Preserving the past at Limerick and Spring-Ford Historical Societies

Did you know that Spring City used to be called Springville?

Did you know that the largest industries in Royersford used to construct cooking stoves?

Did you know that the Isaac Hunsberger House, housing the Limerick Township Historical Society, was the first house built in the township?

Limerick, Royersford and Spring City have hundreds of years of history between them, and families who have been here for decades. The earliest European settlers in what is now Limerick Township arrived here in the early 1700s. Royersford and Spring City’s largest employers were once foundries and glass manufacturers. 

The Limerick Township and Spring-Ford Historical Societies are doing their best to make sure that all of the history of our local area is not forgotten. Both societies grew out of committees formed to celebrate the United States’ Bicentennial in 1976, and both started officially operating in 1984 approximately six months apart. If you look at maps, photographs and postcards preserved by the societies, you will see many familiar last names: names like Latshaw, Urner, Buckwalter, and Ortlip.

LTHS president Dot Jones gave Patch a tour of the Hunsberger house and its ecletic collection of items. The society has collected items such as books and desks from former schools in the area, milk bottles from dairies that used to deliver right to homes and a collection of rings and coins found when the lake at Lakeview Park was drained. There is also Boy Scout, military and band memorabilia and a huge quilt put together as a fundraiser for the society some years ago. Jones said, “We had more names than squares, and that’s why it’s so big.”

SFHS treasurer Robert Hollenbach showed Patch around the Lewin residence, which holds their society’s collection. There is a collection of plates showing the various churches in the area; dollhouses representing homes in the area (one dollhouse is a replica of a home at 439 Second Street which is one of the oldest still-standing homes in town); a collection of school memorabilia including yearbooks from the time when Royersford and Spring City High Schools were two separate schools before merging into Spring-Ford Area High School. There is also an impressive collection of stoves, both coal and gas, which were made in Royersford by the foundries located there.

SFHS even has the restored iron gate sign from Fernwood Cemetery. When the church and the cemetery gates were torn down to make way for new construction several years ago, Hollenbach said, the sign was discovered twisted and damaged on the scrap heap. The society rescued it, restored it, and now has it sitting outside their second building.

Both societies have large libraries with newspapers, family histories, and photographs that have been donated or collected by society members. Residents who have an interest in genealogy can find cemetery records, family trees and potentially photographs in the libraries. Both also host monthly events, usually a talk on a historical subject. 

These two societies are staffed by volunteers and welcome new volunteers. LTHS is always on the lookout for photographs, especially school photographs. SFHS can always use photographs and items and would like to round out its collection of yearbooks.

The Limerick Township Historical Society can be visited on the web at http://www.limerickpahistory.org/index.html.

The Spring Ford Area Historical Society can be visited at http://www.springcitypa.net/sfahs/index.htm.