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60-548: The Schuylkill River passes through Leesport. Leesport is named for Samuel Lee, who in 1840, laid out building lots. A post office was established in 1851. An anthracite furnace owned by the Leesport Iron Company was built in 1853. Leesport was described in 1876 as "a flourishing village", with a station of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad . In 1957, West Leesport, a borough located directly across

120-434: A commuter lot , is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus , rail system ( rapid transit , light rail , or commuter rail ), or carpool for the remainder of the journey. The vehicle is left in the parking lot during the day and retrieved when the owner returns. Park and rides are generally located in

180-778: A 20 January 1956 report in the Los Angeles Times . It refers to the nominal scenario whereby a passenger is driven to the station by spouse or partner , then they kiss each other goodbye before the passenger catches the train. Deutsche Bahn has announced that it will be changing the English expressions for Kiss and Ride, Service Points and Counters to German ones. In Italy the new Bologna Centrale railway station uses "kiss and ride" signs. Some high-speed railway stations in Taiwan have signs outside stations reading "Kiss and Ride" in English, with Chinese characters above

240-532: A common problem with northern canals. The success of these projects and the rosy promise of anthracite (a new wonder fuel in the day) to alleviate energy problems spurred canal construction for the next decade in the east, and commercial opportunities funded three decades of investment from Illinois to the Atlantic Ocean, including the ambitious 1824 Main Line of Public Works bill to connect Philadelphia with

300-469: A full-time basis from 1973. Better Choice Parking first offered an airport park and ride service at London Gatwick Airport in 1978. Oxford now operates park and ride from 5 dedicated parking lots around the city. As of 2015, Oxford has the biggest urban park & ride network in the UK with a combined capacity of 5,031 car parking spaces. Some railway stations are promoted as a park and ride facility for

360-549: A hit by tossing it into the Schuylkill River, noting, "There's a spot in the Schuylkill River everybody uses. If they ever send divers down there, they'd be able to arm a small country." The Schuylkill River has been a plot point in several episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia . In the 2011 episode "Thunder Gun Express", Frank Reynolds , played by Danny DeVito , steals a tourist ferry and travels down

420-408: A name for using cycle boxes or racks near public transport terminals, mostly together with P & R parking lots. This system can be promoted through integrated fare and tickets with public transport system. Many railway stations and airports feature a "kiss-and-ride" or "kiss-and-fly" area in which cars can stop briefly to discharge or, less commonly, pick up passengers. The term first appeared in

480-473: A town a few miles away, for instance Liskeard for Looe and St Erth for St  Ives , both in Cornwall , England, and Norden for Swanage , Dorset , England (by steam railway ). These help relieve traffic congestion and parking problems in the town. In contrast, some stations act as a railhead, easily accessed by road, for long-distance traffic. Names of stations in the UK with large car parks outside

540-460: A travel office, food shop, car wash , or cafeteria may be provided. These are often encouraged by municipal operators to encourage use of park and ride. Park and ride facilities, with dedicated parking lots and bus services, began in the 1960s in the UK. Oxford operated the first such scheme, initially with an experimental service operating part-time from a motel on the A34 in the 1960s and then on

600-556: Is a river in eastern Pennsylvania . It flows for 135 miles (217 km) from Pottsville southeast to Philadelphia , the nation's sixth-largest city, where it joins the Delaware River as one of its largest tributaries. The river's watershed of about 2,000 sq mi (5,180 km ) lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania, stretching from the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians through

660-465: Is filmed by the Schuylkill River and the adjacent neighborhood of Manayunk . The Schuylkill is shown in the beginning of the 2015 video for "Looking Out for You" by Philadelphia indie rock band Joy Again . The 2017 video for "Pain", from A Deeper Understanding by Philadelphia rock band The War on Drugs , features the band floating down the river while performing on a barge. Park and ride A park and ride , also known as incentive parking or

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720-623: Is held on the river near Boathouse Row , as is the annual BAYADA Home Health Care Regatta, featuring disabled rowers from all over the continent, and in autumn the annual Head of the Schuylkill Regatta takes place in Philadelphia. Also, the Stotesbury Cup Regatta , the biggest high school regatta in the world, takes place there. The Chinese sport of dragon boat racing was introduced to the United States on

780-466: Is known to have been on fire more than once throughout history, for example in November 1892 when the surface film of oil that had leaked from nearby oil works at Point Breeze , Philadelphia, was ignited by a match tossed carelessly from a boat, with fatal results. Silt and coal dust from upstream industries, particularly coal mining and washing operations in the headwaters, led to extensive silting of

840-962: Is served by the Schuylkill Valley School District . As of 2010, there were 9.55 miles (15.37 km) of public roads in Leesport, of which 2.33 miles (3.75 km) were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 7.22 miles (11.62 km) were maintained by the borough. Pennsylvania Route 61 runs northwest-southeast through Leesport on Centre Avenue, heading south to Reading and north to Hamburg and Pottsville . Pennsylvania Route 73 begins at PA 61 south of Leesport and heads southeast to Blandon and eventually Philadelphia . Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority (BARTA) provides bus service to Leesport along Route 20, which follows PA 61 on its route between Hamburg to

900-807: The Erie people west and northwest through the gaps of the Allegheny in eastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania (between the upper Allegheny River and Lake Erie), as well as the Five Nations of the Iroquois , another Amerindian confederation eastwards from the right bank of the Genesee River through the Finger Lakes region of upper New York down the St. Lawrence . The Lenape had settlements on

960-572: The Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia , overlooking the Schuylkill River. In 2007 Beth Kephart published Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia's Schuylkill River , a series of poetic ruminations about the river. Philadelphia on the Fly , published in 2005, and Small Fry: The Lure of the Little , published in 2009 contain essays by Ron P. Swegman describing the experience of fly fishing along

1020-665: The Industrial Revolution : the Lehigh Coal Company and the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company. Following White's plan, the latter company improved down river navigation on the Lehigh River , using his Bear Trap Locks design to deliver over 365 tons of anthracite to Philadelphia docks by December 1820, four years ahead of promises to Stockholders. The success, along with the pending opening of

1080-570: The Pennsylvania Railroad were vital shipping conduits from the second decade of the 19th century through the mid-20th century. The rise of trucking capabilities and state & county development of road and highway networks progressively took increasing amounts of business away from both competing transport industries. By the mid-1930s the canals inflexibility and a geographically limited pool of customers steadily shifting energy usage away from anthracite doomed most eastern canals, so

1140-715: The Piedmont to the Atlantic Plain . Historically the Schuylkill lay within the territory of the Susquehannock and Lenape peoples. In 1682, William Penn founded the city of Philadelphia between the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers on lands purchased from the Lenape Indian tribe. The Schuylkill River became key in the development of the city and the surrounding region. While long used for transport,

1200-824: The Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad , which operates a branch line between Hamburg and Temple through Leesport and its Reading Division mainline through West Leesport. Emergency services are provided by the Northern Berks Regional Police Department, Union Fire Company of Leesport, and Schuylkill Valley EMS all of which are dispatched by the Berks County Communications Center. Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( / ˈ s k uː l k ɪ l / SKOOL -kil , locally / ˈ s k uː k ə l / SKOO -kəl )

1260-546: The Schuylkill Expressway was completed in 1959. Industrial pollution and mining silt plagued the river in the 19th and 20th centuries. Early concerns over water quality led to the creation of Fairmount Park in 1812. Protections came with the 1972 passing of the Clean Water Act , and the Schuylkill was designated as the first Pennsylvania Scenic River in 1978. Water quality has largely recovered in

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1320-506: The Schuylkill River , was incorporated into Leesport. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the borough has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km), of which 0.7 square miles (1.8 km) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km) (4.00%) is water. Bern Township , Centre Township and Ontelaunee Township all border Leesport. As of the 2020 census, there were 2,139 people, 747 households, and 523 families living in

1380-474: The Schuylkill River Trail . There are efforts to extend both rail and trail farther upriver than they currently reach. The Schuylkill River Trail continues upriver from Norristown to Mont Clare , and designers plan to connect it to sections above Pottstown. SEPTA Regional Rail service currently does not go farther upriver than Norristown. Visions of resuming commuter rail service farther up

1440-556: The War of 1812 , the two took delivery of an ark of anthracite coal which was notoriously difficult to combust reliably and experimented with ways to use it industrially, providing the knowledge to successfully begin resolving the ongoing decades long energy crises around eastern cities. The two then heavily backed the flagging effort to improve navigation on the Schuylkill, which efforts date back to legislation measures as early as 1762. By 1816, needing energy resources and disenchanted with

1500-511: The suburbs of metropolitan areas or on the outer edges of large cities. A park and ride that only offers parking for meeting a carpool and not connections to public transport may also be called a park and pool . Park and ride is abbreviated as "P+R" on road signs in some countries, and is often styled as "Park & Ride" in marketing. In Sweden , a tax has been introduced on the benefit of free or cheap parking paid by an employer, if workers would otherwise have to pay. The tax has reduced

1560-544: The 1860s Iron works, foundries, manufacturing mills, blast furnaces, rolling mills, rail yards , rail roads, warehouses and train stations sprang up throughout the valley. Tiny farm villages grew into vibrant company towns then transitioned into small cities as a major industry and supporting businesses transformed local economics and populations swelled. Restoration of the river has been funded by money left for that purpose in Benjamin Franklin 's will. The river

1620-662: The Lehigh, Delaware and Schuylkill Canals all ceased operations during the Great Depression years. The zooming rise of automobile ownership post-World War II, the development of suburbs, and dispersal of industrial buildings into far flung parks serviced by the government supported highways and new Interstate Highways doomed intercity rail transport; even as Interstate Commerce Committee regulations required railway operating companies to maintain passenger rail services past its economic viability—which costs further imperiled

1680-563: The Netherlands, many English terms appear in the Dutch language, and "Kiss & Ride" is one of them. Park and ride schemes do not necessarily involve public transport. They can be provided to reduce the number of cars on the road by promoting carpooling , vanpooling , and carsharing . Partly because of the concentration of riders, and thus a reduced number of vehicles, these park and ride terminals often have express transit services into

1740-719: The Schuylkill River. In Jerry Spinelli 's 1990 young adult novel Maniac Magee , the protagonists's parents die when their commuter train plunges into the river. Much of the story takes place along the river in Two Mills, a fictionalized version of Norristown . The Schuylkill River is also the setting of the fictional estate White Acre in Elizabeth Gilbert 's 2013 novel The Signature of All Things , based on The Woodlands . The main protagonist in Ta-Nehisi Coates ' 2019 novel The Water Dancer first arrives in

1800-501: The Schuylkill in 1983, and two major dragon boat regattas are held there in June and October of each year. Water skiing, swimming and other aquatic sports are also common outside of Philadelphia city limits. The Schuylkill River Trail , which generally follows the river bank, is a multi-use trail for walking, running, bicycling, rollerblading, and other outdoor activities. The trail presently runs from Philadelphia, through Manayunk to

1860-406: The Schuylkill valley (" Schuylkill Valley Metro ") have yet to become reality. The Schuylkill Expressway ( Interstate 76 ) and the U.S. Route 422 follow the course of the river from Philadelphia to Valley Forge to Reading. Above Reading, Pennsylvania Route 61 continues along the main river valley to Schuylkill Haven, then follows the east branch to Pottsville. U.S. Route 209 continues along

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1920-627: The Schuylkill's eastern branch is in heavily mined land, one ridgeline south of Tuscarora Lake along a drainage divide with the Little Schuylkill River , about a mile east of the village of Tuscarora and about a mile west of Tamaqua , at Tuscarora Springs in Schuylkill County . Tuscarora Lake is one source of the Little Schuylkill. The West Branch starts near Minersville and joins the eastern branch at

1980-492: The Schuylkill, noting that it is "the depository of all the unsolved crimes and murders in Philadelphia". In the 2013 episode "Mac Day", Mac , played by Rob McElhenney , films a stunt video that makes it look like he jumped into the river, after which his cousin Country Mac, played by Seann William Scott , shows him up by actually jumping into the river. The 2005 video for "Doesn't Remind Me" by hard rock band Audioslave

2040-422: The age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.03. In the borough, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under

2100-420: The age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 28% from 45 to 64, and 11% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.7 years. Females made up 50.4% of the population and males made up 49.6%. The median income for an individual in the borough was $ 40,096, and the median income for a family was $ 91,417. Males had a median income of $ 53,750 versus $ 42,500 for females. The per capita income for

2160-470: The borough was $ 85,380. About 3.2% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over. When used as a mailing address, Leesport ( ZIP Code 19533) also includes Ontelaunee Township and portions of Bern Townships . Leesport Lock House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The area

2220-480: The borough. The population density was 2,740 inhabitants per square mile (1,060/km). There were 790 housing units at an average density of 1,128.6 per square mile (435.8/km). The racial makeup of the borough was 86% White , 0.5% African American , 0.3% Native American , 0.8% Asian , 0.4% from other races , and 5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 7% of the population. There were 747 households, out of which 36.5% had children under

2280-588: The citizens in funding an iron bridge over this river, before abandoning " pontifical works" on account of the French Revolution . Over the next few decades, industrialists Josiah White and protege and partner Erskine Hazard built iron industries at the Falls of the Schuylkill during the Jefferson's administration , where White built a suspension bridge with cables made from their wire mill. During

2340-600: The east branch of the river to its head in Tuscarora . In Philadelphia, Kelly Drive (formerly East River Drive), and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (formerly West River Drive) flank the river. The Schuylkill River is popular with rowing , dragon boat , and outrigger paddling enthusiasts. The Schuylkill Navy was established on the riverside adjacent to the city of Philadelphia to promote amateur rowing in 1858. The Dad Vail Regatta , an annual rowing competition,

2400-472: The first operable sections of New York's Erie Canal spurred stockholders of the Schuylkill Canal to finally fund the works. A project which had languished for over a decade got capitalized and began operations in 1822—the same year the Lehigh companies combined into the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, having had to raise additional funds for repairs due to badly ice-damaged improvements,

2460-499: The lack of urgency found in other investors to accelerate the anemic and underfunded construction rate of the Schuylkill Canal, the two jumped to option the mining rights of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company , which disenchanted stockholders were giving up on. They then waited until a charter to improve the Lehigh went delinquent, resulting in two groups of investors forming two complementary companies in 1818 that jump-started

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2520-745: The lands down along the Chesapeake Bay to the left bank Potomac River across from the Powhatan Confederacy when traders first stopped in the Delaware River and settlers arrived in the first decade of the 1600s. With ample tributary streams, the Schuylkill was ground zero during the early years of the Beaver Wars , during which the Lenape tribe became tributary to the victorious Susquehannocks. The Susquehannocks were an Iroquoian people also often in contention with their relatives:

2580-462: The main urban area are often suffixed with "Parkway", such as Bristol Parkway , Tiverton Parkway , and Oxford Parkway . At Luton Airport Parkway and Southampton Airport Parkway , the stations are there to serve air as well as road passengers. In the United States , it is common for outlying rail stations to include automobile parking, often with hundreds of spaces. B & R (B + R) is

2640-519: The native name for the river was Ganshowe-hánne , meaning "roaring stream". The river was also sometimes called the Manaiunk in European sources, which derives from a Lenape place-name meaning "place to drink". This name appears on a Swedish map of 1655 in the form Menejackse Kÿl . The mighty Susquehannock confederation claimed the area along the Schuylkill as a hunting ground, as they did to

2700-702: The newly emerging states of the Northwest Territory via the Allegheny & Ohio valleys at Pittsburgh and to Lake Erie — leveraging the wide-ranging branches of the Susquehanna River in the state's center. In the 1830s railway technology and new railroads grew in leaps and bounds, and the Schuylkill Valley was at the heart of these developments, as well as the new Anthracite iron and mining industries. From 1820 to

2760-592: The north and the BARTA Transportation Center in Reading to the south. There is a park and ride lot at the Redner's in Leesport that is served by BARTA. SEPTA 's Pottsville Line once provided passenger rail service to Leesport, with service to Pottsville, Reading, and Philadelphia. The service ceased in 1981 after all diesel services were cancelled. Freight service in Leesport is provided by

2820-597: The number of workers driving into the inner city, and increased the usage of park and ride areas, especially in Stockholm . The introduction of a congestion tax in Stockholm has further increased the usage of park and ride. In Prague , park and ride parking lots are established near some metro and railway stations (about 17 parks near 12 metro stations and 3 train stations, in 2011). These parking lots offer low prices and all-day and return (2× 75 min) tickets including

2880-575: The public transport fare. Park and ride facilities allow commuters to avoid a stressful drive along congested roads and a search for scarce, expensive city-centre parking. They may well reduce congestion by assisting the use of public transport in congested urban areas. There is not much research on the pros and cons of park and ride schemes. It has been suggested that there is "a lack of clear-cut evidence for park and ride's widely assumed impact in reducing congestion". Park and ride facilities help commuters who live beyond practical walking distance from

2940-470: The railroad's profits leading to a widespread collapse of the industry in the 1960s and 1970s. Rail freight still uses many of the same valley rights-of-way that the 19th-century railroads used. Passenger and commuter rail service is more limited. Today, the old rail bed rights-of-way along the river between Philadelphia and Norristown contain SEPTA 's Manayunk/Norristown Line , formerly Reading Railroad and

3000-701: The railway station or bus stop. They may also suit commuters with alternative fuel vehicles , which often have reduced range, when the facility is closer to home than the ultimate destination. They also are useful as a fixed meeting place for those carsharing or carpooling or using "kiss and ride" (see below). Also, some transit operators use park and ride facilities to encourage more efficient driving practices by reserving parking spaces for low emission designs , high-occupancy vehicles , or carsharing. Many park and rides have passenger waiting areas and/or toilets. Travel information , such as leaflets and posters, may be provided. At larger facilities, extra services such as

3060-656: The river has improved much over the past decades. A fish ladder to support shad migration has been constructed at the Manayunk dam. Mayfly hatches (signifying good water quality) now occur yearly along the Montgomery sections of the river. The Schuylkill River valley was an important thoroughfare in the eras of canals and railroads. The river itself, the Schuylkill Canal , the Reading Railroad , and

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3120-462: The river through the early 20th century. The river was shallow and filled with extensive black silt bars. By the early 20th century, upstream coal operations contributed over 3 million tons of silt annually to the river. In 1948, led by then governor James H. Duff , a massive cleanup effort began. Twenty three impounding basins were excavated along the river, to receive dredged silt. The 1945 Desilting Act helped begin this cleanup task. The quality of

3180-686: The river was made fully navigable via the Schuylkill Canal in 1825, followed by the construction of the Reading Railroad Main Line in 1838 and the Schuylkill Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1884. Through these corridors, millions of tons of anthracite coal flowed down the Schuylkill from the Coal Region to its north in Northeast Pennsylvania . The canal was abandoned in 1931, while

3240-589: The river, including Nittabakonck ("place where heroes reside"), a village on the east bank just south of the confluence of Wissahickon Creek, and the Passyunk site, on the west bank where the Schuylkill meets the Delaware River. > American patriot paper maker Frederick Bicking owned a fishery on the river prior to the American Revolution , and Thomas Paine tried in vain to interest

3300-513: The site of the former Philadelphia Navy Yard , now the Philadelphia Naval Business Center, just northeast of Philadelphia International Airport . The Schuylkill's name derives from the Dutch words schuilen , meaning to hide, and kil , meaning stream, apparently because of the "retired and hidden situation of its mouth". According to John Heckewelder , a missionary who worked among the local Lenape Indians ,

3360-403: The town of Schuylkill Haven . It then combines with the Little Schuylkill River downstream in the town of Port Clinton . The Tulpehocken Creek joins it at the western edge of Reading . Wissahickon Creek joins it in northwest Philadelphia. Other major tributaries include: Maiden Creek , Manatawny Creek , French Creek , and Perkiomen Creek . The Schuylkill joins the Delaware River at

3420-544: The urban Schuylkill River in the 21st century. In several episodes of Cold Case , a CBS television series based on the Philadelphia Police Department that aired from 2003 to 2010, various members of the Cold Case squad mention finding "a floater in the Schuylkill". In the 2019 film The Irishman , mob hitman Frank Sheeran , played by Robert De Niro , disposes of a gun he just used in

3480-406: The village of Mont Clare , the latter of which are the locations of the last two remaining watered stretches of the Schuylkill Canal . There is also a section of trail starting at Pottstown and running upriver toward Reading. Plans are under way to complete the trail from the Delaware River to Reading. Jules Verne 's 1904 novel Robur the Conqueror starts out in Philadelphia on the banks of

3540-406: The words that read "temporary pick-up and drop-off zone". Kiss and Rides are getting popular in Poland . Cities with such areas include Wrocław (since October 2011), Kraków (since 15 November 2013), Warsaw (since 2016), and Toruń (since 2016). Locally they are known by their English name, i.e. "Kiss and ride" and while the sign is non-standardized, all of them contain the letters K+R. In

3600-471: The years since. The Schuylkill River above Fairmount Dam has been a major rowing venue since the founding of the Schuylkill Navy in 1858. In recent decades the Schuylkill River Trail cycle and foot path has been constructed along the river. The Schuylkill Heritage Corridor was designated a Pennsylvania Heritage Park in 1995 and a National Heritage Area in 2000 to promote the river's historic, environmental, and recreational significance. The source of

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