Photo courtesy of the Marple Historical Society
When residents here are asked where they live, some will say Broomall, while others will say say Marple, or Marple Township. So which is correct? And why are people confused about where we live?
Broomall and Marple Township are names that are used interchangeably when people are talking about where they live or work. But these names don’t actually refer to the same place. There are subtle differences between the area we live in (a township) and the area mail is delivered (the town).
A township is a subdivision of a county, and serves as a local government for the community. When homeowners pay their taxes, their money goes to the township. Police are hired to patrol and protect the township and school districts are established based on townships. Residents elect the local government officials responsible for creating township regulations and codes. Activities such as Little League and softball teams are also established based on townships.
Photo courtesy of Holly Stupak
Marple is a physical entity drawn on a map with clearly defined borders. Back when the Quakers arrived from England, they purchased land from William Penn and the 5,000 acres became what is known as Marple township.
Today, Marple Township does receive postal deliveries from Springfield (19064), Media (19063) and Newtown Square (19073) and those people who live in Marple Township have a Springfield, Media or Newtown Square mailing address. “The postal address, or town, does not coincide with the township boundaries,” said Broomall postmaster general Kevin Mosley, which explains why residents interchange town names with township names.
“While the postal service tries to deliver within the township, sometimes they deliver into other townships,” Kevin explained. Kevin explained that the block of Fawn Hill Road falls in both Marple and Radnor Township and they’ll deliver to the residents on Fawn Hill who technically belong to Radnor. “We try to find the easiest ways to deliver the mail.”
The township was first given a post office in August 1849 when Ebenezer Curtis’ store across from the Springfield Meeting House was named the Marple Post Office. In 1870, a second post office was established and named in honor of Congressman John M. Broomall. By 1903 the Marple Post Office closed and the mailing address for much of the township became Broomall, Pennsylvania.
So there you have it. Technically, Broomall is a post office, a postal address, but not a physical location. No one has a “Marple, Pennsylvania” mailing address and most residents have a Broomall mailing address with a 19008 ZIP Code. The next time you’re asked where you live, remember, we live in the community in which the home we live in is taxed to provide local services. For us that’s Marple Township. Whether our mailing address reads Broomall, Newtown Square, Media or Springfield, if a local real estate tax on the home in which you live is paid to Marple Township, to support services provided to Marple Township residents, you live in Marple Township.