Manhattan still has several manhole covers that mark the Croton Aqueduct, the 1842 engineering masterpiece that fed fresh water to the 1840s metropolis from a series of gravity-powered pipes and city receiving reservoirs.
Dated 1862, this one hiding in plain sight on the grimy corner of Eighth Avenue and 40th Street is thought to be the oldest in the city. It’s might also be the most southerly one, since the Croton manhole cover once on Jersey Street in Noho has disappeared.
But unless it was removed recently (and that’s certainly possible), an almost identical cover, also dated 1862, lies underfoot in East Harlem’s Thomas Jefferson Park, at First Avenue and 112th Streets.
In the middle of the biggest public health crisis of the 21st century, it’s a fitting time to take a moment and celebrate what the Croton Aqueduct did for New York City: it brought clean drinking water to an unsanitary city where fresh water was hard to find.
Before Croton opened, most residents relied on street corner “tea water” pumps, which were often polluted.
Tags: Croton Aqueduct 1842, Croton Aqueduct Manhole Cover, Croton Manhole Cover Eighth Avenue, Croton Water New York City, Old Manhole Covers in New York City
Ephemeral New York 
April 27, 2020 at 9:28 am |
There used to be one at Manhattan ave and Powers St. in Williamsburg.
April 27, 2020 at 10:43 am |
The croton aqueduct system is featured prominently in The Alienist by Caleb Carr. Thanks for posting this info today.
April 28, 2020 at 7:04 pm |
Just sharing some of the amazing artifacts of 19th century New York that still exist in the 21st century city!
April 27, 2020 at 9:09 pm |
very cool find!
April 28, 2020 at 7:05 pm |
I agree! Always a treat to come across these.
April 28, 2020 at 2:38 pm |
What would ‘D P T’ stand for?
April 28, 2020 at 7:06 pm |
I’ve been trying to find out. I think it’s just short for “department,” as in the Croton Aqueduct Department. But I could be wrong.
May 2, 2020 at 11:43 pm |
When the Croton Aqueduct was activated, six guys in a boat sailed through it. The boat was called “Croton Maid.” It’s in “The World Beneath the City.”
May 10, 2020 at 4:30 pm |
Hi,
I believe it is at the corner of Flatbush and Sterling Pl in Brooklyn that I have seen manhole covers referring to an upstate reservoir. They might not be as old as these.
If I still have a picture I’ll forward it.
May 19, 2020 at 10:16 am |
A piece of history! Wonderful 🙂
June 1, 2020 at 6:13 am |
[…] The most interesting manhole covers are the ones that tell us who made it and when it was put in place: the name of an ironworks company, the initials of a city department, a date. […]
October 30, 2021 at 5:23 pm |
Its official, I can’t find either of the two mentioned here. Perhaps you could be more specific as to their location?
October 31, 2021 at 12:24 am |
I can’t be any more specific than the locations listed, because my memory is fuzzy about both. But you will see them at Eighth and 40th St. (I believe on the East Side of Eighth) and in the middle of Thomas Jefferson Park on a paved pathway.
November 2, 2021 at 3:34 pm
Thanks for your reply. Ive been following you for years now. So I found the one in Jefferson park no problem on south side of the pool path towards middle of the pool. Note that its date 1866.
As for 8th Av and 40th Street, no such luck. I am there all the time if you have any other leads.
Thanks again,
Mikee
November 2, 2021 at 9:57 pm
Glad you found the one in Jefferson Park! I’ll try to make it over to 40th and 8th this week and give you a more precise location for that manhole. It is certainly possible that the city got rid of it and replaced it with another one, but I’ll look!