A zoom talk by Adam Levine

Wed, November 2, 2022, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT

Thanks largely to investments and regulations stemming from the Clean Water Act of 1972, the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers are now cleaner than they have been at any time in the past century.

Philadelphia Water Department Historian Adam Levine will look at how a rising tide of pollution in the 19th and early 20th centuries affected the well-being of the city’s residents and the region’s overall ecological health, and how that tide has since abated.

Levine will illustrate how tighter controls on industrial and sewage discharges in Philadelphia and in upstream communities have led to significant improvements in both the quality of the river water and the livability of the riverfronts.

More on the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act in Philadelphia:
https://water.phila.gov/drops/cwa50/

Here is the link for Adam’s talk:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/clean-water-act-50-history-talk-with-phila-water-historian-adam-levine-tickets-441067784617?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

In the page below there are other events and also a link to a related video, River Rebirth, about this subject, featuring Adam:
https://vimeo.com/753961864

Nation of Inventors

Nation of Inventors celebrates the American spirit of ingenuity by taking visitors on a journey from the early years of the patent system, in the 1790s, through the “golden age” of American invention, in the late 1800s. The exhibit features more than 120 patent models from Hagley’s unique collection highlighting the diverse stories of inventors from all walks of life.

Patent models are scaled representations of inventions and were part of the patent application process for nearly 100 years. Nation of Inventors showcases patent models representing innovations in a variety of industries from transportation and manufacturing to food preservation and medical devices.

In the exhibition, visitors will enjoy engaging experiences around every corner, testing their knowledge of innovation and hearing personal accounts from inventors.

Nation of Inventors is a must-see attraction for families with children, museumgoers interested in stories of innovation and invention, and visitors who are ready to rediscover Hagley.

https://www.hagley.org/plan-your-visit/what-to-see/exhibits/nation-inventors

Hagley posted a story about how the year-long delay if the exhibit due to flooding of the building allowed the addition of an iron of special significance. “It was the first American patent for an iron, the twenty-ninth patent issued to a woman in the United States, and the oldest known surviving model submitted by a woman.”

https://www.hagley.org/librarynews/museum-collection-cook-ing-addition-nation-inventors

Joel Spivak is sharing this information on a zoom program of interest.

Central Electric Railfans’ Association presents:

Live via Zoom, October 14, 2022, 7:00 P.M. (Central Time)

INTERURBAN RAILWAYS OF CANADA

While many of us are familiar with the electric interurban rail operations in the  United States, it is all too easy to forget that our Canadian neighbors also played host to a number of electric lines. Who can forget such favorites as the London & Port Stanley Railway with its former Milwaukee Electric cars, or the classic lines of the cars of the Montreal & Southern Counties Railway?

On Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m., MCERA Ray DeGroote will show a selection of views of seven Canadian systems which continued service into the 1950’s, long enough that many color photos of his and other collectors are available. 

See also what cars remain today in museums to remind us of some large and some small enterprises that once were very close to us and continued in service long after many of ours were gone.

All are welcome for this second Friday of the month Zoom program.

Join us by clicking here:

It seems the link to register for this event was ommitted in the notice that was sent to followers.

Click here to register.

Fairmount Waterworks Book Party & Exhibition Opening

Tuesday, October 11, 2022, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Please join Sandy Sorlien and other contributors to celebrate the launch of Inland, a new book of photographs, maps, and essays about the historic Schuylkill Navigation system and its mostly-hidden ruins. Oliver Evans chapter member Mike Szilagyi is a contributor to the project and the book.

Inland was published in hardcover by George F. Thompson Books, designed by Deborah Larkin in Philadelphia, and printed by Brilliant Graphics in Pennsylvania. Main Point Books will be on site with books available for purchase ($45).

An exhibition of prints and maps from the book will be on view in the Media Gallery through January 8, 2023.

Questions? Contact Sandy Sorlien at sandysorlien@comcast.net.

Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center
640 Waterworks Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19130

Use the link below to register for the event: