The Jenkins Homestead and Historical Research Center

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.

September's Community Program

Tuesday, September 9 

World War I - What Life Was Like

   The Lansdale Historical Society’s Community Program series begins its fifth season on Tuesday, Sept. 9 with an interactive World War I show featuring Janeal Jaroh, educational curator of the Cumberland County Historical Society in Carlisle.

   Jaroh has been fascinating central Pennsylvania audiences of all ages with her imaginative “trunk shows” that focus on many important periods in American history.

   The World War I trunk show, which debuted this spring, features what the name implies – a trunk loaded with clothing, military gear and other memorabilia  - that helps describe what life was like during that critical time and the impact the war era had on future generations.

    Jaroh’s story –told with the help of audience participation - goes beyond the Great War and the dreaded Influenza Epidemic of 1918. It explains how America redesigned itself during the decades that followed, sometimes for the better, sometimes for worse.

   Her program delves into the Women’s Suffrage movement, the Roarin’ 20s, Prohibition and the economic turmoil of the Great Depression in the 1930s. She will explain – by way of the trunk’s contents – how smoking, Hollywood, sports stars, tanks, air warfare and even wristwatches all have roots in the World War I era.

   The World War I Trunk Show - geared to all ages from students to seniors - is the first of seven Community Programs scheduled by the society for the 2008-2009 season.

   All of the shows are held at the Lansdale Parks and Recreation Building, Seventh St. and Lansdale Ave., beginning at 7:30 p.m. The programs are free and open to the public. Donations are greatly appreciated.

    For more information, call (215) 855-1872.

  The Legacy of Dr. Frank Boston

Tuesday, October 14 

 Nearly five decades have passed since the death of  Dr. Frank Boston but many of the good works he left behind in his adopted hometown of Lansdale are daily reminders of his commitment to medical care in this region.

   The Legacy of Dr. Frank Boston will be the subject of the society’s Oct. 14 Community Program at the Lansdale Parks and Recreation Building, Seventh St. and Lansdale Ave. As usual, the show will begin at 7:30 p.m. and there will be no admission charge.

   Dr. Boston founded Elm Terrace Hospital, the first full-service medical facility in Lansdale, in the 1930s. From its humble beginnings in the old Zane mansion at Seventh and Broad Streets, Elm Terrace grew into North Penn Hospital in the 1950s before moving to Hatfield Township in the 1970s. It now operates as Central Montgomery Medical Center.

   Another enduring testimony to Dr. Boston is the Volunteer Medical Service Corps, which celebrates its 75^th anniversary this year. The ambulance service, which started with one vehicle, has for years been the primary emergency medical squad in the North Penn area.

   Countless stories abound of the doctor’s tireless hours spent at the operating table or his skill in the emergency room, sometimes providing medical treatment at no charge to those who could not afford it during the Depression years.

   Join us to recount his deeds and trace the development of the hospital and the VMSC.    

  A Portrait of North Wales  was the topic of the Lansdale Historical Society’s final Community Program of the 2007-2008 season.

   The large turnout that was anticipated, did materialize, with nearly 200 in attendance on Tuesday evening (May 13) and a somewhat smaller crowd on Thursday (May 15).  Both of the programs were held at the Lansdale Parks and Recreation Building.

     This programs were kicked off by Society President, Dick Shearer, followed by the slide show prepared and narrated by Steve Moyer.  There was considerable audience participation as Steve traced the history of North Wales from its earliest days as a tiny village on the Sumneytown Turnpike through to its present status as the second-largest borough in the North Penn area.