Call Number:

08

Repository:

The Historical Society of Trappe, Collegeville, Perkiomen Valley

Extent:

19.0 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

circa 1922-2012

Creator:

Historical Society of Trappe, Collegeville, Perkiomen Valley.

Abstract:

The Historical Society of Trappe, Collegeville, Perkiomen Valley subject files, circa 1922-2012, consist of photocopies of scholarly articles, ephemera and pamphlets, and newspaper clippings on various topics of local interest. The subjects include: historic sites, bridges, cemeteries, clubs and societies, crafts, music, wars, Pennsylvania German culture, taverns and businesses, townships/boroughs/locales, and significant families.

"The Perkiomen Valley, in Montgomery County, was important from Pennsylvania's earliest days because its rich farmlands provided food for residents of Philadelphia. During the Revolutionary War, Washington's troops wintered in nearby Valley Forge...

"Collegeville (formerly called "Perkiomen Bridge" and "Freeland") and Trappe were incorporated in 1896 from land that had been part of Upper Providence Township. Freeland Seminary was founded in 1848 by Abraham Hunsicker in what is now Collegeville. Ursinus College purchased it in 1869. Pennsylvania Female College was founded in 1851 and closed in 1880, at which time Ursinus began to admit women.

"Until the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the more recently opened 422 Expressway, Collegeville and Trappe had a strategic position at the midpoint of the Philadelphia-Reading Pike. The Perkiomen Bridge Hotel, built in Collegeville in the 1700s, is one surviving example of the taverns and inns built to service this travel trade.

"Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, whose restored home is on Main Street in Trappe, founded the Lutheran Church in America. His eldest son, John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, became a major general in the Continental Army, was a vice-president of Pennsylvania and a U.S. representative. Another son, Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg, served various Lutheran congregations until he was elected to the Continental Congress in 1779. A member of the U.S. House of Representatives, he was its first Speaker. A grandson, Henry Augustus Philip Muhlenberg, was the first U.S. minister to Austria."

Bibliography:

Quoted text from: Perkiomen Valley Chamber of Commerce. "About the Valley." 2012. Accessed April 2, 2012. http://www.pvchamber.net/about_valley_history.asp

These files consist of photocopies of scholarly articles, ephemera and pamphlets, and newspaper clippings on various topics of local interest. The subjects include: historic sites, bridges, cemeteries, schools, clubs and societies, crafts, music, wars, Pennsylvania German culture, taverns and businesses, townships/boroughs/locales, and significant families. The bulk of the files are organized in alphabetical order, but large sections (such as "Churches," "Trappe," etc.) are filed at the end, or in flat boxes on nearby shelves. There are separate file drawers with information on the Muhlenberg family, the Muhlenberg House restoration, and the Dewees House restoration. There are also large-format blueprints of the Muhlenberg House in a separate file cabinet.