Though it may look like an artifact, the large item pictured here is not actually part of the museum’s collection – it’s our boiler, tucked away in our basement! We do have a collection of plumbing equipment given to us by Ralph Mills, which he used throughout his long career, initially working for Almond Street plumber Bright Yost in the 1950s.
The tools shown here are only a small part of Mr. Mills’ collection, and feature a lead/solder pot and ladle; a blowtorch; a wooden “dresser” for bending lead pipe; a tap borer for opening a hole in a pipe where a branch pipe is to be attached; a soldering iron; a wiping cloth; a length of oakum, a rope-like material used for filling in around pipe joints; and a section of pipe itself. Also pictured are plumbing manuals used by Mr. Mills, including rules and regulations specific to Williamsport. All told, there were 46 items related to plumbing in Mr. Mills’ donation – which doesn’t even count the over 50 Valentines he also gave us! This is another of the infinite examples of how much we rely on the community’s donations of artifacts to build our collection and tell our region’s history. Perhaps someday our boiler will be added to the collection as well…