“…[T]he movement of a celestial system than a human invention:” Abram Blanding and bringing water to Columbia

Abram [sometimes referred to as Abraham] Blanding (1776–1839) constructed a waterworks that captivated the citizens of the planned city of Columbia, South Carolina, bringing a wondrous scene of mechanistic intervention in nature. He was able to integrate the steam engine with original innovations regarding piping to transport fresh water into the new frontier city. The establishment of the waterworks also fulfilled Columbia’s political desires to bring water to its citizens. Columbia became a more progressive city based on the standards of the nineteenth century. But while building the waterworks in Columbia would become an asset to the city, it would also be an eventual irritation to Blanding. Overall, this paper is a case study in how ambitious engineers, like Abram Blanding, used technology to provide a reliable source of drinking water at the turn of the nineteenth century