Subjects Recreation

Delaware River Harbor Police Report, 1884

Visions of the Schuylkill, 1884 and Now

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

This 1838 view of the Fairmount Water Works with the Schuylkill River in the distance, by John T. Bowen, “captures the pleasures of Fairmount in its heyday,” writes historian Jane Mork Gibson. “The neat beauty of the works set into a gentle landscape, steep paths and steps that offered an exhilirating contrast to the general flatness of Philadelphia, as well as the excitement of boat races on the river and refreshments offered in the former Engine House, all prompted the admiring comments of visitors.”

Fairmount Water Works and the Schuylkill River, 1838

Centre Square Engine House, location of one of two steam engines used in the city’s original water system. Engraving by Birch.

Centre Square Engine House, ca. 1807

Black-and-white image of a covered dock slanting down to the water with a house in front of it

A Day in the Ma’sh – Still Useful

Black-and-white drawing of two cabins with a wooden walkway in front

A Day in the Ma’sh – At CLXIV Canal Boat St.

Black-and-white image of a man in a boat with a long pole

A Day in the Ma’sh – A Pusher

Black-and-white image of two men in a boat with guns

A Day in the Ma’sh – Rail-Shooting

The City and Port of Philadelphia on the River Delaware from Kensington, 1800