TURIN, New York (WWNY) – History has been dug up in Turin. It’s a discovery that village officials say opens the door to learning about what’s right under their noses – and under their feet.
Orange cones line a section of Route 26 in Turin, left over from last week’s discovery.
“We were digging to find the main when we struck a hard object. My hired man in the ditch told us it was a piece of wood, and we instantly realized we had found a wooden water main,” said Ronald Schue II, operator, Schue Brothers.
Crews unearthed history.
“They’re very rare, this style. We pulled it out and it was completely intact,” said Schue.
Though he’s unsure when the wooden mains were put in, Mayor Josh Leviker believes they’re from the mid-1800s. The village was founded just after the turn of the 19th century.
“I mean this water, this water line served the village pre-Civil War era,” said Leviker.
To find this piece of history in this pristine condition, it’s an experience few and far between.
“Route 26 never disturbed it, the ditches along Route 26 never disturbed it, and the installation of the new main never disturbed it,” said Leviker.
Turin Water Operator Tom Smith says the wood lines are a far cry from the ones used today.
“I guess from what I understand they used to heat the insides up and scoop them out with a spoon, that’d actually burn the center of the log. I can’t imagine how long it would take to do one log,” he said.
That fact alone makes Schue so stunned by the discovery. Now he and village officials are on a mission to learn more about those who built them.
“To say that I dug up a piece of history that someone from the 1800s had to dig with a shovel and lay and drill. It’s just phenomenal work these people did back then,” he said.
Now that the water line is above ground, village officials say it’ll be put on display at the Turin Municipal Building where they hope it will stay for another 200 years.
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