c15000? years agoNative Americans – Lenni Lenape – The Grandfathers

c15241st Europeans Giovanni da Verrazzano interact with Lenape (Eden, D – 2007)

c1600Henry Hudson

1600sDutch and Swedes begin to settle along East Coast

c1667English control the Lenape homelands

1681 William Penn acquires Pennsylvania from King Charles II

1681-1687Almost all the available land within 30 or 40 miles of Philadelphia passed into private ownership before the end of the year 1686, and so was plotted on Holme’s map of Pennsylvania. The district which later became known as Horsham Township had been allotted to four individuals; George Palmer, Joseph Fisher, Samuel Carpenter, and Mary Blunston. A member of the family later settled on the Palmer tract; the other three purchasers lived elsewhere, and sold off their land to others as rapidly as opportunity offered. (39). 5,000 acres sold for £100. (Smith, Charles Harper 1975 p4)

1682Treaty of Shackamaxon: legendary treaty between William Penn and Lenape Chief Tamanend under a majestic elm tree along the Delaware River at Shackamaxon. (Newman – no date)

1683First known non-native dwelling built in what will become Horsham Township by John Palmer near what is now Dresher Road.

1683 Samuel Carpenter emigrates to Philadelphia from Barbados

1684 Penn sells 5,000 acres north of Philadelphia to Carpenter – Horsham Township

1693Thomas Fitzwater petitions to build Limekiln Pike

1708 1st cabin built by the creek west of Blair Mill Road

1709 Carpenter begins selling off his Horsham holdings

1709William Lukens settles in Horsham on what is now Lukens Park on Dresher Road

1713 Richard Kenderdine acquires 250 acres from Samuel Carpenter, who had purchased 4300 acres from Penn. The Joseph Kenderdine House and Kenderdine Mill (placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992) would later be built on this property.

1714 Pemmapecka (Unami name for Pennypack Creek) Road renamed Welsh Road.

1714 The Horsham Friends Meeting is established

1717Horsham Township founded

1717? Log Meeting House built and 1st wedding held by the Horsham Friends Meeting

1718 Sale finalized for 50 acres to Horsham Meeting

1719 the Horsham and Byberry Meetings were connected by Byberry Road

1721Horsham Friends Meeting House rebuilt of stone. This would stand until 1803

1718 Governor Sir William Keith acquires 1200 acres for his estate “Fountain Low”

1721Keith purchases 535 additional acres from Carpenter estate

1721 Keith House and Penrose-Strawbridge cabin built 1722 Governor Road was commissioned by Sir William Keith in 1722. In that year he authorized a road to be built from Philadelphia to his “new building” in Horsham from Round Meadow (now Willow Grove). The road went north from the present Willow Grove and likely followed what is now Easton Rd to the Horsham Quaker Meetinghouse at Meetinghouse Road and Easton Rd.

1723 Norristown Road was laid out from Welsh Road to the Horsham Meetinghouse, having already been opened from North Wales to Welsh Road. For many years it was known as the North Wales Road.

1732Echenhofer farmhouse built (horsham1.com)

1734 Kenderdine Mill built next to what is now Keith Valley and Davis Grove Roads. This mill remained in operation until the early 1900s and was later restored to beautiful condition by Ronald Mintz.

1735 Horsham Road, originally known as the Montgomery Road, is laid out from the Horsham Friends Meeting to Montgomeryville. Davis Grove Road is opened as a public road to the village of Davis Grove.

1737 Limekiln Pike dedicated. 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. Image to the right is an original watercolor by Leon Clemmer. HPHA has an original hand-drawn map of Limekiln Pike in our collection.

1728Keith returns to Scotland

1737 Dr Graeme purchases remainder of Fountain Low – now Graeme Park

1775 Revolutionary War

1777 Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson – trouble with George Washington

1778-1781 Battle for Graeme Park w/Pennsylvania

1791 Elizabeth sells Graeme Park (555 acres) to Dr William Smith

1793Yellow Fever – Elizabeth moves to Crooked Billet

1798 Dr Smithbegins selling off parcels of Graeme Park

1801Elizabeth dies

1801 Dr Smith sells Graeme Park (204 acres) to Samuel and Sarah Penrose

1810 Addition to P-S House by William and Hannah Penrose

1821 William+Hannah Penrose purchase Graeme Park (204 acres) from parents

18392nd Floor Addition to P-S House by William and Hannah Penrose

1854 Kitchen Addition to P-S House by William and Hannah Penrose

1865 Abel Penrose purchases Graeme Park from William’s estate – 2 days after Lincoln killed

1876 US Centennial – led by John Wech (grandfather of Welsh Strawbridge

1910 Welsh Strawbridge sets PA State altitude record in hot air balloon 17,050 feet

1921 Welsh and Margaret Strawbridge purchase Graeme Park from estate of Abel Penrose

1920s Strawbridges modernize PS House

1948 Large barn at Graeme Park burns down

1958 Strawbridges sell 42 of Graeme Park to Pennsylvania for $1 to protect it from Air Base expansion

1968 Welsh Strawbridge dies

1982 Margaret Strawbridge sells 102 acres remaining to Natural Lands Trust for $1

1996 Margaret Strawbridge dies

1997 Horsham Township purchases P-S Property from Natural Lands Trust for $175,000

2003 Horsham enter into lease with HPHA/HPPI with intent of restoring the buildings