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Start Over Record Source Other PACSCL Partners Organization Fairmount Water Works (Philadelphia, Pa.) Place Philadelphia (Pa.) Year 1800 to 1849

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Philadelphia Water Department records and collection on Fairmount Water Works, 1801-1980 (inclusive)

Extent:
6.33 linear feet
Abstract:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the first city in the United States to provide water as a public utility and was known for its advances in water distribution technology, such as using a centralized distribution system and employing the use of hydropower for pumps. The Philadelphia Water Department (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) traces its roots to 1799 when the Joint Committee on Supplying the City with Water (known as the Watering Committee) was established by the city council in response to pressure from the city's residents to provide them with clean water for drinking, fire fighting, and cleansing the streets following a series of yellow fever epidemics. The Fairmount Water Works (FWW), Philadelphia's second water works, began operating in 1815 and remained in use until 1909. Regarded as a significant achievement in civil engineering, FWW was also an important Philadelphia landmark and tourist attraction. In the early twenty-first century, Philadelphia operates three water...(see more)

Held at: The Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute [Contact Us]

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Laurence and Sylvia C. Eisenlohr papers on book about Fairmount Water Works, 1817, 1974-1989

Extent:
1.67 linear feet
Abstract:
Herman Laurence Eisenlohr (1922-2012) was a professor at Rider College in Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, and his wife, Sylvia (Crane) Eisenlohr (1926-2011), was a journalist who wrote for Time, The Saturday Evening Post, and various trade newspapers. In 1974, they undertook the project of dating the many drawings, paintings, and prints that have been made of the Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They received funding from the Barra Foundation and tried unsuccessfully to have a book on the Fairmount Water Works published. Laurence and Sylvia C. Eisenlohr papers on book about Fairmount Water Works, 1817, 1974-1989, consist of materials relating to the Eisenlohrs's manuscript, Fair Mount. The collection includes two versions of the manuscript and numerous letters related to the manuscript and the use of the Eisenlohrs' numerous prints and photographs of the Water Works. The collection also includes...(see more)

Held at: The Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute [Contact Us]