Fairmount Dam

Dangerous and expensive steam engines originally pumped river water up to the Reservoir, so the Watering Committee decided to convert the Water Works to water power. Fairmount Dam was built for that purpose, crossing the Schuylkill River at an angle and diverting the river from its natural channel into the Forebay, now filled-in. At 2,008 feet, this innovative dam was the longest in the United States when completed in 1821, and it was designed by Massachusetts engineer Ariel Cooley. Besides providing water power, the dam created a pool of calm, pond-like water stretching five miles upriver. The Fairmount Pool has been popularly used for boating and recreation from the 1820s to the present.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States