Headquartered in the Whitpain 1895 Public School, the Wissahickon Valley Historical Society serves to educate the public about the heritage and history of the people, institutions and events that have influenced and shaped the communities of the Wissahickon School District which encompasses Whitpain Township, Lower Gwynedd Township and the Borough of Ambler.
Founded in 1975 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the Wissahickon Valley Historical Society’s purpose is to preserve the local historical buildings, artifacts and folklore of the historic Wissahickon Valley.
The Franklinville School c.1858 is a white stucco one-room schoolhouse on an acre of ground, located at 1701 Morris Road, Blue Bell, between Normandy Farms Estates and the Windermere Community. It is the only one-room schoolhouse open to the public in Whitpain Township.
The two-story schoolhouse has a Library containing deeds, wills, photos, books, maps and genealogies, a 19th Century School Room and a Museum of local artifacts, focusing on items, pictures and records from the early farms and our industrial past.
Featured
Monday, May 4
7:00 at the 1895 Schoolhouse
“In Search of ‘Private Yankee Doodle”
Presented by Dr. Philip Mead
A special speaker for May 4th Meeting: Holding a PhD in history from
Harvard, Dr. Philip Mead is the former historian and curator at
Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution. Dr. Mead curated the
museum’s first main exhibits and put together the present, 1776 exhibit,
“The Declaration’s Journey,” which narrates how our declaration has
influenced citizens’ desire for freedoms in other countries. In addition to
being a storyteller, he is a detective. As a curator, he found George
Washington’s silk shoulder ribbons in Harvard’s collection. Later, he
discovered the only known illustration of General Washington’s war tent in
the field.
Dr. Mead’s topic is “In Search of ‘Private Yankee Doodle’: Discovering
the Material World of a Revolutionary War Soldier.” He examines
what motivated the enlisted soldiers of Washington’s Continental Army
during the American Revolution. What were the material realities of their
lives? How did their service change them? What objects and images did
they leave behind for future generations?
Dr Mead has pursued these questions for most of his professional
life. His lecture will explore these questions by examining the writings,
objects, and landscapes of the most frequently quoted Revolutionary War
soldier memoirist, Joseph Plumb Martin.
WVHS Ambler Walking Tours: Dates for spring season have been announced: Please note these dates, all Saturdays, on your calendar, so you can invite your friends and neighbors: April 11, April 25, May 15, May 30, June 13, and June 27. The tours, run by the Storytellers, are $10 and groups are limited to 12 guests. Tours begin at 3 PM and last about an hour. Guests receive a free beverage at Tannery Run Brew Works.
WVHS Special Projects for Society Year 2026-2027:
- Celebrate America 250
- In 2027, create unique programs to mark the 250th anniversary of the 1777 Battle of Germantown, when Washington’s troops camped in our neighborhood
- With Whitpain Township, restore the historic Skippack Pike Toll Booth
- In Ambler, continue the Storytellers’ Historic Walking Tours and investigate NRHP status
- In Lower Gwynedd Township, support the historical committee’s program to place historic markers
- Prepare themed Open House events at the 1895 School and the Franklinville School
- Continue restoration at the Franklinville School
Campaign to Preserve the Franklinville School
Donations are needed for the Franklinville School. In the past two years, WVHS has replaced the electrical panel, added drainage from the crawl space, replaced the front porch floor, repaired the porch roof, and replaced the roof. WVHS has done its best to find and use grant funding. However, water is still causing damage to the Franklinville School’s walls. We need to repair broken windowsills and paint and seal the outside walls.
Please consider a generous gift to WVHS, marked for the Franklinville School. You can make your check payable to “WVHS” and mail to: WVHS, P.O. Box 96, Ambler, PA 19002.
You can also donate using Venmo or PayPal at: https://www.wvalleyhs.org/donate/
Thank you!
Join us for our monthly speaker series on Monday, April 13 at 7pm at the 1895 Schoolhouse
In the April issue of The Valley Crier you will find news about WVHS – and about history in the news:
Read about the historic Broad Axe Tavern in the April issue of Stroll Blue Bell