Fairmount Water Works

The Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was Philadelphia’s second municipal waterworks. Designed in 1812 by Frederick Graff and built between 1812 and 1872, it operated until 1909, winning praise for its design and becoming a popular tourist attraction.

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Historic site of Philadelphia's 1st pumping station, beautiful architecture that has been standing for over 200 years & today houses an award-winning Interpretive Center focusing on environmental education and stewardship. Something for all ages, from Fresh Water Mussel Lab, interactive displays about the environment, a movie about the history and much more to discover!

Free Museum Days: Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center

Free Museum Days

June 20, 2026

10:00 am

Come to learn about some of the creatures making the Schuylkill River their home. Collect a water sample at river's edge and explore the micro-life in a drop of water. Try your hand at drawing some of the intricate and striking geometric designs of diatoms. Through hands-on activities, get to know the life of the freshwater mussel. Find out about our research on this important mollusk. It’s propagation season, so there is a possibility that we will be propagating mussels!