Page 2
There was a lot of ingenuity involved. In order to
provide their own water supply, in 1913, the brothers
built a water wheel 18 feet in diameter (near where the
townhouses on the water works road are now situated.)
A dam was built to ensure a constant supply of water
for the wheel. The brothers first built a test wheel to be
sure the operation was feasible, then built the wheel
itself. They were required to lay 900 feet of pipe from
the wheel to the Hudson through swampy land. A water
tower constructed near the barn in 1914 ensured an adequate water supply and
pressure for the farm until 1935. It was decided in 1918 to harness the water wheel to
a dynamo to electrify the houses. Good idea, but it never supplied enough power, so the
properties hooked up with local utility for electricity and gas.
There were several ponds on the property. The brothers hauled dirt into the field
between St. Peter's and the Gate House in order to eliminate one of several ponds on
the property. This was not entirely successful but adequate to use the field to grow
vegetables. The problem was finally solved in the mid 1970's by blasting a drainage
trench from the field to beyond Marian Hall.
Fed by natural springs, another pond with a small island was located on what is now the
site of the Lowell Thomas Building. In 1911 it was drained,
deepened, and rimmed by a hired mason. Around 1935, it was
converted into an outdoor swimming pool. To create a base for
the concrete bottom, the brothers pressed old bedsprings
vertically into the mud, then added a horizontal layer of
bedsprings, and poured the base, mixing the elements by hand.
The cemetery was a hasty choice made when the first brother
died in September 1909. It was placed in a hollow at the south end of the Bech
property. Brother Peter Augustine spent one winter preparing the area and removing
the stones. Brother Paul Acyndinus and the novices built the cement wall around the
cemetery in 1921.






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Project Directors
Dr. Brian Henry Desilets
Dr. Linus Richard Foy
John Patrick Noone
From the beginning, Marist Heritage has been a collaborative effort.
We appreciate the contributions of the Marist Brothers and the Marists All
community, who by supplying information and personal memories, have given vitality,
scope and depth to this project
Under the guidance and direction of Dr. Brian Henry Desilets, the initial web pages
were designed and created by the following Marist College students: Michele van
Brero (Hermitage, St. Peter's, Kieran Gate House, Greystone, Marist Brothers
Builders, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel) ..... Tage Haun (Bech Homestead, Marian,
Donnelly) ..... Fang Fang Xu (Boat House, Byrne House, Kirk House) ..... Courtney Gutt
(Bech Family History) ..... Vij lyer (Cemetery) ..... Rahkee Chopra (Fontaine Hall).
All the final Marist Heritage web pages were either created, revised, rewritten
and/or reshaped by John Patrick Noone, who is solely responsible for any errors
contained therein.
We thank Richard Branigan for proofreading the Marist Heritage web pages.
We recognize the contributions of our consultants: John Ansley for his input on the
format and contents of the various web pages. Also Victor VanCarpels for his
frequent consultations and guidance in the graphics included in this CD. His
patience and dedication while working with us made the overall results more
professional.
We are grateful to Barbara McMullen for the use of the Ecommerce facility at Marist
College.
We are indebted to the Mccann Foundation which provided the funds necessary to make
this project a reality.
John Patrick Noone, editor
November 15, 2002
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