Wells

Before public water works there were wells, one for every house and most of them artesian. Free-flowing water would bubble up (and in some cases gush up) to be scooped from stonework or concrete basins that would contain the water until it reached the overflow pipe. 

The wells would often be the center piece of a hotel or resort, with most private homes having them close to the kitchen for convenience. Here are some photographs of the early artesian wells and their sometimes ornate decorations.

The well at Munier House in Mandeville

The well at Jim's Court at Claiborne Hill

The well at Three Rivers Gardens at Covington

 

An advertisement for Roche's Well in 1879

Over the years, as the area grew in population, more and more wells were dug, and more and more water was pulled out of the underground aquifers. As a result the amount of water and the force of the free-flowing wells began to decline. One by one many of the free-flowing wells began to dry up. 

The artesian well fountain in central Abita Springs.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also:

Private Wells In Louisiana