Fairmount Water Works

Fairmount Water Works is a Pennsylvania historical marker in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, dedicated 1997.

At waterworks, corner of Waterworks Dr. & Kelly Dr., Philadelphia

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Centerpiece of Philadelphia's water system, 1815-1909. The neoclassical buildings, designed by Frederick Graff and Frederic Graff, Jr., concealed huge machines that pumped Schuylkill River water to a reservoir above, whence it flowed to the city. Power was originally supplied by Oliver Evans' high-pressure steam engine, the largest of its day. After 1821 the pumps were driven by breast wheels; after 1851, by turbines.

TodayHistorical map

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1807 · Armees Americaine et Britannique en 1776 et 1777 dans le Maryland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1818 · New Jersey (1818) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1826 · Philadelphia And Adjacent Country (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1838 · Philadelphia. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1856 · Philadelphia. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

Armees Americaine et Britannique en 1776 et 1777 dans le Maryland, 1807, covering the location of Fairmount Water Works, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — Armees Americaine et Britannique en 1776 et 1777 dans le Maryland, 1807, covering this location. David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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Marker data: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission via data.pa.gov

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