The Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was Philadelphia's second municipal waterworks. Designed in 1812 by Frederick Graff and built between 1812 and 1872, it operated until 1909, winning praise for its design and becoming a popular tourist attraction. It now houses a restaurant and an interpretive center that explains the waterworks' purpose and local watershed history. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 for its architecture and its engineering innovations. It was the nation's first water supply to use paddle wheels to move water.
Fairmount Water Works – view from 1984
Fairmount Water Works, Philadelphia, between 1860 and 1880
"Schuylkill Waterworks", 1835 engraving
Fairmount Water Works, Philadelphia, about 1874
The Schuylkill River is a river in eastern Pennsylvania. It flows for 135 miles (217 km) from Pottsville southeast to Philadelphia, where it joins the Delaware River as one of its largest tributaries.
The Schuylkill River with Center City Philadelphia's skyline in the background, September 2007
Winter scene
The Strawberry Mansion Bridge at dusk
The Fairmount Water Works on the Schuylkill River were once the source of Philadelphia's water supply and are now an attraction in Fairmount Park.
