Subjects Urban Development

Fairmount Water Works: The Surprising History of an American Landmark

Image shows three bottles of water, one clear, one dark and one with sediment floating in it.

Bottled vs. Tap in 1906

Oak Lane Reservoir pipeline, 1904

The Water and Drainage History of Philadelphia: A seven-part course

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

Torresdale Conduit work gang, 1906

Torresdale Conduit work gang, 12/18/1906

Belmont Filters construction 1903

Belmont Filters construction, 1903

Finished Upper Roxborough filters, 1903

Finished Upper Roxborough filters, 1903

Upper Roxborough filter beds

Upper Roxborough filter beds under construction, July 1902

Two bottles of water from a river, one dark with pollution and one clear after filtration

Water Before and After Roxborough