209 East Hartwell Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19118
(formerly the 8300 block of Ardleigh Street)
© Jane Mork Gibson, Workshop
of the World (Oliver Evans Press,
1990).
The Chestnut Hill Water
Company was a private enterprise incorporated in 1856 to
supply water to the Chestnut Hill community, and the
stone tower which contained a standpipe and had a wooden
tank on top was built in 1859. An engine house providing
steam power and a reservoir were also constructed.
Charles Heebner was president of the company and the
managers were Charles Heebner, John Smallman, Enoch Rex,
W.L. Hirst, and Owen Sheridan. The contractors were
Gordon McNeil and John F. Rumer; the engineer was Joshua
Comly. The present owner is the City of Philadelphia.
The Chestnut Hill Water Company's land extended on the
east side of Germantown Avenue from above Hartwell Lane
to Southampton Avenue, reaching back to the Reading
Railroad. Natural springs between the tower and the
railroad were impounded to provide a reservoir, and there
was a well next to the engine house. The location of the
waterworks was near the highest elevation in Chestnut
Hill, but more height was needed to service the community
and so the standpipe was built. The engine house and
boiler house were constructed so that the steam engine
could provide the necessary power to raise the water from
the well and from the reservoir to the wooden
tank/reservoir on top of the standpipe for distribution.
The circular tower was 125 feet high, with a door and six
window openings to light the spiral staircase inside,
built around a steel pipe that held the water.
An auxiliary reservoir nearby on Stenton Avenue was later
added to increase the available supply. Both reservoirs
were enclosed by neat, white picket fences. Details of
the Chestnut Hill Waterworks are given by John J.
Macfarlane, who also describes the additional reservoir:
The water was supplied from a well and springs. The well
had a capacity of 100,000 gallons and supplied 80,000
gallons; the springs had a capacity of 5,000,000 gallons
and supplied 350,000 gallons. The company purchased a
tract on Stenton Avenue, on the Montgomery County side,
below Graver's Lane, where they built a reservoir which
increased the capacity to 6,316,000 gallons, with an
inflow of 587,000 gallons. The tower was 125 feet high
and the capacity of the tank on the top was 40,000
gallons. In dry weather when the natural supply was not
sufficient it obtained water by means of a pipe from Mt.
Airy. Prior to the erection of the waterworks there was a
brickyard on the same ground. 1
With the onset of the Civil War, Mower Military Hospital
was constructed in Chestnut Hill near the waterworks,
just across the tracks of the Reading Railroad on land
that was also owned by Charles Heebner. The hospital
opened on January 3, 1863 and during that year served
6,034 patients. The importance of the water works was
evident when on December 24, 1863, the boiler at Chestnut
Hill Water Works exploded. The Germantown Telegraph
reported that the water in the boiler was too low and the
engineer ran in water without lowering the fire. The
explosion wrecked the engine and boiler house and a
nearby dwelling, badly scalding John Johnson, the
engineer. The resulting lack of water caused much
inconvenience to the military hospital because water then
had to be hauled to the facility. 2
According to a typescript in the Philadelphia Water
Department Library, "History, Growth & Development of
Philadelphia Water Dept," the Philadelphia Water
Department took possession of the Chestnut Hill Works on
January 20, 1873. 3
The purchase
price was $65,000. When the springs supplying the works
failed in 1875, a main was laid from the Mount Airy
Reservoir to supply the system by connecting with the
Roxborough water works which pumped water from the
Schuylkill River at Shawmont. Water was carried across
Wissahickon Creek in a pipe bridge and then to the Mount
Airy Reservoir on Allen's Lane, and water from there was
pumped to Chestnut Hill. The Chestnut Hill Reservoir was
abandoned in 1904, and after that date the water supply
came from the Mount Airy and Roxborough Reservoirs. By
that time the houses that had been built on land near the
Chestnut Hill Reservoir polluted the spring and well
water, making it unfit to drink. In 1910 the Chestnut
Hill Water Works was dismantled and the buildings and
grounds turned into a playground for
children.
On Friday, April 6, 1917, the old water tower was damaged
in a storm. A newspaper clipping read, "OLD WATER TANK IN
RUINS—The wooden tank surmounting the abandoned
water tower, on Norwood Street, below Graver's Lane, was
wrecked in the storm of last night. The tank has been in
dilapidated condition for some years. Suggestions that
the tower be converted into an observatory, as it
occupies a commanding station, have been made, but the
funds for the work have never been available." Another
clipping reminisced, "The old water tower (1859) at
Gravers Station, now so forlorn and dilapidated, thirty
odd years ago was still in use. There were those
who had climbed to its top and spoke of the magnificent
view. At the base a reservoir of clear water sparkled in
the sun." 4
In 1919 the present-day Water Tower Recreation Center was
built at 209 East Hartwell Lane, on the site of the old
engine house and boiler house that comprised the pumping
station. Robert R. McGoodwin was the architect and
Pringle Borthwick the contractor. This is a two-story
Classical Revival stone recreation building with two
matching one-story wings stretching east and west of the
main structure. There are ball playing fields on the site
of the reservoir, and also tennis courts. The building
was dedicated to the memory of Henry M. Houston Woodward
who died during the First World War. He was the son of
Dr. and Mrs. George Woodward who were instrumental in
creating the Water Tower Recreation Center for the
community's use. Today the gymnasium provides a large
meeting hall where civic activities are held, and
community holiday festivities take place on the playing
fields.
The water tower has become a town symbol, but few
residents know its history. The interior of the stone
tower no longer functions except as a nest for birds. The
entrance has been sealed with concrete, and there is
greenery visible in the window openings and at the top.
The inscription on the sealed entrance to the 1859 water
tower reads, "Restored in 1949 in memory of Samuel Y.
Heebner, son of Charles Heebner, President, Chestnut Hill
Water Company, under whose direction this tower was
erected." Nearby, overlooking the site of the reservoir
and playing fields, are two stone pillars constructed as
a war memorial with bronze placques dedicated to those
who died during World War II and containing the names of
81 individuals from local families.
1 J. Macfarlane,
History
of Early Chestnut Hill, (1927), p.
106.
2 See "Abstracts,
Germantown Telegraph 1830-1868, Germantown Chronicle
1869-1972," Scrapbook compiled in 1946 by
Edward W. Hocker and deposited at Germantown Historical
Society, p. 101.
3 J. Macfarlane cites the date
as 1872 (p. 106). This was probably based on a loan
having been approved at that time.
4 Scrapbook in Germantown
Historical Society.
Update May
2007 (by
Jane Mork Gibson):
The area occupied by the
former Chestnut Hill Water Company’s power station
and reservoir has become an integral part of the
community as a recreation center, operated by the
Philadelphia Department of Recreation. In 1919 the Water
Tower Recreation Center was built on the site of the
pumping station, and athletic fields replaced the
reservoir. Due in part to the springs that once fed the
reservoir, the athletic fields become muddy when it
rains. The stone water tower remains in situ, overlooking
athletic fields built on the site of the reservoir. The
water tower appears to be in good repair but the wooden
tank at the top of the tower was removed prior to 1947.
The entrance is still blocked, and there is now no
evidence of greenery growing at the top or in the window
openings.
The Recreation Center offers a variety of classes and
activities for children of all ages. Schools and many
other groups use the basketball court in the building and
the athletic fields outside, which include space for
baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, and basketball.
There is space available for meetings of community
groups. There is an Indian Culture Room with exhibits of
India where a monthly meeting is held to exchange
experiences.
During the week activities are planned for specific age
groups. On weekday mornings there is TOT Recreation for
three- to five-year-olds, where children are introduced
to a wide range of basic skills. In the afternoon there
are after-school activities from 3 to 6 p.m., which
include a snack, homework, sports, computers, and arts
and crafts.
The spring of 2007 brochure lists the following classes,
plus information on a summer camp: Dance Classes (18
Months-Adult); Mommy & Me Dance Class (Creative
Movement ages 18 mo.-2 yrs.); Cooking Class (Boys &
Girls, 7 years & Up); Flag Football (for Boys &
Girls); Gymnastics (PreSchool Class, Beginner, Advanced
Beginner, Competitive Team for Girls, Girls Gymnastics
Team, Boys Gymnastics Team); Aerobics for Adults; Karate
(for Children & Adults); CHYSC Baseball; Water Tower
Top Models (Ages 8 - 16); Children’s Art Classes;
“Collage" (children 8-12); Adult Art
Classes—"Drawing," “Faux Finishing,"
“Paper & Stamps." The Recreation Center can be
reached at (215) 685-9296.