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
Save the Date!
Wissahickon Valley Historical Society
50th Anniversary Celebration at William Penn Inn on Sept. 14 from 1-4.
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!
Ambler Storytellers Walking Tours are Back!
WVHS and its Ambler Storytellers have announced the dates for the spring tours of the Ambler Business District: April 5, April 19, May 3, May 17, June 7, and June 21. All tours (Saturdays) begin at the train station at 3 PM.
To avoid no-shows, a $15 registration is required, and all proceeds will be used for the preservation of the Ambler Freight House. (Work there has halted temporarily so SEPTA can remediate for asbestos.) Tours in groups of twelve take about an hour and learn more about the history and architecture of a “must-see” small town. Guests are sure to have fun and learn much! Click here to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ambler-downtown-walking-tour-spring-2025-tickets-1230870559979?aff=oddtdtcreator
The Storytellers meet on most Wednesdays at the Ambler Library at 6 PM. In addition to planning the tours, they are working on ways to preserve the history of Ambler, including a National Register of Historic Places nomination. WVHS members and history lovers are welcome! For details, please send an email to amblerstorytellers@gmail.com.
Our annual Picnic and Corn Auction will be on Monday, June 9 at 6:30 at the 1895 Schoolhouse
In the June issue of The Valley Crier you will find news about WVHS – and about history in the news:
Read Part 2 of St. John’s Lutheran Church history in the June issue of Stroll Blue Bell