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UMHA presents a stroll down Old, Old York Road

Once dotted with highway pit-stops, a training ground for thousands of African American Union soldiers and the magnificent houses of the mid-1800s, Old York Road has a long, traveled history

A packed audience strolled down memory lane as historian Mary Washington of Elkins Park gave a slide show “Along Old York Road” from Philadelphia to Willow Grove.

The free program, held Feb. 22 at the Upper Moreland Township Building, 117 Park Ave., was part of an ongoing series, sponsored by the Upper Moreland Historical Association (UMHA).

Longing sighs emanated from the audience as Washington showed palatial estates and churches from as long ago as the mid-1800s, which were often folllowed by audible disprovals of the destruction of most of these buildings to make way for housing developments.

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She explained that most descendents of the wealthy could not keep up with the baronial lifestyles of their ancestors.

During her presentation, Washington also told of the founding fathers of Montgomery County, revealing that some familiar places are named after them:

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  • William Lukens Elkins, (born 1832), a gasoline and asphalt magnate
  • Jay Cooke, (born 1821), a banker and financier of the Civil War
  •  Peter Widener, (born 1834), a steel and tobacco tycoon
  • John Stetson, (born 1834), maker of the famous 10-gallon cowboy hat

Each one of them left their imprint along Old York Road and the daily lives of everyone who lives here a century later.  

According to Washington, Old York Road has undergone many facelifts. Over the years, the roadway has been lowered so that horse and buggies would no longer crash into railroad trains.

And in the 1940s the road was straightened. A steep and dangerous curve at Old York and Church Road near today’s Temple Beth Am resulted in numerous accidents. Using dynamite, workers blasted “around the mountain,” she said, referring to the steep cliffs.

A safer road was created.

Washington’s slides demonstrated the impressive array of earthmoving vehicles and steamrollers available in the 1800s and early 1900s.

The name “York Road,” she said, is derived from the fact that it extended all the way up into New York City. The road followed old Indian paths, specifically those of the Lenni-Lenape tribe.

Toll roads peppered Old York Road. The audience was impressed by one slide that depicted carriage fares: 10 cents for a carriage drawn by one horse, 25 cents for two horses.

Free on Sunday.

Because William Penn, a Quaker, ceded Pennsylvania lands to his Quaker friends, many early settlers in the area were Quakers. The influential and charismatic Lucretia Mott was among them. With her strong egalitarian values, Mott became a noted abolitionist and women’s rights advocate.

Washington also showed a slide of John Stetson’s employee Christmas party. She and the audience were amused that everyone sat in a huge auditorium with the women relegated to the balcony.

Women’s rights were carried boldly forward by Lucretia Mott from her elegant home “Roadside” in the Chelten Hills section of Cheltenham. Her home was also a stopping point for the Underground Railroad.

Born in 1793, the wealthy Mott leased a parcel of land in Cheltenham to the federal government for the training of black soldiers. Racism was rampant and many opposed the idea of training black soldiers, Washington said.

Despite this, Washington said that many freed slaves and free African Americans heeded the call for a growing need for Union soldiers. In over two years, 11,000 black soldiers were trained at Camp William Penn a short way from Mott’s Roadside.

They fought and died the same as their white counterparts and did their country proud, said Washington.

Not a trace is left of the historic grounds.

At least one area church, St. Paul’s Episcopal of Elkins Park, poured its considerable influence behind Camp William Penn.

Still active today, the church was founded in 1860 by Jay Cooke, a prominent financier of the Civil War, and other wealthy businessmen such as Widener and Shoemaker.

This magnificent church at Old York and Ashbourne roads boasts 16 Tiffany stained glass windows, according to its website.

Tragically, said Washington, two of the Widener heirs went down with the Titanic in 1912. Two of the Tiffany windows are dedicated to them. In addition, the cornerstone of St. Paul’s is a stained glass with Christ standing triumphantly upon an iceberg.

After the slide show, the audience was eager to share its own memories with Washington.

One audience member remembered the story of “Vinegar Hill” on the steep part of Susquehanna Road near the Fairway. 

Also called “Suicide Hill,” a horse and buggy carrying barrels of vinegar overturned, spilling the pungent substance all over the road. The foul smell lingered for months.

Audience members also remembered the long road called “the Fairway” when it was still the golf course it was named after.

The audience and Washington shared many such stories: the trolley line leading to Willow Grove Park; the glorious Wanamaker estate, now the home of Salus University and the equally magnificent Breyer Estate turned Boy Scout camp that creamy ice cream built.

For more information, view the UMHA website. The UMHA is currently open for new membership.

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The next in the UMHA speaker's series:

March 22:

"Willow Grove Park"

Guest Speaker: Ray Stahl, noted Willow Grove Park authority, will present a multi-media visit to the park where life was a lark.

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