Marple Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania was settled by English members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1683. It was primarily agrarian for most of its history, until after World War II when improvement to roads, public transportation and the availability of the automobile made Marple Township a suburban community. The Marple Historical Society local history collection, 1685-circa 2000, consists of various primary- and secondary-source materials that document the history of Marple Township and the people, businesses, and organizations in the township and vicinity. Featured in the collection are 17th century deeds, ledgers from the Bonsall Brothers general store (1873-1918), and 1930s military photographs.
Clarissa Smith (1904-1980) was a local historian and journalist based in Broomall, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The Clarissa Smith local history research, circa 1950-1966, consists of eleven volumes compiled by Clarissa Smith on local history topics in the vicinity of Marple Township, Pennsylvania.