The Old York Road Historical Society (OYRHS) is an organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the history of the communities along and adjacent to the Old York Road from Philadelphia to New Hope, with special emphasis on eastern Montgomery County. The society’s collection contains documents, photographs, maps and ephemera documenting the history of the townships of Abington, Cheltenham, Lower and Upper Moreland, and the boroughs of Bryn Athyn, Hatboro, Jenkintown and Rockledge.
The organization operates a research archive and library. It also provides education and outreach programs.
The archival material held by the Old York Road Historical Society includes scrapbooks created by the society and others that principally cover eastern Montgomery County. Some of the scrapbooks contain subject indexes and/or photocopy “access copies” that allow researchers to locate specific items.
This material is physically available in the reading room at the OYRHS. However, it is not currently accessible through the web.
Old York Road is a historical roadway that was built in the 18th century to connect Philadelphia and New York City. It was built over the Raritan (Unami tribe) “Naraticong Trail”, also known as the Tuckaraming Trail, which was a route used by the Naraticong Indians who permitted the road to be constructed on their trail.
Today, a portion of the original road remains in North Philadelphia as a section of Pennsylvania Route 611 and Old York Road. It begins at the intersection of Germantown Avenue and West Westmoreland Street in the Rising Sun/Frankinville neighborhood.
From there, it runs concurrently with PA 263, also still named York Road, in the Warminster and Warwick Townships, until it is joined by US 202 at Easton Road in Willow Grove.
There is a small section of the original road that still exists in the village of Hartsville in Warminster, and a portion of it in the village of Bridge Valley in Buckingham.
Historically, Old York Road was often the primary route between Philadelphia and New York. In 1769, the Swift Sure Stage Coach Line advertised three runs per week from Philadelphia to New York and was completed in two days. The route was originally a horse and buggy road, but eventually railroads superseded the need for horse and buggy travel.
The Old York Road Historical Society is the major historical repository for the townships of Abington, Cheltenham, and Lower Moreland and the boroughs of Bryn-Athyn, Hatboro, and Jenkintown.
Its mission is to collect, preserve, interpret and promote the history, folklore and cultural attributes of the areas along and adjacent to the Old York Road from the Philadelphia to New Hope corridor with special focus on eastern Montgomery County.
