Upcoming events with Adam Levine, WHPHL Webmaster
March 25, 2026
Tours, talks, an exhibit, and more.
Stonehouse Lane and The Neck
March 8, 2026
An evocative essay by Christopher Morley, about a section of Philadelphia that has been obliterated by landfilling and time (but particularly landfilling).
Schuylkill Navigation: Celebrating 200 years
September 29, 2024
Learn more about the upcoming 200th birthday of Pennsylvania’s pioneering slackwater-canal system, with events all along the river in Spring 2025.
Annual reports and other documents relating to Philadelphia’s water supply system, 1796-1992
February 21, 2024
Added November 29, 2025: Drinking Water Quality reports from the 1960s to the present, listed chronologically. My ultimate goal is to eventually post a comprehensive list of all reports relating to Philadelphia’s water supply, from the late 18th century to the present, with links to PDFs of each. It may be a while before I […]
From Creek To Sewer
November 30, 2023
This post is where this website (under a couple of different names) began more than 20 years ago. The text is still the same, but I have added new maps and new high-resolution images that are worth checking out.
Map Lovers’ Monday: The Ellet Map of Philadelphia County, 1843
December 29, 2025
The so-called Ellet map of 1843 shows many Philadelphia streams that no longer exist.
Still on the Map: Poquessing Creek and its Tributaries
October 4, 2025
Information about one of the few intact stream systems remaining in Philadelphia.
A new book, more than 40 years in the making, about an iconic Philadelphia building
February 17, 2025
Everything you’ve always wanted to know about the Fairmount Water Works, from Jane Mork Gibson and A. Leonard Pundt III
Philadelphia drinking water 90+ years ago
February 10, 2025
This old story taught even a grizzled water rat like me something new.
Farewell to the SS United States
February 8, 2025
The iconic steamship, a hulking fixture in the South Philadelphia riverfront for decades, will soon begin the next phase of its life–this time under instead of on top of the water
The pipe beneath the rocky path
February 5, 2025
One of the city’s most beautiful places has a secret that few people know about.
Map Lovers’ Monday: Los Angeles, 100 years ago
February 3, 2025
These maps of Los Angeles paint a poignant picture of the city, pre-wildfire.
Map Lovers’ Monday: The Reading Railroad, 1958
February 3, 2025
The Reading Railroad in its heyday, in 1958, the 125th anniversary of the road.
Map Lovers’ Monday: Philadelphia in 1897, with color added
January 27, 2025
What are all those colors brightening up this otherwise mundane, monochrome map?
Fairmount Water Works in High Resolution
January 22, 2025
After zooming in on these photographs, you may want to slow down and linger in them for awhile.