My last four articles have been on well pits and basement offsets. They included the positives and negatives of both the sanitary and safety issues connected with these. I think we can safely move onto another subject.
In the early 1950s we did not yet have a statewide well code and, in fact, well drilling and pump installation was unregulated — at least at the residential level. Understanding the problems of well pits, local health department officials began urging, in some cases requiring, that residential and commercial wells be completed inside a well house. Larger wells for municipalities and factories had been completed like this for quite some time. I think the local HDs even had prepared suggested plans for such structures. These well houses were designed to be about 6 feet square inside with a ceiling high enough that a man could stand up in it. Also recommended in this cold climate was a so-called three-wall construction that is three layers of material that form the wall with two insulated spaces or air spaces in between. These were not unlike triple-paned windows, which are quite common today. As I recall, a concrete floor was recommended without a drain. However, I remember some floors being of coarse stone.