The city of Spokane, Washington, has been putting forth a plan to rebuild North Monroe Street from Indiana Avenue to Kiernan Avenue. They announced to the public, via Spokane City, their plans to complete the construction in one season, begining back on April 2, 2018, with hopes to have the entire Monroe project completed by this fall. During a recent renovation, the work site has become a sort of archaeological dig since construction crews unearthed a wooden pipe for the 1890s, reports The Spokesman.

Such a device is described as a wooden stave pipe, which is a type made with long wooden planks cut to join snugly and lashed together by coiled metal. Megan Kennedy, an owner of Rogue Heart Media, was able to snap a photograph of this historic technology before the pipes disintegrate. According to Mike Schimmels, owner of Red Diamond Construction, these pipes will do just that now that water will not run through them as it was when they were buried beneath the earth.

These pipes look something like a long barrel, and were manufactured similar to copper barrel making technology. While road construction crews in Washington state have ran into this type of piping before, Schimmels noted to reporters that it is rare. He actually has another pipe similar to the one recently unearthed on display in his own yard.

“We run into it all over. This came before steel pipe, asbestos cement pipe, of course plastic. Then they had lead joints. You had dipped and wrapped pipe.”

Pipes like these wooden ones are still around, especially in Washington, delivering water to homes and carrying sewage. In fact, journalists noted that every house in Spokane has somewhat similar pipes to these, which would definitely explain the much needed renovation and upgrade. Though it is rare that the pipes are dated at such an age as the two photographed by Kennedy.

Featured image credit: Meghan Kennedy Meet on Monroe

Marlene Feist, the director of strategic development for the city’s Public Works, made a statement in regards to the city’s street crew being puzzled on the longevity of the ancient pipe, saying that they could not determine when it was last in use. Schimmels says that the pipes are as old as the houses around them.

Kennedy’s photo of the 1800s wooden pipes hit social media after she snapped it quickly with her smartphone. The image has so far gathered 350 likes and 260 shares, generating quite the buzz. Kennedy runs the Meet on Monroe campaign, which is the North Monroe Business District’s effort at keeping anyone from coming to the district during the rebuild.