A Moment in Monrovia History: A.B. Chapman, Offers Water to City for $500 Per Inch

A.B. Chapman, from Historical & Biographical Record of So. Calif. J.M. Guinn A.M. 1902. "A matter of great interest to the city occurred in December. A. B. Chapman, who possessed some acreage four and a half miles west of the city, reported that he had just completed the boring of an artesian well, which flowed eight inches of water at the surface, or forty inches ten feet below the surface and he offered this water to the city for five hundred dollars per inch." John L. Wiley, History of Monrovia, p 86. From "Orange Leaves" Published in 1902. Written by James Leonard.. From the Myron Hotchkiss collection. See full details here.

For more historic photos and papers, see the Monrovia Historical Society’s complete Legacy Project collection here. Learn more about the Monrovia Historical Society here.

- Brad Haugaard