Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was formerly a borough, and its official name remains "Borough of Bryn Athyn". The population was 1,375 at the 2010 census. It was formed for religious reasons from Moreland Township
Moreland Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Moreland Township, is a defunct township that was located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1682 and named by William Penn after Nicholas More, a London physician. In 1916 Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, in the middle of the township, separated for religious reasons...
on February 8, 1916.
Geography
Bryn Athyn (WelshWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
for "very tenacious hill") is located at 40°8′22"N 75°4′2"W (40.139539, -75.067169).
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the borough has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), none of which is covered with water.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, Bryn Athyn was 92.5% White, 2.7% Black or African American, 2.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian, and 1.8% were two or more races. 1.2% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestryhttp://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/profile/PA#locality-tab.As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,351 individuals, 377 households, and 292 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 706.5 people per square mile (273.1/km²). There were 381 housing units at an average density of 199.3 per square mile (77.0/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.82% White, 1.04% African American, 0.07% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.22% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population. 17.9% were of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, 15.5% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, 11.8% American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 6.7% Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
and 6.6% Swedish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 377 households out of which 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.21 and the average family size was 3.76.
In the borough the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 13.8% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $68,646, and the median income for a family was $76,214. Males had a median income of $48,958 versus $35,000 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the borough was $32,737. About 2.4% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
Politics and government
Bryn Athyn has a city managerCity manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
form of government with a mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
(Brent McCurdy) and borough council.
The borough is part of the Thirteenth Congressional District (represented by Rep. Allyson Schwartz
Allyson Schwartz
Allyson Young Schwartz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia...
), the 152nd State House District (represented by Rep. Tom Murt
Tom Murt
Thomas P. Murt is a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 152nd legislative district. He was first elected in 2006....
) and the 12th State Senate District (represented by Sen. Stewart Greenleaf
Stewart Greenleaf
Stewart J. Greenleaf is a Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, representing the 12th District since 1979. His district includes portions of Montgomery and Bucks Counties.-Biography:...
).
Bryn Athyn Historic District
Bryn Athyn is home to the Bryn Athyn Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District. The Historic district includes four historic buildings:1. Cairnwood Estate was built as a family home for the industrialist John Pitcairn
John Pitcairn, Jr.
John Pitcairn, Jr. was a Scottish-born American industrialist. With just an elementary school education, Pitcairn rose through the ranks of the Pennsylvania railroad industry, and played a significant role in the creation of the modern oil and natural gas industries...
and his wife Gertrude. The building was designed by renowned architectural firm Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère and Thomas Hastings , located in New York City, was one of the outstanding Beaux-Arts architecture firms in the United States. The partnership operated from 1885 until 1911, when Carrère was killed in an automobile accident...
, and the surrounding grounds were designed by Charles Eliot of the landscape design firm Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot. The building was eventually donated to the Academy of the New Church, and now serves as a special events facility.
2. Bryn Athyn Cathedral
Bryn Athyn Cathedral
Bryn Athyn Cathedral is the episcopal seat of The General Church of the New Jerusalem, a denomination of "The New Church." The main building is of the Early Gothic style, while the adjoining structures are of a transitional period reflective of a combination of both Gothic and Norman styles...
serves as the episcopal seat of the General Church of the New Jerusalem
General Church of the New Jerusalem
The General Church of the New Jerusalem is an international church based in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, and based on the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg...
, an international Swedenborgian church. Bryn Athyn Cathedral, built in the early 20th century, is renowned for its stained glass collection and for its unusual architecture, which follows the arts and crafts tradition
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
. Its construction was financed by John Pitcairn, and supervised by his son, Raymond Pitcairn
Raymond Pitcairn
Raymond Pitcairn , son of PPG Industries founder John Pitcairn, was a lawyer, a businessman, a collector of ancient and medieval art, and an amateur architect. He supervised the building of the Bryn Athyn Cathedral and his own castle-mansion of Glencairn.Pitcairn was also quite politically active...
.
3. Glencairn
Glencairn Museum
Glencairn Museum, located on 1001 Cathedral Road, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, is a New Church-affiliated museum of religious history on the National Register of Historic Places. It houses a collection of about 8,000 mostly religious artwork from many cultures as diverse as ancient Egyptian, ancient...
was originally the private residence of millionaire philanthropist Raymond Pitcairn. The castle-like building now serves the Academy of the New Church and Bryn Athyn College as Glencairn Museum, housing a collection of mostly religious artwork and artifacts from around the world and is open to the public.
4. Cairncrest was built as a home for John Pitcairn's son, Harold Pitcairn, an aviation pioneer and developer of the autogyro
Autogyro
An autogyro , also known as gyroplane, gyrocopter, or rotaplane, is a type of rotorcraft which uses an unpowered rotor in autorotation to develop lift, and an engine-powered propeller, similar to that of a fixed-wing aircraft, to provide thrust...
. The building now serves as the central administrative offices for the General Church of the New Jerusalem.
Academy of the New Church and Bryn Athyn College
Bryn Athyn is also the site of the General Church affiliated Academy of the New Church, which is the parent organization of the Academy of the New Church Secondary SchoolsAcademy of the New Church Secondary Schools
The Academy of the New Church Secondary Schools consists of an accredited, private girls' school and boys' school providing 9th through 12th graders with an education inspired by the New Church, an international Christian faith based on the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg.-History:The Academy began...
, Bryn Athyn College
Bryn Athyn College
Bryn Athyn College is a small, private Christian liberal arts college located northeast of Philadelphia in the borough of Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, a National Historic Landmark District...
, a divinity school
Academy of the New Church Theological School
Bryn Athyn College of the New Church Theological School is a seminary specializing in New Church theology and located in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania....
, and the Swedenborg Library (which was named in honor of Emanuel Swedenborg
Emanuel Swedenborg
was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian. He has been termed a Christian mystic by some sources, including the Encyclopædia Britannica online version, and the Encyclopedia of Religion , which starts its article with the description that he was a "Swedish scientist and mystic." Others...
).
SEPTA service
Bryn Athyn had commuter train service until January 14, 1983. Service was suspended due to failing train equipment resulting in a lack of ridership. As of 2009, the train station is used as the Bryn Athyn post office.Though rail service was initially replaced with a Fox Chase-Newtown shuttle bus, patronage remained light. The replacement bus service was far slower and less convenient than the train service it replaced, resulting in the shuttle bus being very unpopular. The travelling public never saw a bus service as a suitable replacement for a rail service.
In the ensuing years, there has been interest in resuming passenger service by Bucks County
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
officials. Neighboring Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...
officials are supportive of re-thinking the rail corridor as well, though the belief within SEPTA management is that the section through Lorimer Park
Lorimer Park
Lorimer Park is a public park in Abington Township, Pennsylvania. The park, a bequest from the late George Horace Lorimer , is connected to Pennypack Park in Philadelphia County, and the Pennypack Creek runs through both parks...
and Walnut Hill Station
Walnut Hill (SEPTA station)
Walnut Hill is a derelict station located along SEPTA's Fox Chase/Newtown Line, located on Moredon Road in Abington Township, Pennsylvania.-History:...
(the only sparsely populated section along the railway) will never generate enough riders to be feasible.
In September 2009, the Southampton-based
Southampton, Pennsylvania
Southampton, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, situated in the South-Eastern tip of Bucks County.Southampton is located 18 miles North, from the center of Philadelphia....
Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition (PA-TEC) began discussions with township officials along the railway, as well as SEPTA officials, about the realistic possibility of resuming even minimal passenger service to relieve traffic congestion in the region. Plans call for completing the electrification to Newtown, as originally planned in the late 1970s. Both Bucks and Montgomery County officials, as well as state representatives, have been receptive to PA-TEC's efforts, despite SEPTA's overall reservations. However, SEPTA has also confirmed that they are indeed open to revisiting the line if there is strong political support in both counties.