The Lansdale Historical Society was founded in 1972, and its purpose is to preserve the history of the Borough of Lansdale and the greater North Penn area, and to share its collection of material and resources with the greater community, particularly the youth. It has its headquarters in a two-building complex, located on Jenkins Avenue in the center of Lansdale, Montgomery County, PA. The buildings are owned by the Borough of Lansdale.

The complex includes the Jenkins Homestead, a 1770-era Federalist-style farmstead that is the oldest building within the original borders of Lansdale. Portions of the Homestead have been restored and are open for public tours. The Lansdale Historical Research Center, located less than 60 feet from the Homestead, was acquired by the Borough in 2000 and has undergone extensive renovations to make it computer and Internet friendly and a repository for the Society's vast collection of documents and artifacts related to Lansdale and the surrounding North Penn area. The building is handicapped accessible.

LOCATION: The complex is located one block off Lansdale's Main Street on Jenkins Avenue between Chestnut and Line Streets. On-street parking is available on Jenkins Avenue.

Our recent Community Program
"The Hatfields"

Shown below are some photos taken at the Hatfield Fire Company hall. Be sure to double click to enlarge. This was the second of the two programs on 'The Hatfields', with a combined attendance in the range of 350 people. The first copies of the DVD covering the program that was presented in Lansdale were quickly sold out and additional copies are now back ordered but are expected to be available in early June. Call the Society for further information. 

Click here to view the article regarding the program that appeared in the May 27 issue of North Penn Life.

Please note: Our schedule for the 2009 - 2010 Season, which is somewhat tentative at this time, can be viewed by double clicking on the "Community Programs" tab at the top of this page. Click here to view the article about the Society's upcoming activities and programs that appeared in the April 29 edition of The Reporter.

Society's 2009 Annual Banquet

More than 100 persons turned out for the society’s annual banquet on April 21 at the Wm Penn Inn. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Fifth Annual Edwin G. Holl Historic Achievement Award to Marathon Design and Construction of Bala Cynwyd, and Moulton Builders of Lansdale.

Marathon was honored for the preservation and renovation of the former Interstate Hosiery Mill, which was converted into the Silk Factory Lofts, an apartment complex. Moulton rebuilt and restored a portion of the former Dexdale Hosiery Mill as the Turbo Lofts condominiums. Below, on the left,former Lansdale Mayor Mike DiNunzio presents the Holl Award to Plato Marinakos of Marathon, who attended the dinner with his partner, Peter Economou. At right, Jim Moulton displays the plaque given to his company.

Check out the photos below to view some of the 'faces in the crowd'! (And don't forget to double click to enlarge.)

March Community Program

"Then You Saw It, Now You Don't"

On Tuesday, March 10, a near capacity crowd was treated to another delightful presentation in a series of a 'Then You Saw It, Now You Don't programs'. The evening began with an introduction by Society President Dick Shearer, who then turned over the 'mic' to Steve Moyer. Steve then did an outstanding job of narrating a series of images depicting scenes of the area from many years ago, and contrasting them with recent photos of the same sites. Since the locations from which the recent photos were taken was so similar to that of the earlier photos, the audience had no difficulty in making the comparisons. Each one in this series of programs just seems to get better and better.

February Community Program

"Men in Blue"

The month of February program took place on Tuesday, the 10th at the Lansdale Parks and Recreation Building to a packed house.

The program, was narrated by Marti Drumheller, and featured a slide show by Steve Moyer consisting of file photos and many contributed by those connected with law enforcement in the area. Marti described law enforcement in the North Penn area from the early days of constables, state police and one-man local police departments. Many local area officers were in attendance. Also, prior to the start of the program, the proposed slate of officers for the coming year was approved.

Double click on the photos below to enlarge.

January's Community Program

"Culture Comes to Lansdale"

The month of January program took place on Tuesday, the 13th and a substantial audience braved the elements to hear President, Dick Shearer, narrate a slide presentation of the early cultural activities in the area. Prominent among the venues cited were the Freed Hall, the Music Hall, and the Lansdale Theater. Wrapping up the presentation was a preview regarding the potential for upcoming cultural events at the Lansdale Performing Arts Center.

 Holiday History Tour 2008 - A Glorious Day!

This year’s event, which took place on Saturday, December 6, was Lansdale’s 5th Annual Holiday History Tour. Featured were two of Lansdale’s major restoration projects of the past year: the new Silk Factory Lofts apartment complex - which was once the Interstate Hosiery Mill and then became Santerian's, and the Turbo Lofts - the former Dexdale and Turbo hosiery site. Also featured was a Main Street church, and five private residences. Several of the many photos taken by the Society's photographer, Steve Moyer, are shown below, and these plus many more can be found by either clicking here, or on the Holiday History Tour tab in the navigation bar at the top of this page.