Shreveport Water Works Museum

The McNeill Street Pumping Station went into service in 1887 as Shreveport's first water plant. The American Society of Civil Engineers says the city could not justify a distribution system for drinking water alone, but a series of disastrous fires in the 1880s built support for a plant that could supply water for fighting them. The pumps are direct-acting steam pumps of the kind Henry R. Worthington developed, and the boilers, pumps and filters remain in the brick building.

The museum's own history says filtration was added in 1890, unusual for the time, and chlorine treatment in 1911. The city took public ownership in 1917. The steam pumps were retired in 1980, and the museum says the Smithsonian reportedly believed it was the last operating steam-powered municipal waterworks in America. The American Society of Civil Engineers dates the end of operations at the station to 1994.

The station is a National Historic Landmark and a Historic American Water Landmark. Admission is free, and both guided and self-guided tours are offered, with group tours by request. The museum's website lists hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, so check them before driving over, since small museums change their days.