Our story today was provided by George Di Domizio of Salford Township, who tells the tale of the Fifth Street Playground in Lansdale.

Here’s his account:

Back in late 1967, Neil Migliaccio and a group of neighbors in Lansdale’s East Ward had an idea to convert an abandoned industrial eyesore at the corner of West Fifth Street and Towamencin Avenue into a neighborhood playground.

When it was learned that the Reading Railroad wanted to use the property for a trash transfer station, the idea became an impossible dream.

The group pursued its impossible dream by forming the East Ward Civic Association, with Migliaccio as its president.

With dogged determination, the association put on a $5,000 fundraising drive and enlisted the help of officials in Lansdale, the county and the state.

Flash forward to Aug. 31, 1968, when about 3,000 people jammed West Fifth Street for a dedication ceremony that included a parade with the color guards from three Lansdale veterans groups, several fire companies and a 75-piece marching band from Archbishop Wood High School.

A group of about 30 volunteers helped organize various activities that included games for youngsters, refreshments, dancing, and water game competitions by fire companies.

On hand for the ceremonies were state Sen. Ed Holl and Councilman Leroy Benner, who played a pivotal role in persuading the Reading Railroad to abandon its plans for the trash transfer station and turn the property over to the borough for a long-term lease for $1.

A highlight of the dedication ceremonies was when the marching band assembled in front of a flat-bed trailer that served as the speakers’ platform and played the song, “The Impossible Dream.”

The photo featured today show the dignitaries on the platform, from left: the Rev. Phil Ricci from St Stanislaus Church; Lansdale Mayor Ellis P. Delp; state Rep. Charles Dager; Montgomery County Commissioners Chairman Russell Parkhouse; state Sen. Ed Holl; Civic Association Secretary Cathy Reeder; Civic Association President Neil Migliaccio; Master of Ceremonies George Di Domizio; President of Lansdale Council Bill Wentz; Architect John Kennedy; Park Authority Chair Bill Roan; Councilman G. Austin Kulp; Police Sgt. Tony Riccardi; Reading Railroad legal counsel and Lansdale Councilman Leroy Benner; Police Chief Wally Hendricks; Mabel Reed of the Volunteer Medical Service Corps; landscaper William Heyser; Jaycee President James Holben; Precision Rebuilding President Dick Howarth; Lansdale Councilman Nick Thee; and contractor Carl Schnable.

A retrospective on the history of Towamencin will kick off Lansdale Historical Society’s sixth season of community programs.

“Towamencin: Gateway to the North Penn Area” will be held Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Lansdale Parks and Recreation Center, located at Seventh Street and Lansdale Avenue.

There is no admission charge but donations are appreciated.



The presentation — to be narrated by Steven Moyer, the society’s vice president — will include many vintage photographs of life in the township, according to Dick Shearer, president of the historical society.

He said schools, churches, businesses and recreation spots like Fischer’s Pool will be depicted.

The photos shown here — one offering a copy of the 1871 Montgomery County map book sketch of the John Boorse House in Kulpsville and the other a class standing in front of the first multi-room schoolhouse in Kulpsville sometime between 1905 and 1910 — are just a sampling.


Shearer described Kulpsville, a portion of the township, as a bustling community until the 1860s. He said the intersection at Sumneytown Pike and Forty Foot Road benefited from high levels of traffic.

“There were a fair number of homes and a decent-sized school,” Shearer said. “And some businesses that started in Kulpsville.”

The implementation of the railroad led to a significant population shift, according to Shearer. He said many residents and businesses moved to Lansdale.

The area enjoyed some degree of growth with the implementation of the Lansdale Interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the middle of the 20th century, according to Shearer.

The show — to include a discussion by Sarah DiSantis, executive director of the Welsh Valley Preservation Society and the Morgan Log House — is being dedicated to the memory of Dr. Tom Hollenbeck, who died this spring.

A township supervisor, Hollenbeck also was president of the Towamencin Historical Society.

Hollenbeck spent several years actively promoting Towamencin’s rich historical heritage, according to Shearer.

Moyer will offer a video tour of the township based on a historic trail laid out by Hollenbeck several years ago, according to Shearer.

He said DiSantis will discuss the early history of the township and the people who settled there.

This will be the fourth in a series of annual programs featuring the histories of the North Penn area communities that surround Lansdale.

North Wales, Hatfield Township and Montgomery Township have been spotlighted in previous years.

For more information: (215) 855-1872.

Summer unofficially ends today, as we mark Labor Day, but we couldn’t resist featuring this summer photo from 1939.

Submitted by Barbara Santee of Telford, this photos show four girls who lived in Perkasie finding a way to cool off a bit during the dog days of August.

“In such heat, it didn’t take long for Joyce, Joan, Mary and Marilyn (or Jean), children of Alfred and Violet Smith, to become dusty, sweaty, cross and quarrelsome,” Santee wrote.

“Still suffering from the Depression era, the pool at Menlo Park was not an option. Pictured is mother’s solution: a galvanized wash tub filled with water.

“Judging from the smiles, I’d say it did the trick.”

We agree. But do you think kids today would settle for a soak in the wash tub?