Decatur Waterworks: then and now

DeKalb County Parks has an aerial photograph of the old Decatur waterworks on its website, and who could resist comparing it to how the area looks today?

To the left, an archive photo of the Old Decatur Waterworks. To the right, GoogleEarth view of the same area.
Using the railroad tracks for orientation, it is then easy to match some of the ruins. On the archive photo, note the now-gone dam and lot of water under the elevated part of the railroad track. The dip in the land is still perceivable except now it is densely forested. Click to enlarge.

Aerial views of the old Decatur Waterworksvia the Digital Library of Georgia: to the left, 1940; to the right, 1960.

For some photos of the area, at ground level, see this older post as well as photos posted by CHCA [ PATH construction | Waterworks ]. Additional information is available in the County's Mason Mill Park page.

In Peachtree Creek: A Natural and Unnatural History of Atlanta's Watershed, David R. Kaufman reserves a chapter for the South Fork of Peachtree Creek, and gives us some history of the waterworks and the Medlock area. Courtesy of Google Books, you can read this chapter online.

PATH update

Work continues!

Some more rails will be added to the Medlock side of the bridge...

...and the same is in store for the Mason Mill side.

Near the retention pond, it really looks a bit like an archeological dig.

Quasi-panoramic view--retention pond side

Rainwater flows under the boardwalk then tumbles to the retention pond.

It's fun to see more structures appear as the underbrush is cleared.

Old stairs lead to an even older chimney.

Old Decatur Waterworks fountain... will it splash again?

We can't know what the Decatur Waterworks looked like in its full glory, but it's exciting to see the area cleared and improved for everyone's enjoyment.