The human mind is attracted to round numbers. Old-timers remember the 1976 Bicentennial celebration. In 2026, the country is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Delaware County is coordinating county-wide activities through its America250PA Delco project (their website for details is america250padelco.org), promoting the county as the place “Where Pennsylvania Began.” William Penn first set foot in his colony at the Chester waterfront (which at the time was part of Chester County – creative license sometimes needs to be taken!). Marple Township celebrated various milestones in its history on its 300th birthday throughout the year 1984. The next round number? We are looking ahead to the 350th birthday of the township in 2034.
The 300th birthday celebration inspired Marple native Lucy Lewis Simler to write “The First One Hundred Years … Township of Marple 1684-1784.” In her introduction, she thanks many Marple residents for their “Birthday gift to our community.” I recognize many of those names she mentions, but few of them are still with us 40 years later. In getting involved with the Marple Historical Society, I spent time with Rich Paul and Seth Pancoast – the two of them seemed to know everything that happened to everyone who lived in Marple in the 20th century. We lost each of them in the Covid years, along with the information that they knew and freely shared.
The Historical Society is proposing to pick up where Lucy Simler left off, and celebrate our 350th birthday
by gathering the next 250 years of Marple’s history. What resources do we have? As Lucy noted, ”Life is understood through fragments: a purchase of land, a neighbor moving to the city, a hanging, a clipping from the Gazette, a minute from the Quaker Meeting, and the proving of a will.” But the stories that can make history come alive are those indelible memories that come from the people who lived through the experiences – of war and peace, disasters, parades and community celebrations, school days, shopping, living through Prohibition – which lasted a lot longer in Marple than the rest of the country!
It is never too early to collect those memories. If you or your elders have photos, stories, old documents, and a willingness to share them, we are going to start gathering the raw materials that we can turn into a Marple 350th Anniversary history book. Please reach out to me at doughumes@alumni.psu.edu and join us in this effort!
For more on the history of Marple, visit the Marple Historical Society website and Facebook page, and join the Society to keep up to date on coming events: www.MarpleHistoricalSociety.org