Industrial and Environmental history in Philadelphia

[CrazyIvan]

I'm considering researching the historically industrial neighborhoods of the city with an eye towards their environmental impact (pollution, health issues, why they were geographically located where they were, etc.) for a history grad school class, and I was wondering if the collective brain power of PS had any suggestions for resources.

I'm still in the very early planning stages (as in, my professor just e-mailed me that he thinks the topic is interesting), but I was hoping to see if anyone knew of databases/stats/reports that have been recorded as the city developed, or even any secondary literature that they know of. I don't have a particular time frame or neighborhood nailed down- I want to keep my options open now- but I think the mid-nineteenth century through the 1930's are probably going to be useful.

Naturally, Temple's Urban Archives is on my list to go through.

Just wanted to see if there were any interesting suggestions floating out there.

Thanks!

[desolate]

Well many of the riverwards were located initally near the creeks as a power source with the river being used as the shipping method.

The remains of this are things like the Frankford Aresenal, the RohmnHass Plant in Bridesburg, roads like Aramingo which was a canal and the recent conversion from industrial to retail.

Or the Phillyh2o site that shows how industry foced bascially the capping of the entire watershed of that period as a method to combat diseases which could have also been caused by pollution that went undetected.

The creation of Fairmount Park to protect the water supply is another idea.

[CrazyIvan]

Well many of the riverwards were located initally near the creeks as a power source with the river being used as the shipping method.

The remains of this are things like the Frankford Aresenal, the RohmnHass Plant in Bridesburg, roads like Aramingo which was a canal and the recent conversion from industrial to retail.

Or the Phillyh2o site that shows how industry foced bascially the capping of the entire watershed of that period as a method to combat diseases which could have also been caused by pollution that went undetected.

The creation of Fairmount Park to protect the water supply is another idea.

The riverwards are exactly what I had in mind when I started thinking of this project- I've never seen the Philly H2O site, so I'll definitely look through there.

I had considered positioning Fairmount Park as the counterbalance to the industrialization and pollution/waste associated with it, so that's a possibility as well.

Thanks!

[desolate]

The riverwards are exactly what I had in mind when I started thinking of this project- I've never seen the Philly H2O site, so I'll definitely look through there.

I had considered positioning Fairmount Park as the counterbalance to the industrialization and pollution/waste associated with it, so that's a possibility as well.

Thanks!

Philly H2O: Home Page

[Sean]

I've found the Explore PA History site interesting too. It may be too PA instead of Philly focused though.

[Moonraker]

There are area branches of the Society of Industrial Archeology. SIA (Society for Industrial Archeology) local chapters The Oliver Evans chapter meets at the Waterworks behind the Art Museum.

[whatever]

historically industrial neighborhoods of the city with an eye towards their environmental impact (pollution, health issues, why they were geographically located where they were, etc.) for a history grad school class,

I've been living the health impacts of industrial environmental pollution since 2006 when they dug up an industrial site next to a rail station. It was built about 1876 near one of the headwater areas of the Wingohocking. Someone said the area had once been called the swamp. The Rail Station was a major offload area and the stream covered over about 1910. It was also a coal yard for many years with a gas station for coal trucks. Leaded gas. Then a construction and masonry company and auto storage yard.

Soon after I moved in next door, the city started to dig it up with zero environmental procedure or protection and vapors, dust from crushed bricks and contaminated dirt landed me in the hospital and displaced from my home. As soon as I started to complain and dig up history, I was mobbed with accusations that I was crazy. Meanwhile, the site continued to run amuck for years all the way into bankruptcy. My cat died of cancer and I'm still ill and can't live there. The city and community leaders and people behind the project are still refusing to take responsibility and perpetuating civil rights violations, environmental injustice and blatant hate crimes against me for being the whistleblower.

The project went bankrupt a couple years ago and now they are trying to revive it, yet have done nothing to protect the neighbors.

I just started a thread last night about it. Everyone hates me and attacks me and calls me crazy all the time because they want to hide the wrongs done.

Thread
Environmental Injustice and Civil Rights Violations Committed by City in Mt Airy and Perpetuated to the Day

In forum: Architecture and Urban Planning

site I made awhile ago that has maps, stream maps, violations, photos, etc.

Green Up Philadelphia's Toxic History

I'm a good case history if you need it. I've been connecting with others who have similar fate and we are gradually putting together a documentary, although since we are all ill and displaced, we're rather slow. You're lucky you are just writing about it
and not living it.