Basham Reservoir Under Construction in 1913

ID: 419 ~ Source: Image courtesy of the Bill Glockner Collection, Portsmouth Public Library, Henry A. Lorberg Department of Local History, Portsmouth, Ohio. ~ Date: 1913
This file appears in: Portsmouth’s Basham Hill Reservoir
Basham Reservoir Under Construction in 1913

View of Basham Reservoir, looking south, with the Ohio River and Kentucky in the background. The wall that collapsed in 1915 was the east wall, to the left in this image. Note the triangular buttresses supporting the reservoir walls.

This file appears in: Portsmouth’s Basham Hill Reservoir

By Richard Duncan, PE
Portsmouth’s first water works plant was built in 1871 on the banks of the Ohio River. It was located in an area that is, today, just outside the floodwall behind Shawnee State University. That original water plant left much to be desired in terms…