A city built around the nation's oldest active arsenal
Watervliet grew up around the Watervliet Arsenal, founded July 14, 1813 on the Hudson's west bank opposite Troy to supply the War of 1812 -- it remains the oldest continuously active arsenal in the United States and became a National Historic Landmark in 1966. Under Colonel Decius Wadsworth, the arsenal originally turned out ammunition and equipment like gun carriages and drag ropes before growing into a major cannon-manufacturing operation.
Plumbing in homes built up around the arsenal's expansion
Residential Watervliet largely grew up alongside the arsenal's 19th-century expansion, which means much of the city's older housing carries plumbing installed in stages as the arsenal -- and the workforce living near it -- kept growing. A supply or drain job in one of these older homes should expect an original iron or lead line somewhere in the system rather than a single, modern installation.
What Watervliet homeowners ask about
What to mention up front
Mention roughly how old your home is and whether it's in one of Watervliet's older sections near the arsenal. Note which fixtures are affected and how long the issue has been going on.