Ruins of a old stone water fountain await your discovery just off the Schuylkill River Path near the East Falls Bridge. Though dry today, this fountain originally refreshed many a thirsty horse and weary travelers on their way to downtown Philadelphia. Cool lake water fed the fountain via a small stream from Lake Charmount, which disappeared from area maps around 1880. The land in this area was once owned by entrepreneur William Simpsons who operated Edystone Print Works, a huge paper and textile factory occupying 17 acres of the hillside just above this location.
By 1867, in the last remaining years of the Industrial Revolution, Fairmount Park was formed to protect the supply of Philadelphia's drinking water ...and thus began a long process of land acquisition to clean up the watershed. Eventually the Edystone factory was ordered to be shut down and it was completely demolished after Simpsons's death. Records indicate that all of Simpsons Philadelphia factories closed/relocated to the surrounding suburbs by 1926. Today what remains of Lake Charmount is a small, self-contained waterfall... whispering in the background as you search for your cache. Please take pause and enjoy this spot!