Wissahickon Creek in Fairmont Park - Philadelphia, PA
[Easter] Sunday April 20th, 2003
Easter 2003 - after church and lunch, Angela and I split ways. She goes on to get work done at school, and I hop in the car for the 15-minute ride out to the Wissahickon Creek in Fairmont Park. This is my second visit to the Wissahickon Creek, located in Northwest Philadelphia. Last visit
[see 02/02/03]
, the creek ran cold with water from the winter's melting snow. Now, it's nearly summer and the place is blooming. Everything is green. Last time we drove up to about the middle of the creek. Today I started at the southeast corner, at a place called Rittenhouse town [see map at the bottom of the page - start at the bottom of the doted line (that's Forbidden Drive)].
A sign at Rittenhouse town reads:
Rittenhouse Town
William Rittenhouse, first Mennonite minister in America, erected here in 1690 the colonies' first paper mill. Successive generations of Rittenhouses built additional mills, establishing this region as the center of American papermaking. By the 1850s the village had over 40 buildings, and seven early buildings survive from this one prosperous industrial community. Scientist David Rittenhouse was born here in 1732.
Here are some images from Rittenhouse Town. Like I said, everything is in bloom. Some of the colonial homes here were strictly restorations and stood as models of what once was, but some of these places are actually inhabited!
The Wissahickon Creek is only a few minutes hike from Rittenhouse town.
The pictures that follow were taken along the creek, heading north.
By revolutionary times, there were 24 mills thriving in the valley. However,
a gradual decline in production left us with the ruins like the one you see below.
One thing you realize quickly while hiking along the Wissahickon is the unique glimmer reflected by the rocks in the path. This stone is called Wissahickon schist and is very abundant in the valley - many homes in the area are made of this stone. The dirt even glimmers with embedded pieces of schist.
I met up with some friends: (left to right) Lindsey, Britt, Scott, and Katie. They were
celebrating Lindsey's birthday with a picknick which included pasta salad, salad,
cookies, and a gigantic chocolate cake.
This is probably where I picked up a tick.
This is an overhead shot of the creek from one of the
stone-bridges that cross the Wissahickon.
There are four large trees in the picture to the left. If you look exactly between them, you may be able to find a large white statue. You've found the "TOLERANCE" statue. A sign about 150 ft. down from this spot reads:
Toleration Statue
Look across the creek, about 150 feet up the hill. See the bronze statue? Some people call it "William Penn," but its real name is "Toleration." It honors the political and religious tolerance sought by Europeans settling here.
The statue stands on Mom Rinker's Rock. Some locals say Mom was a witch. Others say she was a Revolutionary patriot who spied on the British.
Well-known city leader John Welsh bought the 10-foot-tall statue, then had it set here in 1883.
Personally, I think Rinker was a witch. How else can you explain four huge trees growing straight out of a rock?
Just for a point of reference, I would say that the base of the statue is about 5 ft. high.
I climbed up Mom Rinker's Rock, and let me tell you, Mr. Toleration has a nice view. While I
was up there, a couple came up the "easy side" and we struck up a conversation. The husband
was from Pittsburgh, and said that he came here as a kid. As he posed for a picture (taken by
his wife) in front of the statue, he told me that he remembered the statue being much bigger.
He also mentioned that Fairmount Park was the largest municipal park in the country.
I climbed down into the water to get these shots of the fly-fishers.
The Wissahickon Creek holds 30 species of fish including: American eel, carp,
goldfish, shiner, dace, darter, bass, and sunfish. Also, the creek is stocked with
trout in April of every year, but not enough of that population survives to breed.
These final two pictures were taken after 5PM. The sun was well into
it's setting phase, and the cover of the trees makes it seem even later.
Edgar Allan Poe, who had at least 7 addresses in Philadelphia, would probably have
considered the Wissahickon his country home address. He frequented this place and
said this about it, "the Wissahiccon is of so remarkable a loveliness that, were it flowing in
England, it would be the theme of every bard, and the common topic of every tongue." To
read all of Poe's The Elk or Morning on the Wissahickon click here. Also note what
Poe says about Louisiana in this work.
Below is a map of my own creation - sort of. I am collecting maps of the park and general
region and creating my own version. I hope to keep adding to this basic model until I've labeled
all of my own favorite nooks and crannies. I will most probably also combine all the Wissahickon
Slices of America pages into one when I have covered all ground to my satisfaction.
My path today is shown as a red dotted line.
