Industries
shown along
Frankford Creek and Tacony Creek and their tributaries
on
the
Dripps
Map of 1849
The full name of the map is “Map of the township of Oxford, boroughs of Frankford and Bridesburg with parts of Bristol, N. Liberties and Cheltenham Townships. Published by M. Dripps, Phila. 1849.” As such, it does not include the entire watershed. Missing are all of the Germantown territory of the Wingohocking watershed, and the upper reaches of the Tacony Creek above Cheltenham. Where the list notes “map ends,” this means that there is more creek beyond this point and, presumably, more industry. Even within these limitations, the map shows 30 factories and mills, most of which are named and were presumably going concerns.
The list starts at the mouth of Frankford Creek and works upstream from this point. Tributaries are placed in their proper sequence. For the purposes of this list, Frankford Creek is the name of the stream below the mouth of the Wingohocking, with the name Tacony Creek used for the stream above this point.
A group of color scans from the original Dripps map (from the Free Library Map Collection) included on this CD. Also provided is a black-and-white full-size xerox copy of the map.
On Frankford Creek:
Lennig's Tacony Chemical Works (at mouth of the creek in Bridesburg)
United States Arsenal
On unnamed tributary to south side
of Frankford Creek
Wilcock & Co. Umbrella Stick Turning Manufactory
On Little Tacony (or Tackawanna)
Creek:
A. & S. Hillis' Coal and Wood Wharf (at mouth)
J. Briggs & Co. Tackawanna Print Works (with long mill race
and mill pond)
Group of buildings marked "Spinn'g, Dye'g & Wea'g."
J. Haworth's Woolen Factory
J. Brooks' Bridgewater Iron Works
W.R. Cooper’s Coal & Wood Wharf
Unnamed mill through which the race from Duffield's Pond flows
On unnamed tributary, entering on
south side of Frankford Creek:
Morris Dye Works
Frankford Chemical Works (C.W. Geisse)
C.M. Prevost's Cotton Factory (at mouth)
Roberts Knitting Cotton Factory
On unnamed tributary running northeast
of Frankford Creek below Pilling's Pond:
J. & W. Horrock's Frankford Dye Works
Summerdale Print Works
Pilling’s Print & Dye Works
On Wingohocking Creek:
Dewee's Paper Mill (at mouth)
Woolen Factory (at Old York Road)
Fisher's Hosiery Wakefield Mills (where two branches join)
[Right branch]
Wister’s Print Works
Harper Mason Fork Factory
Barlow & Lord Cotton Factory
Flour Mill
Dawson [Damson?] & Co.’s Dye Works
[map ends]
[Left branch]
Bleach Works
Armstrong’s Woolen Yarn Factory
[map ends]
On Tacony
Creek:
W. & H. Rowland’s Rolling Mills (in Rowlandville, with extensive race and pond)
On small unnamed tributary
Friends Insane Asylum
On Rock Run
(No industry)
Cedar Grove Whitaker's Cotton Factory (with extensive mill pond)
McCallmont's Woolen factory (in Crescentville)
(Montgomery County line)
Cheltenham Rolling Mill (Mrs. H.M. Rowland, with large mill pond)
L. B. Rowland's Shovel Factory (with large mill pond)
T. & B. Rowland's Tilt Hammer Factory (with two large mill ponds)
[Map ends]