Water John
By: Bob Fix
There seems to be considerable confusion about what “Water John’s†name really was. It is given in some places as Kuecherer. We found that the Buffalo Historical Society has honored him in their museum and booklets. He is included in their “People of Buffalo†section. On page 6 of “People of Our City and County†by Stephen Gredel, which is volume XIII of “Adventures in Western New York History†by Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, we find the following: “One of the best known of the early settlers was john Kuecherer, called “Water John.†He came to Buffalo in 1821 and was a water carrier for the early village. His “water works†consisted of a large barrel mounted on a two-wheeled cart drawn by a single horse, and he would drive slowly through the streets on washing days, crying “Ladies, here is your water!â€
In the museum of the Buffalo Historical Society, there is a diorama representing “Water John.†It consists of a small glass-front cubicle. The back wall is painted with a street scene and the water cart. On the floor are several old wood buckets. It also a figure of a young man representing Water John, dressed in clothes of the period. A placard on the front of the diorama reads as follows: “German John Kuercherer, called “Water John†(1795-1876) Arrived in Buffalo in 1821 and was water carrier for the early village. In 1825 he introduced his “water works†which consisted of a large barrel mounted on a two-wheeled cart drawn by a single horse. He supplied Buffalo’s housewives on washing days with water from Lake Erie. For furnishing a regular supply of water to the household he charged a shilling ($.12 ½). Driving slowly through the streets, he notified the customers of his presence by crying “Ladies, here is your water! Ladies-water!) John Kuercherer lived many years in a small house on the southwest corner of Franklin and Court streets. A good, religious, but poor man , died in 1876 after seeing Buffalo grow from a village of 2,000 inhabitants to a large and prosperous city of 180,000 people.â€
The museum also has on oil painting of Water John, which was painted by an artist named Grant. They indicated that further information might be available about Water John in their library but we did not have time for library research at the time of our visit.
While there is no mention of it in the Buffalo Historical Society booklet or exhibit, Water John constructed the first piped distribution system in Buffalo with wood pipes. Water John Kurcherson died on October 4th, 1976. He is buried in grave no. 5 in lot 1, section “O†of Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, N.Y.