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Wells
This is a typical 18th and 19th century New England well. It is a circular shaft with a stone lining to keep it from collapsing. This one is located on Bugsmouth Hill in South Hampton NH. Based upon surface ceramic shards the farm dates from the 1790-1820 period. It had two wells on site. the two wells were needed because the farm was a stop along a stagecoach route. Both wells were filled in with stone probably with the idea of re-opening them. The house was in the process of being renovated in crica 1850 when the work stopped and the farm was abandoned.
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Modified Wells
The late 19th and early 20th century saw several types of modifications added to wells. This examples from Fish Road, East Kingston NH shows a brick and mortar extension on top of umortared stone well. The brick extension on the top right suggests that brick work support some type of wooden structure over the well.
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The house at this site was built on a slight raised knoll just above a large swampy area. The well tapped into the water table which supplied the swamp. To make access to the well more convenient the height of the well was raised to the level of the bottom of the foundation. A mound of earth with flat terrace topped was built around the well. This was common practice in the 19th century.
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This another example of a modified well. A 19th century unmortar stone line well outfitted with a galvanized iron pipe. The pipe extended to house. Either a hand pump or electric pump drew water from the well. This was an early 20th century modification.
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This 25 foot deep well is located in New London, CT. This well dates to the late 1700’s. The upper six feet of the well was rebuilt, probably in the 1800’s. The upper section flares out wider than the lower section and its stones were laid in mortar. It has a thin square schist well cap.
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Unusual Well – Ledyard Connecticut
This well was dug to the bedrock ten feet down. The shaft is nearly circular in shape and constructed of Connecticut brownstone. The stones in the shaft were carefully laid in layers and many of the stones show chipping marks from a mason’s hammer. The stone mason carefully shaped the stones to fit the interior curvature of the well shaft. There is no evidence that any other tools (chisels, drills, etc) were used except for a mason’s hammer.
At the bottom of the well a cylindrical hole 2-3 feet deep was cut into the brownstone bedrock. The chipping marks on the walls of the cutout indicate it was likewise worked using a mason’s hammer. The side walls also indicate that bedrock broke apart in layers, which explains why it could be cut using a hammer alone. The cylindrical cutout was of sufficient size and depth to allow a bucket to retrieve water from the well even if the water table dropped to only a few inches depth on the bedrock layer. These photos were taken in September 2007 during the drought conditions affecting portions of New England. It is clear this well experiences low or no water under drought conditions and reinforces the wisdom of the well’s design.
Photographs used with permission. The photographer and land owner have asked their names not be posted to protect their privacy.
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Close-up of cut hole in bedrock showing chipping marks
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Well Caps
Well caps come in square slab and circular slab, and one piece and two peice examples. these three photos show a two piece square slab well cap from Governor’s Island (privately owned), Hampstead NH. It was the summer residence of Governor Wentworth. The center hole was cut rather crudely using a mason’s hammer. There are no quarry marks on the cap. The residence was built in 1741 and burned in the 1850’s. This well cap most likely dates from circa 1740-1790 period.
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