Waterworks Museum

Waterworks Museum Architecture, Engineering, Public Health, Social History - it's all here at the Waterworks Museum! Ever wonder where your water comes from? But where? And how?

Before you say “from the tap,” think again. It had to get to the tap from somewhere. That’s where we come in. The Metropolitan Waterworks Museum is located in the Chestnut Hill High Pumping Station on the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. The original station was built in 1887, and added on to in 1897. The three pumping engines housed within the museum operated every day until the late 1970s, when Boston's

primary water supply became the Quabbin Reservoir. A unique intersection of architecture, engineering, public health, and social history, the Waterworks Museum is a hidden gem of the Boston museum community, interpreting the stories of one of the first metropolitan water systems in the United States.

Did you know that the Quabbin Reservoir, which today supplies water for the city of Boston, was once the largest reservo...
06/22/2026

Did you know that the Quabbin Reservoir, which today supplies water for the city of Boston, was once the largest reservoir in the world that was intended only for drinking water? With a size of 39 square miles, this massive piece of water infrastructure has a maximum capacity of 412 billion gallons of water. How long does it take to fill a reservoir that size? Nearly 7 years! While construction began in 1927 and water began flowing into the reservoir in 1939, it wasn't until June 22, 1946, that the Quabbin Reservoir reached its full capacity and water was released over the Winsor Dam Spillway for the first time. While today, more than 40% of Massachusetts residents (that's nearly 3 million people) enjoy bountiful safe water from this crucial water source, it's important to remember the sacrifices made by the residents of the towns of Prescott, Dana, Enfield, and Greenwich, around 2,500 of whom lost their homes during the construction of the reservoir.

The Metropolitan Waterworks Museum will be CLOSED from Wednesday, June 17th through Friday, June 19th, while we prepare ...
06/15/2026

The Metropolitan Waterworks Museum will be CLOSED from Wednesday, June 17th through Friday, June 19th, while we prepare for our biggest event of the year. We look forward to seeing you when we reopen on Saturday, June 20th for Waterfest!

Tickets are still available so make sure to reserve your spot today: https://waterworksmuseum.org/events/waterfest-6/

Waterfest is just one week away! Join us on Saturday, June 20th from 10 am to 2pm to learn more about science, engineeri...
06/13/2026

Waterfest is just one week away! Join us on Saturday, June 20th from 10 am to 2pm to learn more about science, engineering, technology, history, and conservation all while enjoying fun, family-friendly games, crafts, and other activities.

Over the past month, we've highlighted just a few of the awesome organizations that will be joining us for Waterfest, so today we're sharing some of the fun games and activities WE will be offering. Blow giant bubbles! Help rescue animals from glaciers! Cool down with our water wall and water sluice! Try your hand at Waterworks Skee-Ball! Check out the basement of our engine hall for a close-up look at our Allis Engine! Play games, WIN PRIZES, and more!

There's still time to reserve your tickets for this FREE event: https://waterworksmuseum.org/events/waterfest-6/

We hope we'll see you there!

June 11, 1921 was a very busy day here at the Chestnut Hill High Service Pumping Station! In preparation for the additio...
06/11/2026

June 11, 1921 was a very busy day here at the Chestnut Hill High Service Pumping Station! In preparation for the addition of a new steam engine, laborers were hard at work installing new vertical boilers, which had been manufactured by the D.M. Dillon Boiler Works in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Check out these photos captured by Waterworks photographer Oliver Tryon which document this important project!

You can learn more about the station's boilers during your next visit by exploring "The Power of Coal" exhibit located in our Overlook Gallery.

Images Courtesy of the Massachusetts Archives via Digital Commonwealth

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum will be closed on Sunday, June 7th. We apologize for...
06/06/2026

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum will be closed on Sunday, June 7th. We apologize for any inconvenience and we look forward to seeing you when we reopen on Wednesday, June 10th at 11am.

Image Credit: Jason Baker Photography

It's Saturday again and we're only 2 weeks away from Waterfest! This week we'd like to highlight Mothers Out Front/Prote...
06/06/2026

It's Saturday again and we're only 2 weeks away from Waterfest! This week we'd like to highlight Mothers Out Front/Protect Newton Trees who will be joining us at Waterfest to talk with visitors about the importance of trees in our environment. During the event, they will be making tags that not only name the species of some of our local trees but also detail how much carbon dioxide they take in during photosynthesis. These tags will be distributed to trees all over the site giving a new understanding to how important plant life is to our planet's overall health. This information can even be used at home on trees in your local neighborhood!

Waterfest is a free event (suggested donation $5) and will take place rain or shine on June 20th from 10am to 2pm.

Please help us monitor capacity by reserving your tickets today!
https://waterworksmuseum.org/events/waterfest-6/

Images courtesy of Mothers Out Front/Protect Newton Trees
https://mothersoutfront.org/
https://www.protectnewtontrees.org/

It's World Bicycle Day! Did you know that the Chestnut Hill Reservoir was a popular biking destination more than 100 yea...
06/03/2026

It's World Bicycle Day! Did you know that the Chestnut Hill Reservoir was a popular biking destination more than 100 years ago? During the “cycling craze” of the late-19th and early-20th centuries, many folks from Boston and beyond would come to the reservoir to bike or even race! One type of early bicycle was called the penny-farthing or high wheeler. It had a unique design which featured one large wheel in the front and a much smaller wheel in the back. While popular, penny-farthings could be quite dangerous and, while there are those who still enjoy riding these unusual bicycles today, safety bicycles, which look more like modern bicycles, ultimately won out, as they presented a safer and more accessible alternative.

Image from the May 31, 1879 issue of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper
https://archive.org/details/ZUJaAAAAYAAJ/page/n411/mode/2up

Waterfest is just 3 weeks away and it's time to highlight another one of the awesome organizations that will be joining ...
05/30/2026

Waterfest is just 3 weeks away and it's time to highlight another one of the awesome organizations that will be joining us for the event! This week we're featuring the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (the MWRA), one of the primary agencies making sure the city of Boston has plenty of safe, clean drinking water. Visit their table to learn more about the incredible system behind your taps and toilets and, while you're there, play their "Down the Drain" game to discover what can safely be flushed down the drain. They'll also be bringing the MWRA quench buggy with them, so feel free to stop by and grab a cool, refreshing drink of Quabbin Water.

Waterfest is a free event (suggested donation $5) and will take place rain or shine on June 20th from 10am to 2pm.

Please help us monitor capacity by reserving your tickets today!
https://waterworksmuseum.org/events/waterfest-6/

It's gosling season at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir! Keep an eye out during your next visit to the Waterworks and you mig...
05/28/2026

It's gosling season at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir! Keep an eye out during your next visit to the Waterworks and you might see some of these cute little guys hanging out near the museum.

Image courtesy of Molly Perlmutter

It's Saturday, which means we're one week closer to Waterfest! This week we'd like to highlight another one of the aweso...
05/23/2026

It's Saturday, which means we're one week closer to Waterfest! This week we'd like to highlight another one of the awesome organizations who will be joining us on June 20th: Stone Living Lab! They're bringing their "Sea Level Rise City" activity, where you can explore the impacts of climate change on coastal communities like Boston. See what it's like to be an environmental scientist and engineer as you design and adapt your own coastal city, to create a more sustainable and climate resilient community!

Waterfest is a free event (suggested donation $5) and will take place rain or shine on June 20th from 10am to 2pm.

Please help us monitor capacity by reserving your tickets today!
https://waterworksmuseum.org/events/waterfest-6/

Image Credit: Siyu He of the Esplanade Association

Address

2450 Beacon Street
Boston, MA
02467

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 4pm
Thursday 11am - 4pm
Friday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

+16172770065

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