Pottstown is a borough nestled in the northwestern corner of Montgomery County. Home to 22,377 residents, Pottstown is found 40 miles from Philadelphia and 20 miles south of Reading, up on Route 422. Located on the Schuylkill river, the borough had originally been called Pottsgrove when it was laid out in the early 1750’s. Upon […]
Exploring PA Boroughs: Danville
Located an hour and a half north of Harrisburg, along the north branch of the Susquehanna River, sits Danville Borough. The borough is the county seat of Montour County, and is called home by 4,669 Pennsylvanians. The area was originally known as “Montgomery’s Landing”, after William Montgomery, a key figure in Revolutionary-era Pennsylvania. William Montgomery […]
Exploring PA Boroughs: Lewistown – February 6th, 7:30 PM
Lewistown is a borough of 8,338 in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. Situated 60 miles northwest of Harrisburg, along the Juniata River, Lewistown was incorporated in 1795. It was named for William “Bill” Lewis, a Quaker and a member of the legislature. Lewis was responsible for the designation of the borough as the county seat of Mifflin […]
December 12: Exploring PA Boroughs – Blooming Valley
Located in Crawford County, Blooming Valley is a small rural borough that enjoys a cooperation with surrounding municipalities to obtain everyday services that make living in the borough easier. Though the borough is small, Blooming Valley boasts more than its share of innovation. A borough resident’s father, Amos Densemore, invented the tank railroad car that […]
Exploring PA Boroughs: Zelienople, January 2, 7:30 pm
Zelienople is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles north of Pittsburgh. It was named for the eldest daughter of Baron Dettmar Basse, whose chosen name was Zelie. Baron Basse arrived in 1802 from Germany, and purchased a tract of 10,000 acres of land in Butler and Beaver counties. He proceeded to lay out […]
November 7: Exploring PA Boroughs – Wellsboro
Benjamin W. Morris bought all of the land in Tioga County on April 7, 1802, and built the first log cabin on the knoll overlooking Wellsboro, at the end of what is now Morris Lane. It’s believed that “Wellsborough” was named after Mary Wells Morris. She was the wife of Benjamin Morris, and the brother […]
October 3, 7:30 pm: Conneaut Lake Borough
To appreciate fully the recreational possibilities in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania, one should recall the Ice Age. Near the end of the Pleistocene epoch, thousands of years ago, the lake was formed by a large block of ice that melted and filled in a depression in the land. Down the street from the lake, a reminder […]
September 5, 7:30 PM: Hatboro
The town of Hatboro is located on land purchased from William Penn around 1705 by the family of Nicholas More. Original construction by early residents of the town occurred between 1715 and 1719. Early settlement pre-dating the Hatboro name occurred in the Crooked Billet area east of York Road, between Moreland Avenue and Byberry Road. […]
Exploring PA Boroughs: Camp Hill
The borough of Camp Hill is in Cumberland County, across the Susquehanna River from Pennsylvania’s capital city of Harrisburg. The name “Camp Hill” is believed to stem from a split in a local church congregation. One faction of the church began meeting outdoors on a hill. During the Civil War, in late June of 1863, […]
Exploring PA Boroughs: Emporium
In 1785, the word “Emporium” was carved into a tree at a land surveyor’s camp at the mouth of the Portage River. Five years would pass until the word first appeared on a map. Emporium’s first settler would have to wait until 1810. Its population continued to grow at a very slow rate until Cameron […]