater grist mill halfway between the present Route 1 bridge and the Belfast Water District pumping station. The store was sold to Capt. Samuel Bird in 1801. He used the building as a dwelling house. Capt. Bird was the grandfather of Mr. James C. Durham of Belfast and the property remained in the family for many years. Other owners have included Dr. Arthur Hartley who purchased the dwelling in 1924 and converted it to a two story dwelling; Willis C. Trainor, William Butler, Mr. & Mrs. Ernest Bell and Snelling Robinson (Robinson remodeled the interior and landscaped the grounds of the building when it was the Little River Inn), Mr. & Mrs. Winston Farris.