ROYERSFORD PA – Eight special sites in western Montgomery and northern Chester counties will be open Saturday (Feb. 22, 2025) for self-guided tours, during an event intended to spark public interest in the region’s shared history.
Tickets for the “Love Your Local History Museum Tour” are available for advance purchase online, and are being sold per car. That bargain allows a carload of people to enjoy the event for about $2 per person. Pre-tour tickets cost $10, or can be purchased for $12 on tour day. Participants will receive one map per car, and a souvenir brochure for each person.
The tours are being conducted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in a united effort of local historical societies and commissions. Participants on the one-day excursion will have the chance to see some rarely examined structures and artifacts.
Where You’ll Go, and What You’ll See
They include:
In Pottstown: The former Kime Floral Shop and, later, Christman’s Flower Shop, presented by the Pottstown Historical Society. Inside the quaint 1882 building, visitors can hear about the adventures of a man who rode a high-wheel bike from Pottstown to Nebraska and back in 1885. It was a time when roads were few, and Indians still roamed the west.
In Sanatoga: The Sanatoga Union Sunday School, also known as Sanatoga Chapel, presented by the Lower Pottsgrove Historical Society. The 1891 church building, steeped in history, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It also now serves as the historical society’s home and museum. For Saturday’s tour, the society says it will highlight “old school books and slate boards used by the students of yesteryear.”
In Limerick: The 1720 Mordecai Evans House, presented by the Limerick Township Historical Society. Visitors can learn about its connection with Gen. George Washington. They’ll also have the opportunity to visit the nearby grounds of the 1872 Hunsberger House, with its summer kitchen and Medinger Cider Press House on display.
In Royersford: the 1860 farmhouse-turned-museum of, and presented by, the Spring-Ford Area Historical Society. Its tour will display a rare 1763 Christopher Saur Bible, and rare 1742 and 1776 Bibles, from the collection of society member and Treasurer Dave Willauer. Visitors can learn about each bible’s unique attribute.
Also on the Love Your Local History Museum Tour
In Trappe: The Dewees Tavern, presented by Historic Trappe. Learn about the site built in several sections from the mid-1700s to the early 1800s, and about people who contributed to its history. It has served as the home of a joiner and bellows maker, a tavern and boarding house, polling place, and stagecoach stop.
In Skippack: The 1850s Meeting House and One-Room School, presented by the Skippack Historical Society. The building has never converted from its original purpose, and is 95-percent authentic, the society reports. Actual teacher and student records, and school books, will be on display.
In East Vincent: The original East Vincent United Church of Christ, also known as the “Church on the Hill,” presented by the East Vincent Historical Commission. The church was erected of logs in 1758. Visitors can learn about the church’s connection to George Washington, the Revolutionary War, and the Revolutionary War Soldiers Cemetery “at the bottom of the hill.” Guests also will step into history in the present church, built in 1817.
In Phoenixville: The former Central Lutheran Church, presented by the Historical Society Of The Phoenixville Area. The church, built in 1872, now serves as the society’s home and is the object of a major building renovation project begun in 2024. Visitors can tour the building’s main floor, follow the renovation project in pictures, and view new exhibits.
Historical Societies Encourage Exploration
“A lively jaunt around the area’s historic sites” may be just what area residents needs to “break up the final dregs of winter,” the societies suggest. They admit those who live locally “may be familiar with these sites, and perhaps pass by them regularly.” The tour, however, gives visitors opportunities to more thoroughly explore what the societies offer, “and be amazed by their links to our local history!”
The tour is sponsored by the Best Practices Consortium of Local Historical Organizations.
Photos by Travels With The Post
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