The Millbrook Society
The following is a listing of the text on the pages of Hatboro Book relating to the pictures from the
Regenhard collection.
Page 1: Hatboro. The One
& Only
Page 2: Large Portrait of Map of Battle of crooked Billet
212. BATTLE OF THE CROOKED BILLET
MAP. The young Bucks
County boy, Brigadier
General John Lacey, was assigned by General Washington, to the almost
impossible task of harassing the much larger British force with only 60 to 300
men. His detachment had fluctuated up and down in numbers, but had dwindled
when he was surprised and surrounded on May l, 1778. Nearly thirty of mostly
York and Cumberland
men died in the skirmish. General Lacey and the rest of his command escaped
north into the Bucks
County woods that he knew
much better than the British did.
Page 3: Title Page
Hatboro. The Millbrook Society with the Regenhard Collection
Page 4: Illustration of
Crooked Billet Inn Sign
68. CROOKED BILLET INN 1734 –1954. Built in 1734, it stood on the east side of York Road between Moreland Avenue and
Byberry Road.
There is a plaque on the present building front, marking this site today. The
site is currently occupied by Joys and Toys Collectibles, Paul’s Barber Shop, and
Fratone’s Jewelry Store. This building originally came straight to the ground
and did not have the covered walkway. This was the earliest stagecoach stop and
tavern in the borough of Hatboro. It was built by one of the founding fathers,
John Dawson. His daughter helped him in the tavern during that period. It was a
common gathering place for news, as well as food and drink. At one point, it
also served as the home of the Union Library.
Page 5: Table of Contents
Acknowledgments & Bibliography - Page 6; Introduction – Page
7; Section 1, South York Road:
North to Byberry Road
– Page 9;Section 2, South York Road: Byberry Road to Moreland Avenue – Page 39; Section 3, North York Road: Moreland Avenue to
the County Line – Page 75; Section 4, Secondary
Streets of Hatboro – Page 93; Section 5. Willow Grove and Horsham – Page 111;
Section 6, Bucks County: Warminster, Johnsville, Warwick,
Hartsville, Davisville, & Southampton – Page 119
Page 6: Acknowledgments
& Bibliography
Proceeds from the sale of this book will be used for the
purchase of a Historic Property in Hatboro. Special thanks go to several people
that have worked diligently to make this project a success. Jack Regenhard, Project Director. Dave
Shannon, Executive Director. Gerald D. Ames, Mary Van Pelt, Ron Beifus, Mary
Porter, Jane Poole, Frank Sorace, Beverly Blackway, Ann Regenhard, and members
of the Millbrook Society who contributed in any way, shape, or form. Special thanks to John I. De Fabio for the
Cover Illustration.
Among the sources, appreciatively utilized for this book are:
Bailey, Paul. History of
Warminster. 1970.
Bean, Theodore W. ed. Montgomery County: The First Hundred Years. 1884.
Davis, Betty, Arnold Bros. of Bucks County.
1980.
Eynon, Thomas. R. 125
Years of the W. K. Bray Lodge in Hatboro. 1993.
Historical &
Business Directory Hatboro,
Pennsylvania. Old York Road
Publishing Co., Hatboro, Pennsylvania. 1930, 1936, 1940, 1943, &
1954
History of Hatboro—Public Spirit
Newspapers. May 10, 1986
McGuigan, Sharon C..Reflections
of the Hatter…John Damson. 1988.
Pinkerton, Sarah The Story
of Hatboro: 250 Years in Review. 1955
------Battle of The Crooked Billet—Official Program. 1928
Smith, Charles Harper The
Settlement of Horsham
Township. 1975
------Colonial Land Tenure in Hatboro and Vicinity, (a Bulletin
of Montgomery County Historical Society.)
Toll, Jean Barth and Michael J. Schwager ed. Montgomery County::
The Second Hundred Years. 1983
While historical integrity is a manifest part of a Historical
Society, brevity for the purpose of this popularized work, can not explain or
go into historical clarifying details. We do welcome any comment, story, fact,
or material the reader may share with us.
Pages 7 & 8: Introduction]Introduction. When a
pictorial study of any community is prepared, the compiler must present a short
history of that community to the reader. In the case of Hatboro, it is
necessary because the borough’s history predates the photographic record by
many years. This is and overview of the history of Hatboro, from 1700 to
present time. Hatboro (also known as Hatborough and Crooked Billet) is the only
town so named in the United
States. It has been believed for years that
Hatboro was founded in 1705, and first settled by John Dawson. However, recent
research has shown that the land where Hatboro is now located, was purchased on
a warrant from William Penn, by the family of Nicholas More. They did not begin
subdividing the land until after 1705. The first available record shows
Lawrence Thompson received title to his land in 1711, and in 1715 built his
home, a log house, at what is now Moreland
Avenue and York Road. Thompson was followed by
Emanuel Dungworth, a miller, Isaac and Jeremiah Walton (between 1715 and 1717),
and lastly by John Dawson (between 1717 and 1719).While John Dawson was not the
first settler in the area now known as Hatboro, he was the most instrumental in
founding the town. His occupation as a hatter or felt maker, accounted for the
present name. Another name that was given to the area, “Crooked Billet,” can
also be traced to him. John Dawson arrived in the Province
of Pennsylvania from England in
1710. He seems to have lived and worked in Philadelphia from 1717 or 1719, purchased
lots in the future borough, and moved his family there in 1719. Sometime in
1734 he built a third home on the east side of York Road between Moreland Avenue and Byberry Road. He operated his hat
manufactory there and entertained paying travelers for overnight stays as well.
This building was a “house of private entertainment” while he was proprietor,
not a tavern, as no record of his ever holding a tavern license exists. He
called it the Crooked Billet Inn, after the famous tavern of the same name on Water Street in Philadelphia. By 1735
Hatboro was a thriving settlement with a grist mill, blacksmith shop, and two
taverns in addition to John Dawson’s establishment. It also boasted a doctor
and an undertaker, who was also a cabinetmaker. A 1749 Scull map of Pennsylvania simply
refers to the settlement as the “Billet.” Lewis Evans published a map of Pennsylvania and called
the community, Hatboro’ (sic.). In 1809, when the Post Office opened, the
official name was “Hatborough.” Postmaster General John Wanamaker, in the 1880s
changed it to our shortened version, omitting an end apostrophe for the missing
aught, to save space in cancellation. In 1755 a group of men banded
together to form the Union Library Company of Hatborough, which was the third
library company to be founded in Pennsylvania.
It still serves the community, as a public library, and in its original
building. In 1777, George Washington and his army passed through the borough
several times as they traveled up and down York Road in pursuit of the British. In
May of 1778, an action known as the Battle of Crooked Billet was fought in and
around the community. In 1811 Robert Loller began to build his academy here,
and opened its doors to students the following year. The union Library, Loller
Academy, and the other schools that followed (the Public School, Young Ladies
Seminary, and Young Men’s Institute), established Hatboro as the educational
center of an otherwise rural area. Hatboro was incorporated as a borough and
acquired its first bank in 1873. The railroad came through in 1874. The trolley
came to Hatboro with the founding of the amusement area, Willow
Grove Park, in nearby
Willow Grove. Early in the 20th
century, Musician-Composer Victor Herbert visited often in Hatboro during the
summers, while his orchestra played at nearby Willow Grove Park.
He worked on two of his operettas, “Babes in Toyland” and “The Red Mill,” while
in the borough. John Phillip Sousa also played at Willow
Grove park, and many of his band members lived in the lower Hotel
while in the Area. Hatboro developed and acquired industry, but from its
founding through 1915, its population never rose above 350. The coming of World
War II brought a great change. Brewster Aviation in Warminster (a manufacturer
of light bombers) and the Willow Grove Naval Air Station in Horsham brought
large numbers of people to the area to support the war effort. At the end of
the War, many chose to stay. The population had exceeded 7000 by then, and has
remained at about that level ever since. While several factors, including the
advent of the shopping mall, have weakened the borough as a commercial center,
the schools in the community still maintain the dedication to education shown
by Robert Loller in the 1700s. As the new century and millennium approach,
there has been a revitalization of the business center of Hatboro. This
includes participation in the “Main Street Manager” program and events such as
the Moonlight Memories car Show and The Hatboro Arts Festival. Many new
restaurants and shops have opened their doors to once again attract people to
the borough. The images reproduced in this book are a sampling of the Millbrook
Society archives of images portraying events, organizations, schools,
businesses, and homes in and around Hatboro, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
The Society is the official historical organization for the borough and school
district. The archives contain over 18,000 images covering the period between
1800 and the present. The majority of the images are of Hatboro and the
surrounding communities of Horsham, Warminster, Southampton, and Upper Moreland
(Willow Grove). Other areas are represented in
the collection and are useful in our educational outreach. All images have been
donated by the residents of the area or have been acquired by the Society from
other sources, such as the Public Spirit Newspaper and postcards. Additional
material is constantly being acquired and preserved. We hope you enjoy this
work. Signed: David Shannon, Hatboro
Historian.
Page 9, Section 1: South York Road: North to Byberry Road
29. “HATBORO VIEWS CARD.” Shown, is a view of Lehman Methodist
Church (left), Hatboro
National Bank (center), and York
Road north during the early 1900s. This is known
as a “Multi-views” postcard, which was very popular to send to friends and
relatives to show them scenes of your town.
Page
10:
119. STONE MILE MARKER This marker sat
beside York Road,
stating 16 miles to Philadelphia
and dated 1780. It can be estimated that may have been the near south borough
line on S. York Road, as a similar stone marker reading “15 M to P” was documented
to be at about the Pennsylvania Turnpike overpass. This is one of various types
used along many of the roads and pikes in our early history. A road,
particularly a toll road, had a marker every mile. Many Railroads did also.
189. YMCA ROOT CELLAR. During the early part of the 1800s, the
building used now as the Hatboro YMCA, originally the Honorable Nathanial
Bouleau home, was a stop on the underground railroad. When the YMCA broke
ground for their outside pool, they discovered an underground chamber filled
with artifacts indicating its use to secrete run away slaves. This picture
shows Hugh Miller looking at some of these artifacts.
____________________________
Page
11:
195. NORMAN WILSON HOME.
This home built in the early 1930s, is on the southern border of Hatboro below Mill Street. It was
the home of the late Norman Wilson a former Mayor of Hatboro.
Page
12: 16. HATBORO HIGH SCHOOL,
1927 -- Present. Built on York
Road south of Horsham Road, with an authorized
borrowing of $45,000, Hatboro
High School, had 160
students move in to the new facilities. Additional curricula came with that
move. This construction was followed by addition of an Industrial Arts building
in 1930, and a gymnasium nine years later. It then served as a Junior High
School briefly in the late 1960s due to an influx of population. It currently
is the home office of Penn Independent Corporation.
213. HATBORO
HIGH SCHOOL. This school
built in 1927 and described earlier, burned in 1939. It was repaired and stands
yet on the west side of York Road,
south of Horsham
Road. Note the sign in front advertising for work
with the WPA, a U.S. Government work program following the great depression.
Today the building is used as a private business.
Page
13:
205. HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS. There was always a lot of enthusiasm in sports at Hatboro High School, but nothing compared to the
Thanksgiving Football game. Their arch rivals were the Upper Moreland High
School Team. Special pep rallies were held in the auditorium weeks before the
game took place
Page
14: 206. HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADERS. The Cheerleaders generated cheers to
rally the students, and school spirit reached an all-time high. Cheerleaders shown here are, from left to
right, D. Valentine, L. Kaiser, M. King, B. Schneider, A. Keeble, D. Connery and
M. Park 98. HATBORO SCHOOL ADDITIONS. This picture is
a rear view of the Hatboro
High School constructed
in 1927. It shows the additions that were added during the 1940s, which
included classrooms, an auditorium, and a gymnasium. The music department was
in the building to the far right out of the picture..
Page 15:
19. THE LOLLER ACADEMY, Robert Loller (1740-1808) was
an educator, surveyor and courageous patriot. He fought at Trenton,
Princeton, and Germantown.
He was elected to the Continental Congress and helped draft the Pennsylvania
Commonwealth Constitution. He left instructions in his will for another
illustrious neighbor and good friend, Nathaniel Boileau, to build the Loller Academy
at a cost of $11,000. The school was opened after Loller’s death. Though it
closed shortly after the Civil War, and again became a State School 60 years
later. The reopening of the school was aided by Robert Loller in a surprise
twist. A 1850 state law required banks to advertise long unclaimed funds, and the
Loller Trustees were then quick to claim the proceeds of an unknown $350 deposit
by Mr. Loller just before an 1808 operation and his death in Philadelphia. In the 1950s, the building was
condemned as unsafe and there was talk of tearing it down. Borough residents
strongly objected and voted to restore the building, which now elegantly serves
as a Community Center, Town Hall, and borough offices.
94.THE ACADEMY CLOCK
TOWER. This picture shows an Isaiah Lukens clock in the tower of the Loller Academy.
A seven day clock, it has a bell in the
tower above it that rings hourly. As shown,
it was wound by a hand crank. The reel on the left powered the bell-ringing
mechanism. This clock was installed in 1812. In 1839, Isaiah Lukens made a similar clock
for Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
A Horsham resident, he also was one of the founders of The Franklin Institute
in Philadelphia.
Page
16: 154.
AN OLD STORE BELL.
This bell was used to summon students to class in the Loller Academy
during the early 1800s. The bell was later used by the Reading family at their general store when it
served as the post office. It was rung
when the mail arrived.
116. HATBORO SECOND PRIMARY CLASS, MAY 1909. This is a real-photo postcard by local
photographer W. H. Sliker of Bridesburg. Sliker was called to do photos of this
type for many occasions. This was one of very few real-photo postcards he made
and sold.
Page
17: 117. HATBORO CLASS. This is another real-photo postcard by local photographer
W. H. Sliker The Millbrook Society is still trying to identify the
students pictured here.
113. HATBORO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, LOLLER ACADEMY,
1906. Shown here are, from left to right, the following students: (Front Row)
Ella Finney, Carrie Yerkes, Anna Logan, Lara Weed, Clara Wood, Alberta Dietrie,
Blanch Dawnie, Anna Finney, and Marie Yerkes; (Back Row) Sara Yerkes, E.
Hanley, Mary Stone, Emma Hobensack, Eliz. Walmsley, Bertha Hobensack, and E.
Munch. The Young people in the background
are from the lower school. Notice that most of the students are female.
____________________________
[page
18] 179. HATBORO ENTRANCE. Located near the southern entrance of Hatboro on York Road, these
signs show the organizations that Hatboro residents and business people
participated in through the fifties. 150. PROMINENT COMMUNITY BUSINESS OWNERS
The individuals from left to right are: Mr. McVaugh, Rev. P. Shook, Peter
Hollowell, Samuel Garner, Tom Neely, Mr. Mattis, Atwood Sterling, Paul Jones,
Wm. Wilson, and standing—Mr. Fitzgerald.
____________________________
[page
19] 130. PENNYPACK HOUSE, c. early 1700s. This building was home to the miller,
Emmanuel Dungworth, who built and ran the Old Mill on Horsham Road, at York Road. He built the mill first then
his house between about 1715 and 1725. The road in the photo, for a time known
as Hatboro Pike, is still called Horsham
Road today. This home still serves the Mill in
much the same way as it began, by housing a member of the family owning the
mill, now the Old Mill Inn restaurant.
____________________________
[page
20] 63. OLD MILL INN. This is the oldest structure in Hatboro. Mr. Dungworth
built the mill before 1724. It may have been operating even as John Dawson
arrived here at the future site of Hatboro on the Pennypack creek. In this
picture, taken in the 1930s, it was named the Old Mill Tea House. You will
notice the sign says: “all you can eat for $1.” Seen in the image above, is the
corner of the Old
Stone Arch
Bridge, and in the
background, farm fields that lead up to some of the development springing up on
Williams Lane.
In August of 1777, George Washington used this mill on his way to an encampment
at the Neshaminy. It was there that General Lafayette joined the army. It has
served as a number of different businesses, including a blacksmith shop.
Renovations in 1918 allowed it to serve as an eating establishment, and today
The Old Mill continues that tradition and is considered a very fine dining
establishment.
172.
UPPER PENNYPACK DAM. This is a photo of the
Pennypack dam which serviced the Old Mill on Horsham and S. York Roads. The
Mill Pond behind the dam is now part of Robert Bruce Apts. Ice was cut on this
pond for the local residences and businesses.
____________________________
[page
21] 40. THE PENNYPACK CREEK. This creek flowing through Hatboro, supplied the
power for the Old Mill built in 1720. Over the years the flow of the creek has
undergone many changes. There was a dam, just upstream of the Old Mill, backing
up the creek for a mile or more. Years later a westward flowing branch of the
creek was diverted underground from the Railroad Station area. The creek had caused flooding in the past,
but today it is just a gentle stream flowing through the south end of Hatboro
to join the main Pennypack below the old Pennypack Elementary School.
41. THE PENNYPACK CREEK. The Indians called this creek by the name: Pennapacka,
taken to mean thick, muddy water.
____________________________
[page
22] 42. PENNYPACK
BRIDGE. This is the
Pennypack bridge, which is on York
Road crossing Pennypack Creek at the south end of
Hatboro. This stone Bridge, called the Three Arch Bridge was built in 1824, replacing a
bridge upstream.
140.
1938 FLOOD. This is a view of the flooding of S. York Road on the north side of the old
arched bridge that spanned Pennypack creek. Most of the flooding was caused
when the Pennypack tributary that flows from near the RR Station, became
blocked. The Pennypack Creek frequently flooded like this until the Army Corps
of Engineers changed the creek bed in the 1980s.
____________________________
[page
23] 147. IKE JARRETT. Mr. Jarrett was a long time business man in Hatboro,
owning I. M. Jarrett & Son Inc., a Dodge Agency, for just over fifty years
on S. York Road.
He also restored and collected old engines and vehicles. Here he is with a
1908, eight horsepower Gallaway engine used for thrashing and sawing wood. Note
the tank for water coolant. The business is now run by his son, Frank.
49.
VAL’S POTTERY SHOP. This shop dating to the 1940s, advertised unusual gifts for
the house and garden. Telephone number was 0513-J. You would see this building,
when coming into town, after crossing the Pennypack bridge on the west side of York Road. It is
now the site of New Life Cleaners.
____________________________
[page
24] 70. PALMER HOUSE. This home was known as the first frame structure in the
borough of Hatboro. This picture was taken around the time of the Civil War. It
was just below the Methodist
Church on the west side
of York Road,
above the Pennypack Creek.
20.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 10/8/1836 -- 1879. As a memorial to their only son,
who drowned in the Neshaminy Creek, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Lehman of Philadelphia built a 40 X
50 foot stone church for the struggling Methodist Society, the first church
building in Hatboro. The lot was purchased for $300, the building completed for
$2700 and the parsonage constructed for $2100. Debora Lehman was of the Society
of Friends and Joseph was an Episcopalian, but their needs and those of the
community, met on a common ground in this Memorial Chapel. In 1879, after being
destroyed by fire, the Lehman Chapel was rebuilt in a Gothic design with a
steeple. ____________________________
[page
25] 88. JONES HOUSE HOTEL, c. 1706 -- late 1800s. This is the Jones House
Hotel, of the federal period, once known as the “Lower Hotel.” It was the very
first hotel in Hatboro. It was located on the south end of York Road, on the west side. The first
Post Office was established here in 1809. The Jones House burned down in the
late 1800s and was replaced by the Hatboro Hotel. 192. JOHN B. JONES. Mr. Jones
was a stagecoach driver, born in Worchestor
County, Md. in 1825.
In 1845 he drove the stage between Philadelphia
and Easton. In
1852 he purchased the Swift Sure Line and became the contractor of mail
delivery for the U.S.
He settled in Hatboro in 1858, and in 186,0 sold his interest in the stage
line. In 1861 he bought the Lower Tavern from Robert Radcliff and then renamed
it the “Jones House.” He ran it as “one of the best appointed hotels in Montgomery County.”
____________________________
[page
26] 10. THE HOTEL HATBORO, ~1806 -- 1939. It was also known as the Lower Hotel
because it was south of the town center and to differentiate it from a later
built Upper Hotel. It was built in the early 1800s after a former Jones House,
AKA, Harvey’s
Tavern, owned by stage driver, John B. Jones, burned to the ground. The Hotel
Hatboro was razed in 1939, 25 years after this 1914 picture. This site was also
the home of Al Wilson Pontiac and presently bears a collision/body shop.
47.
MOORE’S INN.
This was a place of fashionable dining in the early part of the 1900s. The Inn
was situated on Old York Road,
two miles north of Willow Grove
Park. It was 14 minutes
by trolley from Willow Grove. The telephone
number was Hatboro 11. Moore’s Inn
later became the Hatborough Hotel. This card bore a 1920s postmark.
____________________________
[page
27] 138. POLICE CHIEF CHARLES FOSTER. Charles Foster is standing in front of
the old Hatboro Hotel on S. York
Road, across from the Union Library. This building
housed the first Post Office in 1809. Charles Foster joined the police force in
1937 and retired in 1956. This picture was taken in the late thirties. 173.
WARMINSTER DRIVING CLUB c. 1914. The farmers and residents of Hatboro and
surrounding area loved their horses and formed what was called a “Driving
Club.” These men not only drove buggies, but sulkies for racing. This is a
photo of one of their banquets in Hatboro in 1914.
____________________________
[page
28] 17. UNION LIBRARY, 1850 -- Present. When the official instrument of the
Union Library was founded on Aug. 2, 1755, the third in Pennsylvania, there were no more than eight
or nine libraries in the whole thirteen colonies. When the building was finally raised in 1850,
it was the twelfth library building in the state. On July 19, in the home of
Rev. Charles Beatty: he, with Rev. Joshua Potts, John Lukens and Joseph Hart
agreed upon a plan and the instrument to institute a Library Co. They then
ordered books from London.
It was to be the tool of four men to combat a “black and dark ignorance” they
saw overtaking them and their neighbors. At first books of the library were
housed in the home of the acting librarian and moved frequently and often till
this building was erected. At this writing a second addition to the back of the
building is being planned to handle greater needs.
39.
UNION LIBRARY (INSIDE VIEW). Although
the library was founded in 1755 and incorporated in 1787, the building was not
erected until 1850. Prior to the permanent structure, books were kept in the
homes of the acting librarian. The first shipment of books arrived in 1756 from
England.
Many of the old books remain in the library today in the gallery that is closed
to the public.
____________________________
[page
29] 84. INTERIOR OF THE UNION LIBRARY, 1850 -- Present. This fine structure
stands on S. York Road.
It is just below the Potts House, which was the first home of the Union Library
Co. Joshua Potts was the first librarian. This picture shows the interior of
the building in the late 1920s or early 1930s. You see the library here as a
country library, which was mainly for lending books to the community through
subscription membership. It continued this way for many years, before becoming
a public library.
74.
SHARE CERTIFICATE. In 1880 the Hatboro
Baptist Church
bought a share of stock of the Union Library Company of Hatborough. This is
Certificate #111 and cost $10.00. The price has not risen greatly over the
years.
____________________________
[page
30] 158. AMERICAN LEGION POST. Members of the Post, fire a salvo to honor the
dead and to begin a Hatboro 4th of July Parade.
166.
COMMEMORATIVE BRONZE TABLET. The monument placed on this site on May 30, 1922,
honors the men of Hatboro and vicinity who answered their Country’s call in
World War I. Those responsible for its placement were headed by: Warren M.
Cornell, Penrose Robinson, and Dr. Thomas Reading. The stone sits on the north
side of the Hatboro Library.
____________________________
[page
31] 81. JOSHUA POTTS HOUSE, 1743 -- 1999. This shows the Joshua Potts House
erected in 1743 with the main original structure to the extreme left. The
three-story structure facing York
Road was the original portion of the building. The
portion to the right was built in the 1800s. The original building had four
rooms to a floor and was situated on approximately three to five acres. The
white three-story building is the American Legion Home. That is where the
American Legion offices and meeting rooms were. At the time this picture was
taken in 1943, this entire property, the Potts House and the Legion Home were
the property of the local American Legion Post, which is the “Frank Girard
Post.” It has just recently been torn down.
197.
GRAVE MARKER. Hatboro’s Veteran of Foreign Wars Post was named for Frank
Girard, Co. 110th, Inf. He was Hatboro’s only son lost during W.W.I
I. This is his grave marker in France.
____________________________
[page
32] 89. HATBORO FEDERAL BUILDING,
1741 -- Present. This is a picture of the Hatboro Savings and Loan building on south York Road and
north of the Union Library. It was built in 1741. In this early picture York Road is still
a dirt road. If anyone knows what approximate time York Road was paved, please contact the
Millbrook Society.
131.
JOHN HARRISON HOUSE. This home built by John Harrison, the great grandson of
Nicholas More who received the original tract of 10,000 acres known as “Manor
of Moreland” from William Penn. This is now the home of Hatboro Federal Savings
& Loan on 221 S. York Road.
____________________________
[page
33] 38. HATBORO FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION. This structure was built
as a home in the mid 1700s by John Harrison. Through the years, the property
changed hands twelve times before it was purchased by the Hatboro Federal
Savings and Loan Association in 1950. It was then renovated for banking use,
while staying in keeping with its original lines.
133.
YORK AND
BYBERRY ROADS. This building was located on York Road just north of the Hatboro
Federal Savings and Loan. Rorer
Avenue now passes through the site. In this
building, the current Mayor of Hatboro, Joe Salerno, first began his music shop
in the late 1940s. Still visible are the trolley tracks that came up York Road
____________________________
[page
34] 95. HATBORO NATIONAL BANK. The first bank in town was built in 1873, around
the time Hatboro was incorporated. It is a native stone building with granite
front veneer. This building was later enlarged, in stages. Behind this building
you can see the Hatboro Hotel stables. Also the building directly to the left
is the Trolley Car Traction Co. The trolley car came up York Road, made a turn and went in by
that building that served as the freight office.
11.
HATBORO NATIONAL BANK 1850 -- Present.
Mr. S. C. Ball had previously started his first banking house in a building on
the northeast corner of York and Byberry Roads, called the S. C. Ball & Co.
He advertised widely in the Public Spirit. He then moved across to the west
side of York Road
and began to build a new bank. The Hatboro Bank acquired his site and erected
its own bank, hiring Mr. Ball as the first cashier. In 1876, Mr. Ball absconded
with $23,000 of the bank’s and depositor’s money. In December of 1955, the bank
merged with the Philadelphia National Bank, and is now the First Union Bank.
____________________________
[page
35] 96. HATBORO NATIONAL BANK IN 1952. To the left, you can see the original
1873 addition with the keystone over the center port. The traction Co. building is the building that is on the angle
directly to the south of the bank. Burdick’s news agency is directly to the
right . On the other side of the Traction Co. building you can see Ruminate
Ford Agency. Below that you can see the Schaeffer farmhouse, which was built
around 1850.51. OLD YORK ROAD Wouldn’t you like to walk on York Road and check
out all these vintage 1950s autos. You might think you are at Hatboro’s annual
antique car show. Also notice the trolley tracks still in the middle of York Road. The
trolley left Willow Grove, traveling up to
about Burdick’s News Agency. It then returned back to Willow
Grove, a large connecting terminal at the time.
____________________________
[page
36] 103. DAUBERT’S MANUFACTORY. Henry Daubert’s stove, tin, and sheet iron-ware
Manufactory was one of Hatboro’s early businesses. Here pictured in the 1850s,
it was located on the east side of York
Road below Byberry Road. Very little is known about
this early Hatboro firm and all that is left to us is the above picture from an
early advertisement.
168.
BUTTERWORTH HOUSE, c.<1760. This house built before 1760 was located on the
southeast corner of S. York and Byberry Roads.
This picture was taken in the 1860s.
____________________________
[page
37] 92. SHILES DRUG STORE, c. 1840. A three-story wedge shaped building, it is
directly at the foot of Byberry
Road on the west side of S. York Road. This building is still
there today.
139.
1938 FLOOD. The picture shows the junction of Old York Road and Byberry Road in Hatboro during the flood
of 1938. This picture, taken from the roof of the Amoco gas station (now the
Sunoco Station), provides a good view of the center of Hatboro, though
considerably afloat.
____________________________
[page
38] 76. YORK ROAD
SCENE. This is York Road
looking south from Byberry Road.
This picture was taken around 1890 and shows what is now, Burdick’s News
agency. At the time it was the Marble Carvers. They did monument work and
gravestone work there. That is obvious from some of the work that you can see
in the side yard. The next building to the south of Burdick’s is the Hatboro
National Bank, built in 1873. You can see the bend at the top of the York Road hill and
on the elbow of that bend, you can see the Joshua Potts House. That was Joshua
Potts’ first home and the first home of the Hatboro Library Association. It was
built in 1743 for Joshua Potts by his father. The next building is the present
Hatboro Federal Savings and Loan building. When this picture was taken, York Road was still
a dirt road and Hatboro still had a rural atmosphere.
____________________________
[page
39 Chapter II] --S. York Road,
Byberry Road
to Moreland Avenue
107.
AERIAL VIEW OF HATBORO. This postcard, of the center of Hatboro, looking south,
was taken in 1951. This view shows Williams
Lane coming down to York Road on the right and Byberry Road coming
up to York Road
on the left center. Some of the same buildings shown elsewhere in this book,
can be located here.
____________________________
[page
40] 60. JOHN SCUTTI BARBER SHOP. This shop stood on S. York Road at the foot of Byberry Road. In
this picture, which was taken around 1929, you see John Scutti standing in front
of the building. You can see it is a typical old time barber shop. He sold good
quality cigars, as well as providing haircuts. Look for the cigar advertisement
in the upper window of the shop.
____________________________
[page
41] 75. BUTTERWORTH HOUSE. This hip-roof stone house was located on the
northeast corner of Byberry and York Roads. The site is now occupied by a dry
cleaning establishment. In this picture, you can see a hitching post along Byberry Road, and
behind the building, to its extreme right, you can see the home of John Liedy.
Victor Hubert was a guest here while working on his two most famous operettas,
”Babes in Toyland,” and “The Red Mill.”
155. YORK ROAD. This picture,
taken in 1952 looking north, is on the corner of Byberry and York Road. You can see the Mobil Gas
Station on the corner. Later, it was Big John’s Texaco Gas Station. To the
right on Byberry Road,
is Beifus’ Shoe Repair and next to the Mobil Station on York Road, is the G. W. Aiman Real Estate
Office.
____________________________
[page
42] 141. BLIZZARD OF 1898. This is a photo of Old York Road from the junction of Byberry Road
looking north. This was before snowplows. At that time a large roller was
pulled by a team of horses to pack the snow for sleighs.
99.
HATBORO STREET SCENE. This is a 1905 - 1910 postcard of York Road looking north from Byberry Road. On
the east side (right in the view) is the Vandegrift General Store, which is now
broken into two different merchandising stores. Further up, at the corner of Moreland Avenue and
York Road,
is the Railroad Hotel. Coming down on the west side, you have Shiles Drug
Store, the bakery, also the Kerns Flower Shop and Benjamin Williams’ farmhouse.
____________________________
[page
43] 90. JOHN VAN PELT’S GENERAL STORE. John Van Pelt’s general hardware and
mercantile store was located on S.
York Road near Byberry Road in the late 1800s.. Mr. Van
Pelt, the Burgess of Hatboro, also resided in this building.
185.
HATBORO . in the 1950s, this picture shows the building that once housed the
Public Spirit, a Butcher Shop, a Realty Office, and lastly, Jack’s Men’s Shop.
It was later torn down for a “New” Jack’s Men’s Shop It was on S. York Road, north
of Byberry. Rube Chatburn’s Mobil station was on the south side of this shop.
____________________________
[page
44] 118. D. R. STONE’S GENERAL STORE. This late 1800s’ picture of Dan Stone’s
General Store, operated as such for several generations. Begun by his
grandfather, it later became the Hatboro Bakery operated by S. S. Gehman. It
has been stated to be at the corner of Moreland Avenue and York Road and later became the Jamison
and Carroll Appliance Store. NOT SO! It was, and still is, located just north
of the Old Enterprise Fire Co. building. Posing in front of the store, is Dan’s
wife and daughter, Mary.
162.
HATBORO BAKING COMPANY. This delivery wagon is ready to make a delivery of
fresh baked products by the S. S. Gehman Hatboro Baking Co. The picture was
taken in the 1890s. In later years this was to become the first Suntheimer’s
Bakery, later moved to 120 S. York
Road (Phone Number Hatboro 1663). The building is still in use today as Hatboro
Jewelers and East Coast Volleyball Store.
____________________________
[page
45] 72. YORK ROAD
SCENE. Looking south in this picture of S. York Road, north of Byberry Road and on the west side of the
street, we see (on the right), the Hatboro Fire Co. and Town Hall where the
clock was then located. (It is presently located in front of The Miller-Cornell
Insurance Co.). Also we see a bakery,
Hungerford’s paper store, Scutti’s Barber Shop, and Stiles Drug Store. You can
see, in the middle of the picture, the Hatboro coming up York Road where it will turn in just
before the Hatboro National Bank. To the east of York Road (left in the picture),
you can see the Garner’s Lumber Yard office, also Mason’s Buick with the gas
pumps in front of the building.. Shown also, is what was soon to be dismantled,
Jones & Paxton Lumber Yard office, that stood immediately next to the
Garner Lumber Yard office.
82.
SKYWAY RESTAURANT This is the Skyway
Restaurant located on the east side of York Road, at the foot of Williams Lane. It
is still operating as a bar known as Tooey’s Tavern.
____________________________
[page
46] 128. TOWN HALL, 1891. This is a picture of Hatboro’s first Town Hall, and
the first home of the Enterprise Fire Company of Hatboro. The firehouse was on
the ground floor as was the jail. The upper floor served as meeting rooms. Note
the tower for hanging and drying fire hoses. Also note Hatboro’s first fire
truck, a horse-drawn pumper and hose wagon. Building material left over from
construction, is visible. The building was completed in July of 1891.
151.
ENTERPRISE FIRE COMPANY. This picture of the Hatboro Enterprise Fire Co.
getting ready for a parade, was taken in the early 1900s. Top (L to R): George
Katz, Fred McVaugh, Alfred Downs, Harry Decksen, Edwin Shinn, and William
Craven. Bottom (L to R): Howard Winner,
George Duncan, E. J. Amber, Howard Clark, and D. A. Clark.
____________________________
[page
47] 209. ENTERPRISE FIRE COMPANY. The fire company was founded in May of 1890.
Dues were 25 cents a year and $1.00 to join. This Walter Chemical Truck was
bought in 1911 and was the first Motor truck purchased. It was replaced in 1914.
Much fund-raising had to be done to pay for these vehicles.
191.
ENTERPRISE FIRE COMPANY. This is a Buick fire engine purchased in 1914 from S.
W. Mason, the Hatboro Buick Agency, at the cost of $1205.00. It was replaced in
1919 with a Hale Pumper on a Simplex chassis, for $2300.00. Fire companies have
always had to update their equipment to best serve their communities.
____________________________
[page
48] 13. TOWN HALL 1890 -- Present. In
August 1890, thirty-four volunteers acquired a horse-drawn pumper truck and
organized the Enterprise Fire Co. They made immediate plans to build a Fire
House on S. York Road,
which also housed the town jail. In 1899 the jail was moved so the company
could build a hose tower. Later the Town Hall and the Police Station occupied
the building, but in 1955, they moved to their own new building on Montgomery Avenue,
near the railroad. Then, the fire company built newer larger quarters and moved
to its present location on Byberry
Road. The borough offices moved into renovated
quarters in the Loller
Academy. This original
building is where the Kiwanis Club offers oranges and grapefruit before
Thanksgiving and Christmas each year. It is currently undergoing renova