In addition to the major buildings at Pleasant Hill, Micajah Burnett built a number of utilitarian structures. Of special interest is the water house (1833), northeast of the third stone Centre Family. It is a small, square, two-story frame shell containing a round cypress tank perched on high stone piers. Gravity caused the water to flow through iron pipes to residence kitchens and washhouses. A floating gauge extending up through the roof could be seen from the Tanyard spring, so when the water level was low, the horse-powered pump could be started to fill the tank. This was one of the earliest water-supply systems in the West.
The Water House
photo by artist Deb Ward
