Research Hints

I receive many requests, both from within the Philadelphia Water Department and (via the Internet) from people far and wide, for tips on how to research the historical topography of a particular neighborhood. People seem especially interested in discovering evidence of any streams that may have been piped underground in the vicinity of their property.

Often, hints can be gleaned from the existing topography. If a street enters what seems to be a valley, that can sometimes mean that a stream once flowed in that valley.

Libraries, historical societies, county offices, etc. can be a good source for old maps that will help identify the original stream patterns before they were obliterated by development. In many urban and suburban areas, detailed atlases were done on a block-by-block basis, which locate not only streams but individual house lots, sewer lines, water pipes, etc. Generally, the earlier the map or atlas, the more of the original topography it will show.

For anyone interested in the Philadelphia area, I recommend starting such research at the Free Library of Philadelphia Map Collection, located on the second floor of the main library at 1901 Vine Street. Besides the most complete and most accessible collection of Philadelphia atlases this side of the Library of Congress, many old atlases of adjacent suburban counties are available for perusal as well. A volume of particular interest to Philadelphia residents is a set of historic stream maps created by City engineers in the 1930s.

The head of the collection, Richard Boardman, is friendly, helpful, and (most important) extremely knowledgeable. He and his staff can be reached at (215) 686-5397. Please tell him I sent you!