The Lansdale Historical Society is sharing one of its vintage photos with us today.

According to society maven Dick Shearer, this is a view of Main Street and Susquehanna Avenue sometime around 1910 (we think). The trolley on Main Street, at left, was part of the Lehigh Valley Traction Line, which connected Allentown to Philadelphia through North Wales to Erdenheim.

It later became the Liberty Bell Route, which went out of service in 1951 when LVT shifted to buses.

The trolley on the right was at the eastern terminus of the Montgomery Transit line, which operated between Lansdale and Norristown. It was later taken over by LVT in 1912, as the larger trolley lines absorbed the smaller ones and consolidated services.

Today, Lansdale is considered a transportation hub with the SEPTA R5 commuter rail line and SEPTA bus routes converging in the center of town.

But the same was true back in 1900-02, when these two trolley lines came to town and established stations within a block or so of the Philadelphia and Reading train stop.

A year later, in 1903, the P&R built the present railroad station to meet the increasing need for public transit.

It would be more than a decade before the automobile started impacting their ridership.

The buildings along Susquehanna Avenue were razed during Lansdale’s Urban Renewal Project of the 1960s.

Of Course the Lansdale National Bank building (now Wachovia) is still there, although it received a new facade and was enlarged over the years.

The week before Easter is the perfect time to look at one of our churches in Lansdale.

The photo submitted today by Elizabeth Godshall Linden of Lansdale is of the First Baptist Church of Lansdale.

According to Linden, the church “was organized in 1886 and located at the corner of Broad and Third streets. As the congregation grew, the church expanded to include a parsonage and a Sunday school.

“My aunt, Eleanora Reichenbach, was baptized in 1900 by Pastor F.W. Johnson and I attended Sunday school here in the 1930s. My uncle, Victor Reichenbach, was superintendent of the Sunday school for 14 years.

“In 1954, the First Baptist Church, known as the ‘church with the chimes,’ moved to a new location at 700 N. Broad St., Lansdale.”

In addition to the photo of the church, you see here the certificate of baptism for Linden’s Aunt Eleanora, from Dec. 2, 1900.

Sometimes it seems that history can disappear before our very eyes.
Old buildings are torn down to make way for progress and, in time, few people even remember they were ever there.
To help preserve our local history, the Lansdale Historical Society will present “Then You Saw It, Now You Don’t – Part II” at the next community program on March 11 at the Lansdale Parks and Recreation Building.
In the photos provided by the historical society, we see before and after pictures of the southeast corner of Main and Wood streets, Lansdale.
Tuesday night’s video program, narrated by Steve Moyer and Dick Shearer, will include dozens of new additions to the society’s photo collection. The presentation will feature an array of then-and-now images photographed years part from the same angle.
Some show drastic changes that have taken place over the years; others draw attention to sights and scenes that have survived the test of time. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. The parks and recreation building is at Seventh Street and Lansdale Avenue. There is no admission charge but donations are appreciated.
Sometimes we’re lucky enough to have the past retained through preservation or renovation. Such is the case at York Avenue Elementary School in Lansdale, where the North Penn School District is nearing completion on a $6 million project.
Those at the school would like to connect the old portion of the school with the new extension by lining the hallways with vintage photographs of the school’s history.
That’s where you may come in.
If you have photos that you would like to share, e-mail yorkavehs@hotmail.com.
In this photo, kindergarten students in 1986 are carrying chairs into the newly opened annex of York Avenue Elementary.
A commemorative brick project also is running through this Friday, to help raise additional funds. York Avenue’s Home & School Association is selling the bricks for $50 each. They will include a personalized inscription and will be installed around the school’s flagpole area and in other areas.
To purchase bricks by the March 14 deadline, visit www.npenn.org; under “Select a School” at the top of the page, choose York Avenue Elementary. Under “Our School,” click on “Home and School.” Click on “Commemorative Bricks” to obtain an order form and instructions.
You also can call the Home and School recording secretary, Lois Winton, at (215) 368-6230.

It may not be warm enough to go swimming yet, but perhaps this photo will get you in the mood.
This shot of these lovely bathing beauties was submitted by Ellis W. Kriebel of Harleysville.
He writes:
“Every summer our family looked forward to a trip to Atlantic City from Kulpsville, to visit the beach.
“Here, in 1923, are my mother, Nettie Wohl Kriebel, holding my sister, Norma Lydia Kriebel Krauss. They are with Aunt Theresa Stoerlein (Nettie’s aunt), who lived near Absecon.
“Note that the proper attire included rubber caps. Wonder if it was a bit risque to have bare arms and open necks!
“I was born about five months later!”
So, really, Ellis is featured in this photo, too.