Upcoming Lectures and Tours
with
ADAM LEVINE

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LECTURE AND TOUR SPONSORED BY THE
Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
www.morrisarboretum.org

May 11, 2010, 7 pm – 8:30 pm
From Creek to Sewer: A History of Topographical Change in Philadelphia

Where: Morris Arboretum, 100 E. Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia.
Cost Members: $25 Non-members: $30

In this fascinating illustrated lecture, I will uncover a part of Philadelphia’s history that few people ever think about, the drastic changes made in the city’s landscape since its founding in 1682. The most significant change was the systematic obliteration of almost all the city’s streams. Buried deep underground in pipes as large as 24 feet in diameter, these former streams, some of which had watersheds that covered thousands of acres, became main drainage arteries in the city’s 3,000 mile sewer system. These massive alterations to the landscape, undertaken over two centuries, have environmental repercussions that are still being felt today.

May 15, 2010, 9:30 am – 1 pm (Rain date: June 5)
A Tour of Wingohocking Creek, one of Philadelphia's Hidden Streams

Meet at Sedgwick train station, 253 E. Mt. Pleasant Ave. between Sprague and Devon Sts.
Cost: Members: $30 Non-members: $36

Like any natural area in this well- watered part of the country, Philadelphia was once laced with a complex system of streams and their tributaries, many of which are now hidden underground. To provide level land for new homes, protect the health of our citizens, and provide drainage for expanding neighborhoods, city engineers in the 19th and 20th centuries re-channeled most of these waterways into massive sewers that now run far beneath the streets. Join me on this fascinating bus tour that will follow the winding course of the Wingohocking Creek. Once a major tributary to Frankford Creek that provided power for many factories, the Wingohocking now runs in a sewer that drains several neighborhoods, including Mt. Airy, Germantown, Olney, Feltonville, and Juniata. We will stop at points of interest along the way, including the Awbury Arboretum and Belfield, home of Charles Wilson Peale, on the LaSalle University campus. You’ll also learn more about watersheds and how you can help protect the streams in your neighborhoods. This tour is co-sponsored by the Philadelphia Water Department and the Morris Arboretum. Meet at the Sedgwick train station at 253 E. Mt. Pleasant Avenue between Sprague and Devon Streets. A bus will pick us up and return us to the train station. Participants should be capable of getting in and out of the bus and walking on uneven terrain. Bring a snack and something to drink. Restroom stops will be made.

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May 20-22
Construction History Society of America
Second Biennial Meeting
HISTORY OF CONSTRUCTION IN THE AMERICAS
Held at the University of Pennsylvania
For more information, visit www.constructionhistorysociety.org/events.php

I will present my latest research on the environmental impact of the grid street plan of Philadelphia. This presentation will be based on a paper I recently completed for an anthology on the environmental history of Philadelphia, to be published by the University of Pittsburgh Press in 2011. Besides the long-term, ongoing support of the Philadelphia Water Department, this reseach was also supported by a Charles E. Peterson Fellowship from The Athenaeum of Philadelphia. I hope to present some of my resaerch at The Athenaeum, and will list that event when it is scheduled.