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.