Mill Creek Sewer, ca. 1883, at 47th Street and Haverford Avenue in West Philadelphia. The effort to encapsulate and bury Mill Creek in a 21-foot (6.4 m) sewer pipe ran from 1869 to 1894.
The creek, called Nanganesey by the Lenape Indians in their patent to white settlers, was renamed Quarn Creek by the Swedish settlers. It later took the names Monson's Great Mill Fall, Mill Creek and Little Mill Creek after the factories it powered at Grays Ferry.[3]
Originally, Mill Creek was fast-flowing (10 miles per hour) and could discharge 300,000 cubic feet per minute into the Schuylkill. It was known to flood, destroying crops and creating seas of mud.
In 1834, merchant and banker John Buckman built a 90-foot dam across Mill Creek just south of Market Street at current-day 46th Street. The dam diverted some of the water into a 12-foot-wide mill race that ran parallel to the Creek for about 1,100 feet and into a 30-by-60-foot "forebay." The water flowed under Market Street and over waterwheels that powered Buckman's mill.[4]
As urban development began in West Philadelphia, the city covered several stream beds with cisterns and a layer of fill deep enough to level the land so that it could be platted into a regular street grid.
In 1866, a land survey determined that Mill Creek should be drained. The covering of Mill Creek began in 1869, encapsulating the watercourse in a 20-foot (6.1 m)-diameter drainpipe said to be the largest sewer pipe in the world at the time.[5] By 1872, the creek was buried south to Baltimore Avenue.[6] Its burial was completed around 1895, allowing the grid of rowhouse development to continue toward the city's western edge at Cobbs Creek.[7]
Natural erosion, abetted by spotty maintenance of the cistern, has caused occasional collapses of the buildings above. In the 1930s, several homes collapsed on Walnut Street between 43rd and 44th Streets after they were undermined by the creek. There have been road collapses on 43rd Street, south of Walnut. In 1955, the block of Sansom Street between 43rd and 44th Streets collapsed and was condemned. The creek undermines the roadbed where the Route 34 and Route 13 trolleys cross 43rd Street.[8]
Montgomery County has begun an effort to restore the creek's watershed through its Mill Creek Stream Restoration.[10]
Further reading
Whiston Spirn, Ann (1998). The Language of Landscape. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 160–72. ISBN0-300-08294-0. - for a discussion of the suppression of Mill Creek in Philadelphia and efforts to recognize the lost stream
Adam Levine. "From Creek to Sewer: A Philadelphia Story". phillyh2o.org.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mill Creek (Philadelphia).
"West Philadelphia, "The Genesis of 'The City Across The River'"".
"millcreekurbanfarm.org".
John Frederick Lewis (1924). "The River As It Was, The River As It Is, The River As It Should Be". Philadelphia: City Parks Association.
Three 1924 photos from Gray's Ferry Bridge north to the outlet of Mill Creek and The Woodlands:
"Photo 1".
"Photo 2".
"Photo 3".
"1903 chart of Philadelphia's main sewers, including the Mill Creek System], at Greater Philadelphia GeoHistory Network". PhilaGeoHistory.org.
Anne Whiston Spirn. "The Buried River". West Philadelphia Landscape Project. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
References
^"West Philadelphia Collaborative History - Mill Creek". collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
^"Mill Creek Watershed". web.mit.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
^Levine, Adam (January 2, 2009). "Changes in the Names of Streams In and About Philadelphia: 1879". Philly H2O. Adam Levine. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
^Lloyd, Mark Frazier (2009). "Chapter One: A Gentleman's Farm, 1771 to 1835". 112 ACRES OF CHANGE IN THE HEART OF WEST PHILADELPHIA. West Philadelphia Community History Center / UPenn. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
^"How Philadelphia's rich watershed became a sewer shed". Weekly Press - Center City. Philadelphia. 2010-09-01.[permanent dead link]
^"Welcome to the West Philadelphia Community History Center | West Philadelphia Community History Center". westphillyhistory.archives.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
^"Philly H2O: Cobbs Creek Historical Overview". www.phillyh2o.org. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
^"Shuttle buses replace Route 34 trolleys due to sinkhole (updated)". West Philly Local. 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
^Weaver, William Wallace (1930). West Philadelphia: a study of natural social areas. Prelinger Library. Philadelphia.
^Lathrop, Wendy (June 2007). "New Spellings of 'Sustainable'" (PDF). The American Surveyor. Cheves Media. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
mill, creek, philadelphia, west, philadelphia, neighborhood, mill, creek, philadelphia, mill, creek, rises, montgomery, county, pennsylvania, runs, southeasterly, west, philadelphia, where, enters, 19th, century, sewer, pipes, debouches, roughly, five, miles, . For the West Philadelphia neighborhood see Mill Creek Philadelphia Mill Creek rises in Montgomery County Pennsylvania runs southeasterly to West Philadelphia where it enters 19th century sewer pipes and debouches roughly five miles later in the Schuylkill River near The Woodlands Cemetery It starts near Narbeth where its source is buried then runs free for a mile or so before entering Philadelphia at the Overbrook station 1 Mill CreekThe bowl in Clark Park was once a mill pond fed by Mill CreekLocationCountryUnited StatesStatePennsylvaniaPhysical characteristicsSourceNarbeth locationMontgomery County PennsylvaniaMouth locationSchuylkill River coordinates39 56 35 N 75 12 20 W 39 943047 N 75 2056826 W 39 943047 75 2056826Discharge locationSchuylkill RiverThe creek which drains about 5 000 acres 20 km2 gave its name to a neighborhood in Philadelphia that it flows under 2 Contents 1 Development 2 Further reading 3 See also 4 External links 5 ReferencesDevelopment Edit Mill Creek Sewer ca 1883 at 47th Street and Haverford Avenue in West Philadelphia The effort to encapsulate and bury Mill Creek in a 21 foot 6 4 m sewer pipe ran from 1869 to 1894 The creek called Nanganesey by the Lenape Indians in their patent to white settlers was renamed Quarn Creek by the Swedish settlers It later took the names Monson s Great Mill Fall Mill Creek and Little Mill Creek after the factories it powered at Grays Ferry 3 Originally Mill Creek was fast flowing 10 miles per hour and could discharge 300 000 cubic feet per minute into the Schuylkill It was known to flood destroying crops and creating seas of mud In 1834 merchant and banker John Buckman built a 90 foot dam across Mill Creek just south of Market Street at current day 46th Street The dam diverted some of the water into a 12 foot wide mill race that ran parallel to the Creek for about 1 100 feet and into a 30 by 60 foot forebay The water flowed under Market Street and over waterwheels that powered Buckman s mill 4 As urban development began in West Philadelphia the city covered several stream beds with cisterns and a layer of fill deep enough to level the land so that it could be platted into a regular street grid In 1866 a land survey determined that Mill Creek should be drained The covering of Mill Creek began in 1869 encapsulating the watercourse in a 20 foot 6 1 m diameter drainpipe said to be the largest sewer pipe in the world at the time 5 By 1872 the creek was buried south to Baltimore Avenue 6 Its burial was completed around 1895 allowing the grid of rowhouse development to continue toward the city s western edge at Cobbs Creek 7 Natural erosion abetted by spotty maintenance of the cistern has caused occasional collapses of the buildings above In the 1930s several homes collapsed on Walnut Street between 43rd and 44th Streets after they were undermined by the creek There have been road collapses on 43rd Street south of Walnut In 1955 the block of Sansom Street between 43rd and 44th Streets collapsed and was condemned The creek undermines the roadbed where the Route 34 and Route 13 trolleys cross 43rd Street 8 A prominent feature of Clark Park is its bowl once a mill pond fed by the creek 9 Montgomery County has begun an effort to restore the creek s watershed through its Mill Creek Stream Restoration 10 Further reading EditWhiston Spirn Ann 1998 The Language of Landscape New Haven Yale University Press pp 160 72 ISBN 0 300 08294 0 for a discussion of the suppression of Mill Creek in Philadelphia and efforts to recognize the lost stream Adam Levine From Creek to Sewer A Philadelphia Story phillyh2o org See also Edit Philadelphia portalList of rivers of PennsylvaniaExternal links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mill Creek Philadelphia West Philadelphia The Genesis of The City Across The River millcreekurbanfarm org John Frederick Lewis 1924 The River As It Was The River As It Is The River As It Should Be Philadelphia City Parks Association Three 1924 photos from Gray s Ferry Bridge north to the outlet of Mill Creek and The Woodlands Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 1903 chart of Philadelphia s main sewers including the Mill Creek System at Greater Philadelphia GeoHistory Network PhilaGeoHistory org Anne Whiston Spirn The Buried River West Philadelphia Landscape Project Retrieved 2019 06 04 References Edit West Philadelphia Collaborative History Mill Creek collaborativehistory gse upenn edu Retrieved 2019 06 07 Mill Creek Watershed web mit edu Retrieved 2019 06 07 Levine Adam January 2 2009 Changes in the Names of Streams In and About Philadelphia 1879 Philly H2O Adam Levine Retrieved December 4 2013 Lloyd Mark Frazier 2009 Chapter One A Gentleman s Farm 1771 to 1835 112 ACRES OF CHANGE IN THE HEART OF WEST PHILADELPHIA West Philadelphia Community History Center UPenn Retrieved December 1 2013 How Philadelphia s rich watershed became a sewer shed Weekly Press Center City Philadelphia 2010 09 01 permanent dead link Welcome to the West Philadelphia Community History Center West Philadelphia Community History Center westphillyhistory archives upenn edu Retrieved 2019 06 07 Philly H2O Cobbs Creek Historical Overview www phillyh2o org Retrieved 2019 06 07 Shuttle buses replace Route 34 trolleys due to sinkhole updated West Philly Local 2019 06 04 Retrieved 2019 06 04 Weaver William Wallace 1930 West Philadelphia a study of natural social areas Prelinger Library Philadelphia Lathrop Wendy June 2007 New Spellings of Sustainable PDF The American Surveyor Cheves Media Retrieved 2016 03 03 Coordinates 39 56 49 N 75 12 11 W 39 947 N 75 203 W 39 947 75 203 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mill Creek Philadelphia amp oldid 1057498867, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
