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Celebrating the Bicentennial
of the Manayunk Canal
 PHILADELPHIA,
PA. -- Philadelphia is gearing
up to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the opening of one of its
most influential waterways—the Manayunk Canal. To celebrate, the
Fairmount Water Works is presenting a variety of events to provide
visitors and residents with a fascinating look at the canal's unique
history within the city.
The Manayunk Canal makes up a 2-mile section of the 108-mile Schuylkill
Navigation System, and was used to transport anthracite coal into the
city and other materials upriver to Phoenixville, Pottstown, and
Reading. Water power from the canal allowed 38 mills to thrive in 19th
century Manayunk. Originally called the Flat Rock Canal, records of the
Schuylkill Navigation Company indicate that the first toll was collected
on March 15, 1819. Today, the Manayunk Canal is the only one in the
entire system that still has intact lock chambers at both ends.
The bicentennial events will be held at the Venice Island Performing
Arts and Recreation Center in Manayunk and the Fairmount Water Works
Interpretive Center located on the banks of the Schuylkill River below
the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Events include a panel discussion and
photography presentation showcasing the past, present and future of the
canal, an insider's tour of Lock 69 and the canal area, an exhibition
and booklet about the Manayunk/Fairmount 200-year confluence, and a
video about the abandoned Schuylkill Navigation canals, at the Fairmount
Water Works.
For more than 200 years, the Fairmount Water Works has told the story of
our connection with water. It operated as a pumping station from 1815 to
1909, an aquarium from 1911 to 1962, as the Kelly Natatorium until 1972,
and today serves as Philadelphia Water's public education destination,
housing an award-winning urban environmental education center.
For more information, see the
Manayunk Canal
Web site.
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