Plymouth Meeting

Welcome to Plymouth Meeting

Plymouth Meeting is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the northern terminus of the "Blue Route" and the southern terminus of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension (both on I-476). The population was 6,177 at the 2010 census. Plymouth Meeting is considered an affluent suburb of Philadelphia and one of the wealthiest towns in Montgomery County. It is home to the Colonial School District, the recently renovated Plymouth Meeting Mall, and several large office parks and shopping centers. It is home to Ikea's U.S. headquarters.

History

The township was originally settled by members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, who worshipped in the Plymouth Friends Meetinghouse. They sailed from Devonshire, England, on the ship Desire, arriving in Philadelphia on June 23, 1686. The township takes its name from the settlers' hometown of Plymouth in Devon.

What is now Germantown Pike was ordered laid out by the Provincial Government in 1687 as a "cart road" from Philadelphia to Plymouth Meeting. The actual road was not finished until 1804, when it was built at a cost of $11,287. A road from Plymouth Meeting to Gwynedd appears to have been built in 1751. What is now Chemical Road, following Plymouth Creek, was opened in 1759 to provide access to a new gristmill. In the early 19th century the Hickorytown Hotel, on Germantown Pike opposite Hickory Road, was a prominent road house. Robert Kennedy, an officer in the Revolution, operated the inn in 1801. In 1806 it was kept by Frederick Dull and in 1825, Jacob Hart. In the beginning of the 19th century it was a training place for the 36th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Militia and the Second Battalion of Montgomery County. The Friendship Company for the Protection against Horse Stealing was organized there in 1807. Township elections were held there as well, and a post office was established there in May 1857. The Plymouth Meeting Post Office appears to have been established sometime prior to 1827.

In 1754, Benjamin Davis received a license to keep an inn on Ridge Pike at Plymouth Creek. This inn, the Seven Stars, was shown on maps as early as 1759. The inn was demolished in 1975 to make way for the Midcounty Expressway.

Early records indicate that one person was elected as "road supervisor" and tax collector. The roads were mostly dirt, and the repair and maintenance was often auctioned off to the lowest bidder, usually a farmer who had large properties and kept many men and horses, and the smaller farmers worked on the roads for them.

Tax records show that the taxpayers had the privilege of working out their taxes on the roads. From 1846 to 1854 the road supervisor was paid one dollar per day for his work as supervisor and collector of taxes. Men working on the roads received $.80 per day and boys received $.40 per day. For the use of a double team of horses with a wagon or cart, one was paid $1.75 per day. Among the 1850 assessments may be found such familiar present-day names as Corson, Cleaver, Davis, Evans, Williams, Fischer, Gillinger, Hallman, Jones, Marple, Rodenbaugh, Sheppard, Shoemaker, Staley and Wood.

Geography

Plymouth Meeting is located at 40°6′31″N 75°16′57″W (40.108545, -75.282378). It lies primarily within Plymouth Township, with a smaller portion lying within Whitemarsh Township. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2), all of it land. Plymouth Township is immediately adjacent to the Schuylkill River, but all river frontage is occupied by industry. Currently a bike trail is under development for river access.

Interstate 476 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike pass through the township. The area is easily accessible to Interstate 76 and the "Main Line" points across the river.

Institutions

Plymouth Meeting lies in both Plymouth and Whitemarsh townships. The two townships share a high school with the borough of Conshohocken. The term Plymouth Meeting generally refers to most of Plymouth Township, as the township's ZIP code is congruent with that of Plymouth Meeting. The Plymouth Meeting post office, however, is actually located just outside Plymouth Township within Whitemarsh Township. The entire area is generally referred to as "Plymouth Whitemarsh", as is the high school.

The small Catholic school Epiphany of Our Lord in Plymouth Meeting was recently awarded the Blue Ribbon School designation.

La Salle University maintains a satellite campus in Plymouth Meeting.

Villanova University maintains its baseball facilities on the grounds of the Greater Plymouth Township Community Center. The park has a walking trail, sand volleyball courts, indoor basketball and a swimming pool. Concerts are held in the summer, as well as a bocce league.

Plymouth Meeting is the home of Odyssey Fastpitch Softball, a competitive girls travel/tournament softball organization.

Courtesy of Wikipedia