Places | Horsham Preservation and Historical Association

Prospectville Needlework Guild

Posted in Places.

According to the National Giving Alliance, The Needlework Guild began in England in 1882 following a mining disaster in nearby Wales. Lady Diana Wolverton gathered a group of people together to make clothing (one to wear, one to wash) for children whose parents had died in the disaster. She “glimpsed the fact that old garments might pauperize, but new garments equalize.” In 1885, Mrs. Harpence of Philadelphia was impressed with the work that was being done and shared the concept with her niece, Laura Safford, who in turn told six of her friends. They agreed to help her sew for the...

Penblair School

Posted in Places.

The Penblair Elementary School was built in 1909 on Schoolhouse and Cedar Hill Roads in an area known as Scrapple Hill. Wesley Mullin was the architect, George Zeitler the builder, and Cy Hoffman the mason. Charles S Mann named the school combining two Celtic words meaning “upland plain.” The school was closed in April 1932 and was soon auctioned off. Dr Walter and Mary Webb bought the school and converted it into a home. It has been a private home since 2018. — From Images of America: Horsham Township118 by Leon Clemmer and HPHA, Arcadia Publishing, 2004. The girls’ and...

Abel and Sarah Penrose

Posted in Places.

Abel Penrose married Sarah L. Beisel of Allentown on Christmas Day, 1856. He was 39 and she was 20. Sarah’s father, Daniel Beisel, was a prominent farmer in the Lehigh Valley and a member of the Reformed Church. Sarah probably became a member of the Society of Friends since she is buried at the Horsham Friends Cemetery. 2 We believe this photo shows Abel and Sarah on the front porch of the Penrose-Strawbridge House sometime in the 1870s. The second half of the 19th century was a turbulent time in the U.S. Although the civil war was over, the Indian wars continued in the...

Governor Road

Posted in Roads.

Governor Road Governor Road is the original entrance to Graeme Park and the Penrose-Strawbridge House. It currently exists as a gravel road extending only a short distance from Keith Valley Road southeast to Gate 9 of the former Willow Grove Naval Air Station, but its history dates back almost 300 years. Governor Sir William Keith authorized a road to be built from Philadelphia to his “new building” (Graeme Park) in Horsham from Round Meadow (now Willow Grove) in 1722. The road became known as The Governor’s Road Governor Road ran north from the Horsham...

A painting of the Limekiln toll house painted by Leon Clemmer

Limekiln Pike

Posted in Roads.

Limekiln Pike was dedicated in 1737. Its present course was laid out in 1855, when the road was moved about one-fourth mile to the west at the upper end of the township. It was also known for a time as Whitehall Turnpike. Thomas Fitzwater sailed from England with William Penn on the Welcome. He was granted 1,000 acres in what is now Upper Dublin. Fitzwater later added to these holdings. Fitzwater’s rich limestone deposits became one of the most important area sources for limestone (the others located in Lower Merion) and led to construction of the first road “into the...

Hallowell Hotel

Posted in Points of Interest.

When the Doylestown-Willow Grove Turnpike was made a public highway north of Private Road in 1839, the village of Davis Grove lost its position as a strategic crossroads. At the same time, the settlement along the turnpike near Justinian K. Hallowell’s hotel became important. This area became known as the village of Hallowell. Justinian Hallowell112 and his brother George bought a farm on March 15, 1880 that would become the Hallowell Hotel. They ran both until George’s death in 1897, when his sister Lydia became a partner. At some point they added a store and a post office name...

xBloodgood Nurseries

Posted in Places.

Bloodgood Nurseries was a fixture in Horsham since the 1970s when Al Edling moved the existing business from Doylestown. But its roots go way back – claiming to be America’s oldest nursery, established in 1790! Bloodgood is a name that has long been associated with various plants. The Bloodgood Japanese Red Maple Acer palmatum atropurpureum is probably the single most popular upright purple-leafed Japanese maple. Bloodgood introduced it to North American gardening shortly after the Civil War, a very long time before the general craze for Japanese maples was really...

Golden Ball Tavern

Posted in Places.

The Golden Ball Tavern, located in the village of Davis Grove, was built about 1787, and served as an Inn and assembly hall until 1857. Thereafter, it was used as a private dwelling. It has been demolished and the Village of Davis Grove absorbed by the Willow Grove Naval Air Station.39 More History of Horsham Help us preserve Horsham. Learn about membership and sponsorship with HPHA. Discover the benefits of preservation. Support HPHA

Brewery Farm

Posted in Places.

The “Brewery Farm” was a farm along what is now known as Herman Road that was owned by Henry Schaeffer of the Arnhold and Henry Schaeffer Brewing Company. Schaeffer purchased the 144-acre farm in 1891 and while he did reside here it is not known if brewing was done here. Arnhold and Schaeffer was one of several brewers that defined the Brewerytown section of Philadelphia. According to oldbreweries.com they were in business only from 1884-87 but the Philadelphia Inquirer (Aug 27, 1927, p.3) mentions the company having 15 vats of beer returned to them during prohibition. Help Wanted...