Copy of facts published on Facebook and previously in the Upper Merion Township e-Newsletter.
A major crop grown in Upper Merion during the late 1880’s and early 1900’s was tobacco. In November 1880, John C. Barton, a native of Lancaster County, established one of the largest tobacco farms in all of Montgomery County. Known as the I. Heston Todd Farm, its 30 acre tract is now part of Valley Forge National Historical Park. (Source:
By 1930, after considerable growth in student population, township supervisors decided to close down some of the antiquated schools and replace them with a combined facility that became the junior-senior high school at Gulph and Henderson Roads. At the time, the site was centrally located. The building later housed the junior high school. Fifty-seven students made up the first graduating
Gulph Elementary, built in 1953, was situated behind the Gulph Road School and was the first post-war program of schools in Upper Merion. It had twenty-one rooms and housed 500 grade school pupils. Today, the building houses the Upper Merion Senior Service Center. (Source: King of Prussia Historical Society) E-History Fact published 5/1/2015 Upper Merion Township E-Newsletter
In the early 1900s, William David purchased a tract of land that became known as the David Farm, which had been in the Holstein family since about 1712. When fairs and games were held on the farmland, the winners would become the “King of the Manor.” In 1925 lots were sold off for $400 with $200 being refunded if the