Site of the 300 year-old dam upstream from the Frankford Ave bridge - November 14, 2006

1697 saw the construction of the King's Highway Bridge over Pennypack Creek - now the oldest bridge on a major highway (Frankford Ave - Rte 13) in the Americas.  At the same time, a grist mill was built downstream from the bridge and a dam upstream to harness water to power the mill.  The mill was totally destroyed by fire in the late 1800's and the dam and mill race slowly succumbed to the ravages of time.  What was left of the dam - mostly on the south side of the creek - was removed by bulldozer on Monday, November 13, 2006.  The purpose of the removal is to re-establish conditions suitable for migratory fish species that historically moved in and out of Pennypack Creek before dams blocked their passage (e.g., hickory shad, blueback herring).

For photos of the removal operation click here.

ca 1960

2006