Subjects Recreation

Black-and-white image of an ornate white building on a riverbank with trees behind it

A new book, more than 40 years in the making, about an iconic Philadelphia building

Fairmount Water Works: The Surprising History of an American Landmark

Fairmount Water Works in High Resolution

Ghosts of Water in Fairmount Park, Part 1, with Adam Levine

Repurposing Old Infrastructure: Water History Video 5

The Discovery Center: The creative reuse of an abandoned city reservoir

Philadelphia from Belmont, West Park (Picturesque America)

Plans and maps of the Pennypack Creek Watershed in Philadelphia

Ghosts of Water in Fairmount Park, Part II, with Adam Levine

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

Gritty and the Phanatic in Ida’s Floodwaters

Fairmount Gardens, with the Schuylkill Bridge. This 1839 engraving, published in London, shows a view of the South Garden from the walkways that brought visitors up the cliffside to the overlooks at the height of the reservoirs. The fountain used the pressure of the reservoirs and was a a delightful refreshment in hot weather, and a wonder at all times. One anachronistic element of this engraving is the Upper Ferry Bridge, which burned the year before the print was published. Harding’s Hotel, a popular resort, is at the western end of the bridge.

Fairmount Gardens with the Schuylkill Bridge, 1839