"Who was Waldo?
The genius behind the Catskill Water System"

Sunday, August 11, 2002 at 3 PM
The Empire State Railway Museum will host a talk about J. Waldo Smith by Diane Galusha, author of Liquid Assets, A History of New York City's Water System. J. Waldo Smith was a man who knew what he wanted to do from the time he was a teenager managing the water system for his home town of Lincoln, Mass. "There seemed to be something fine about bringing clean, sweet water from clean places for the people who needed it to keep the wheels of life going around."

Smith spent much of his career as Chief Engineer of the New York City Board of Water Supply, bringing sweet water from the Catskills to millions in the Big Apple. Though his own family had fought eminent domain proceedings in Lincoln, Smith headed the agency that employed condemnation to roust 2,000 people from the Ashokan valley. Responsible for a public works project that rivaled the concurrent building of the Panama Canal, he was also known for his rapport and comradery with BWS staffers and contractors. A man who appreciated culture and accoutrements of city life, Smith was also comfortable at his Ashokan hideaway, raising squab and extracting honey from his own bee hives. This talk will examine the life of the man who was admired even by outspoken project opponents like A.T. Clearwater, who cited the engineer's prescience, and his ability of "never seeming to insist upon his own way, but of getting his own way every time."

The current exhibit at the Empire State Railway Museum features
historic photographs about building the Ashokan Reservoir.

The Empire State Railway Museum is located off High Street in Phoenicia, NY.
From exit 19 of the NYS Thruway (Kingston, NY)
take Rt. 28 west to Phoenicia (approximately 22 miles).

Hours: 11 AM - 4 PM weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through Columbus Day.

Other hours by appointment.
Suggested donation: $3 adult, $1 child, $5 family.
For more information, call 845-688-7501