Marple Historical Society

Downtown Broomall, where West Chester Pike crosses Sproul Road, was a sleepy country crossroads in 1895.

A long-time Marple resident donated several old high school diplomas to the Historical Society last week, one for Marple school and one for Newtown. Neither of the schools was a “Marple-Newtown” school because that idea was realized several years later.

There is an excellent 1986 book on “The First One Hundred Years … Township of Marple.” It is in our library, and you can find copies for sale online. The book looks at Marple in the period from 1684-1784.

If you lived in Marple on May 26, 1912, and you had even the slightest curiosity, you would have headed down the Pike to Manoa to see something you had never seen before—an airplane taking off and landing at Eagle Field, now Manoa Shopping Center.

There are two men whose names are familiar to us. Though most know nothing about…

In 1946, West Chester Pike was a two-lane country road, with lots of empty space…

From 1848 to 1918, West Chester Turnpike was a toll road, with toll houses along its 20 mile route. The toll? Two cents per horse per mile.

In 1942, 25-year-old Alice Y. Matthews was a weekend widow when husband George went off to compete in pistol competitions.

Following the American Revolution, a civil war took place in Chester County. The county seat was the town of Chester, on the Delaware River, equally inconvenient to everyone in the huge county other than the locals.

Joe and Kathleen Cirminello went to the hospital on November 1, 1944 forewarned – she was likely carrying twins. Dr. John Ullery at Philadelphia Lying-In Hospital decided to perform a C section, and what he saw surprised him: “I never saw so many hands and feet in my life!”

Pennsylvania has had five Miss Americas, but only one of them lived in Broomall for 33 years.

Each September we recognize Constitution Day, September 17th, to celebrate the U.S. Constitution. Over four months…

Photos courtesy of Marple Historical Society  West Chester Pike has been a witness to the…

By Doug Humes Photos courtesy of Marple Historical Society By virtue of being involved in…

Photos courtesy of Newtown Square Historical Society Marple was a country crossroads for much of…

Howard Johnson of Boston opened up a restaurant in Quincy, Massachusetts, specializing in ice cream, hamburgers and hot dogs.

My daily commute takes me to the traffic light at Sproul and Marple Roads, where I have time to ponder the residents of the Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

During the contentious election of 1860, with four candidates running for President, each candidate’s backers…

While the Pennsylvania  Railroad branch did not start until 1894, Marple had a very active railroad prior to the Civil War: the Underground Railroad.

The Lawrence family (for whom Lawrence Park was named) lived for generations at the confluence of Darby Creek, West Chester Pike, and Lawrence Road, on the border between Marple and Haverford townships.