Subjects City Life

Map Lovers’ Monday: Water for City Hall

Sewer systems, City of Philadelphia, 1927 and 1929

Frankford Creek Watershed Historical Timeline

Frankford Creek Watershed in the context of the development of Philadelphia’s sewers and sewage treatment system

Northeast Philadelphia history, one page at a time: The Holmesburg Library Scrapbook Collection

A section of wooden water pipe, long out of service, removed from a Philadelphia street in 1901. It had been installed about 1801.

Wooden Water Pipe, removed from Market Street, December 6, 1901

William Penn balks at drinking the "mixed drink" offered him: Schuylkill water, mixed with pollution from the upstream sources named. Editorial cartoon by Fred Morgan, Philadelphia Inquirer, April 6, 1899. One of a series of cartoons drawn by Morgan protesting the state of the city's drinking water and trying to encourage the passage of legislation authorizing the construction of a water filtration system.

Half a Century of Clean Water

Black and white photo of two men facing the camera and several facing away while standing and sitting on a board

Bridge Street Draw, construction of piers, ca. 1896

International Exhibition situation plan, 1876

Centennial Exhibition situation plan, 1876

Cumberland Street pipeline, 1907

Bureau of Water, Cumberland, west of 13th Street, pipe line, 1907

Six people and dozens of sandbags performing a load test on a concrete pipe, 1914

Pipe Test, 1914

A list of rules governing the sanitary maintenance of privy vaults in Philadelphia in 1915

Be Thankful You Don’t Live in Pre-Flush Philly