Lawn Sprinkler, circa 1935

As suburban developments grew during the late nineteenth century, homeowners worked to maintain green lawns during dry weather. They usually spot-watered, carrying buckets to thirsty ornamental plants or using hand pumps or water barrel trucks to deliver more water. Pressurized municipal water systems made this job easier -- and opened a market in the decades that followed for lawn sprinklers designed to fit standard garden hoses.