History Of Fairmount Park

Fairmount Park began with the acquisition of "Faire Mount" in 1810 for the construction of a new Water Works to provide safe and ample drinking water to the rapidly expanding city. As the city grew, additional properties on either side of the Schuylkill were acquired to prevent industrial, commercial and residential development, and to create a protected watershed for Philadelphia's drinking water supply. These properties included farmsteads of early settlers, country estates and manor houses of Philadelphia's politically and economically affluent residents, and industrial and commercial properties. The acquisitions provided open passive recreational space for the ever-expanding population, community development and urbanization of the city, as well as a protected watershed.

By 1867 the Fairmount Park Commission was organized to administer the nearly 4,000 acres of parkland. Under the auspices of the Fairmount Park Commission, the park was expanded to include parcels of land in Northeast Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill in which are also situated significant cultural resources. Today Fairmount Park consists of 9,204 acres of city land.

Many of the cultural resources situated within the boundaries of the historic district, and resources within the park system outside the boundaries of the historic district, are individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The resources include: John Bartram House, Boat House Row, Chamounix, Fairmount Water Works, Glen Foerd at Torresdale, Hatfield House, Laurel Hill Cemetery, Memorial Hall, The Monastery, Mount Pleasant, Rittenhousetown Historic District, Ryerss Mansion. These resources are also significant in the areas of architecture, commerce, industry, politics, recreation, social/humanitarianism, transportation and urban planning. Two of those resources, Laurel Hill Cemetery and Fairmount Water Works, have been designated a National Historic Landmark, the highest designation granted by the United States Department of the Interior.

Many of the cultural resources not individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places have been certified historic by the City of Philadelphia Historical Commission and are eligible to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places should nominations be submitted. For example, sites in this category include American Swedish Historical Museum, Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Park, Philadelphia Museum of Art and Rodin Museum.

We invite you to use this web site to learn more about some of the most beautiful and historically significant cultural resources in America. We suggest you call the various sites prior to your visit in case of schedule changes or if you need more detailed directions.

Please feel free to contact us at the Fairmount Park Council for Historic Sites with your questions.

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