Poquessing Creek

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Poquessing Creek is a small creek that forms part of the boundary between Bucks County and the northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The creek arises in Trevose and flows in a meandering path of almost 7 miles (11.3 km) to the southeast before emptying into the Delaware River. The mouth of the Poquessing Creek on the Delaware was first proposed as the site for William Penn's Philadelphia, and for many years was known as "Old Philadelphia."

The Poquessing watershed drains portions of Philadelphia, Montgomery, and Bucks counties, including the municipalities of Philadelphia, Upper Southampton, Lower Southampton, Lower Moreland, and Bensalem. The watershed encompasses approximately 21.5 square miles of area.

The name Poquessing comes from the Lenape "Poetquessnink," meaning "place of the mice."

Poquessing Creek and its tributary streams have largely escaped the "channelization" process that has transformed other watersheds in the city. Other streams have experienced at least some significant portion of a tributary being transformed into a storm sewer, as the map at this site discloses. This sewerization process had occurred in the past to allow land to be leveled and filled in order to preserve the traditional and regular rectangular grid of streets and property lines so common to the city. By the 1930s this process was seen as creating many problems. In the late 1950s newly developed housing was built with curving through-streets that conformed to the natural topography of the area, avoiding the need to fill in or level the terrain. The Morrell Park neighborhood was the first in Philadelphia to follow this new pattern, avoiding for years any development close to the stream valley of Byberry Creek, which flows through and about the neighborhood before its confluence with the Poquessing (though later years saw development much closer to the stream than originally envisioned). Channelization of the Poquessing affected only a tiny unnamed stream near Stevenson Lane and Grant Avenue. [1]

Of course, though Byberry Creek and its two branches, Wilsons Run and Waltons Run, remain free flowing, their entire courses are owned and operated by the city as an integral part of the city's storm sewer system, and are so marked on city departmental maps. Despite this circumstance, they have lovely courses during low water flows.

1 Tributaries
2 See also
3 External links
4 Quotations

[edit] Tributaries

Black Lake Run
Bloody Run
Byberry Creek
Colberts Run
Elwoods Run
Waltons Run
Wilsons Run

[edit] See also

List of Pennsylvania rivers

[edit] External links

A photograph of the Poquessing creek from Windows Live Local, after flowing under I-95, and just before emptying into the Delaware River.

[edit] Quotations

Poquessing creek rises in Montgomery County, crosses the north-west line of the late township of Byberry, where it receives a branch which flowed mainly through Moreland. It there bends northward into the county of Bucks, again southward, when it touches the township line, and flows south-east and south-west, forming the boundary line of Byberry, and turning to the south-east enters the Delaware.--Bloody run empties into it at Carter's mill, Black Lake creek at Mechanicsville, and Gilbert's run about a mile below.--Elwood's run and Wilson's run, which rise in Byberry township, unite to form Byberry creek, which enters the Poquessing near the Red Lion tavern.--Colbert's run and Walton's run unite and form Walton's creek, which flows into the Byberry. The latter meets the Poquessing within a mile of where it enters the Delaware River. On Lindstrom's map this stream is called Pouquessinge, La Riviere de Kakimon's. Mr. Henry defines Kakamon's to be a name for the pike, so that this was Pike creek; but Lindstrom also has upon his map Drake Kylen, La Riviere des Dragons, or Dragon River. Campanius calls it Drake Kylen. In a patent to Nicholas Moore it is called Poetquessingh, and on Holmes' map, Potquessin.