Wissahickon Valley

Wissahickon Valley. , The inspiration for this garden is the Wissahickon Valley Park, a picturesque wooded gorge extending seven miles along Wissahickon Creek in the northwestern section of Philadelphia. The first to walk the rugged trails of the valley were the Lenni-Lenape tribe, and the name 'Wissahickon' originates from their word for "catfish creek." In the mid-1600s, colonists arrived and transformed the valley into the first industrial area of North America by damming the creek to supply power for more than 25 mills located along its banks. Inns and taverns appeared soon thereafter but were demolished in the mid-19th century once Philadelphia's Fairmount Park Commission acquired the valley in 1868 to preserve the purity of the City's water supply. Frequently immortalized in 19th century paintings and writings, the Wissahickon Valley became the first piece of publicly owned land in the nation to be preserved because of its scenic attributes. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1964., [Captions:] , Wissahickon schist, featured in this garden, is a unique bedrock underlying the Philadelphia region that became a common building material in the 19th and 20th centuries., This garden recreates geology and flora native to the Wissahickon Valley Park, including the Sweetbay Magnolia tree, the River Birch and the Black Chokeberry.