ROYERSFORD PA – New displays at the Spring-Ford Area Historical Society museum are completed and installed, and its 526 Main St. building has officially re-opened to the public. Now society members are turning their attention to their first local history program of this year.
The presentation focuses on the work of the Limerick Township Historical Society to obtain, preserve, and interpret the William and Mordecai Evans House located in Linfield. A discussion of the Limerick society’s efforts to prepare the house for the public is scheduled for Wednesday (April 10, 2024) at 7:30 p.m. at the Royersford Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, 730 S. Fourth Ave.
The Evans house is one of the oldest in the area. Experts say it was famously used by General George Washington on Sept. 19, 1777, following his troops’ crossing of the Schuylkill River at Parker’s Ford. The general’s britches were wet and needed drying, and the Evans’ warming hearth served the purpose.
Participating in the talk will be Limerick society President Martin Witte, Vice President Allie Sasek, and Secretary Jack Perry, who also is in charge of the Evans house. Additionally, they’ll talk about Limerick Township’s 300th anniversary celebration and the Limerick society’s own 40th anniversary.
It’s back!, after a grand opening
After months of hard work by its museum co-directors, volunteers, and board members, the Spring-Ford Area Historical Society museum was officially re-opened April 7. Here’s what to look for during its regular hours, Sundays from 1-3 p.m., and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.:
- New displays have been completed and re-located for the Medical Room, the Schoolroom, and the First Responders Room;
- The Family and Childhood room has been completely re-done;
- The parlor, and the Joseph H. Forrest Jr. Research Library, have a bright and open new look;
- In the gallery, visitors will find new displays for Community and Service Organizations, Local Dairies, Glass Manufacturing, Banking, and Architectural Details
- The Retail area has been completely redone, and includes a new display on Printing;
- The Transport and Transportation area includes items related to the railroad, the canal, and Jones Motors;
- Newly acquired machinery manufactured or used in the twin boroughs is now on display; and
- The museum’s impressive local stove collection has been updated with artifacts that complement the stoves.
Still in process is a new Entertainment display, currently “guarded” by a new acquisition (at right), the Lakeview Carousel Horse. Also on display is a rotating exhibit in the gallery that features the photography of W. W. West, Donald Sower, Harold Amster, and Joe Evans, as well as the camera collection of Carolyn Fetterolf.
As of Saturday (April 6), the museum’s Farmhouse Porch Project was nearing completion too. Public fund-raising for the project continues. The museum hopes to receive $5,000 in donations; they can be offered online.
Top photo by Travels With The Post
Carousel horse photo by the Spring-Ford Area Historical Society
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