Wyckoff Wooden Water Pipe (3D)- East Lansing, MI
Institution: Campus Archaeology Program, Michigan State University
State: Michigan
Object: Water Pipe
Era: 19th Century
Michigan archaeologists exposed the remnants of a wood-based, water piping system under MSU's Faculty Row. Wooden pipes had been in use since the 1750s, but most U.S. cities were using cast or wrought iron systems by the early 1800s.
The Wyckoff wooden water system was based on an 1860 patent for a new boring machine and increased the production speed of feeding wood through an auger. The pipe system used white pine logs that were hollowed out and externally secured with iron hooping. Pipes were then connected using eight inch timber thimbles.
By the 1880s, wooden piping continued to be sold as a cheaper alternative to metal piping. At MSU, wooden pipes continued to be used until 1902, when it was believed that aging wooden pipes contaminated the water supply.
