Industry Transforms the Hidden River

Industry Transforms the Hidden River. . , Until the early 19th century, the banks of the Schuylkill were a scenic retreat. Mansions dotted the riverbanks and institutions moved to the Schuylkill to take advantage of the pleasant and inexpensive land., On March 25, 1805, the City Assembly changed the charter to allow industry along the banks of the tidal Schuylkill (below the Fairmount Dam). As manufacturing in the 1800s and 1900s, businesses expanded to here to take advantage of the river and rail transportation., [Captions:] , After the mid-1800s the river became contaminated with sewage and industrial waste. The river was primarily used for transport until industrial use declined in the mid-20th century., Examples of industry along the Schuylkill: , clothing and paper mills . coal and ice companies . sand and stone merchants . paint and chemical companies . lumber and metal companies . train and tube manufacturing . petroleum refining . gas manufacturing, 1805: The Blockley Almshouse benefited from wide open land along the Schuylkill in the 1800s., 1921: City stockyards and slaughterhouses were centralized across the river from here, where they were able to dump their waste directly into the river., 1926: Factories, warehouses and industrial wharves lined the banks of the tidal Schuylkill.