Haverford, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Haverford is an unincorporated community located partially in Haverford Township
in Delaware County
, Pennsylvania, USA, but primarily in Lower Merion Township
in Montgomery County
, about 10 miles (16.1 km) west of Philadelphia
. It is on the Main Line
, which is known historically for its wealth. As of August 2009, the average home price in the Haverford ZIP Code 19041 was $849,000. ZIP Code 19041 borders the unincorporated portion of Haverford Township called "Havertown
," as well as the unincorporated communities of Bryn Mawr
, Gladwyne
, Ardmore
, Wynnewood
, and a small portion of Broomall
.
Haverford's name is derived from the name of the town of Haverfordwest
in Wales, UK. One translation of the word "Haverford" from the Welsh is "goat crossing." Today, Haverford is most notable for being the site of Haverford College
and one of the United States' oldest country clubs, the Merion Cricket Club
.
The town is connected to central Philadelphia by the Paoli/Thorndale Line
commuter rail system and Norristown High Speed Line
.
It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Its elevation is 318 feet (96.9 m).
Alexander Johnson Cassatt
1839–1906
His friends and neighbors hereby record
their grateful appreciation of many years
given to generous interest in the welfare of
Lower Merion Township and to the intelligent
supervision of the public roads. 1910
Haverford Township, Pennsylvania
Haverford Township is a home rule township in Delaware County, near Philadelphia, in southeastern Pennsylvania, United States. It maintains its legal name as the Township of Haverford, presumably for historic reasons...
in Delaware County
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
, Pennsylvania, USA, but primarily in Lower Merion Township
Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania
Lower Merion Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and part of the Pennsylvania Main Line. As of the 2010 census, the township had a total population of 57,825...
in 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...
, about 10 miles (16.1 km) west of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. It is on the Main Line
Pennsylvania Main Line
The Main Line is an unofficial historical and socio-cultural region of suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, comprising a collection of affluent towns built along the old Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad which ran northwest from downtown Philadelphia parallel to Lancaster Avenue , a road...
, which is known historically for its wealth. As of August 2009, the average home price in the Haverford ZIP Code 19041 was $849,000. ZIP Code 19041 borders the unincorporated portion of Haverford Township called "Havertown
Havertown, Pennsylvania
Havertown is a residential suburban unincorporated community in Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, approximately 9 miles west of the center of Philadelphia. Havertown's ZIP Code is 19083. Havertown is notable for being the birthplace of Swell Bubble Gum, which closed...
," as well as the unincorporated communities of Bryn Mawr
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr from Welsh for "big hill") is a census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue and the border with Delaware County...
, Gladwyne
Gladwyne, Pennsylvania
Gladwyne is a suburban community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States along the Main Line. The population was 4,050 at the 2000 census...
, Ardmore
Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Ardmore is a census-designated place in Delaware and Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 12,455 at the 2010 census...
, Wynnewood
Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
Wynnewood, Pennsylvania is a suburban community located outside of Philadelphia in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania and Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, United States. Wynnewood was named in 1691 for Dr. Thomas Wynne, William Penn's physician and the first Speaker of the Pennsylvania General...
, and a small portion of Broomall
Broomall, Pennsylvania
Broomall is a census-designated place in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 11,046 at the 2000 census. The community was named after John Martin Broomall, a 19th century U.S...
.
Haverford's name is derived from the name of the town of Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales and serves as the County's principal commercial and administrative centre. Haverfordwest is the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire, with a population of 13,367 in 2001; though its community boundaries make it the second most populous...
in Wales, UK. One translation of the word "Haverford" from the Welsh is "goat crossing." Today, Haverford is most notable for being the site of Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
and one of the United States' oldest country clubs, the Merion Cricket Club
Merion Cricket Club
Merion Cricket Club is a private club in Haverford, Pennsylvania, founded in 1865. The current clubhouse is its sixth, the last four having been designed by Philadelphia architect Frank Furness and his partner, Allen Evans .-History:...
.
The town is connected to central Philadelphia by the Paoli/Thorndale Line
Paoli/Thorndale Line
The Paoli/Thorndale Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line running from Center City Philadelphia to Thorndale in Chester County.-Route:This branch utilizes one of the oldest sections of what is now Amtrak's Keystone Corridor, an electrified 104-mile two to four-track high-speed route between Harrisburg...
commuter rail system and Norristown High Speed Line
Norristown High Speed Line
The Norristown High Speed Line is an interurban line system operated between Upper Darby and Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA by SEPTA...
.
It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Its elevation is 318 feet (96.9 m).
Notable inhabitants
- John C. (Jack) Bogle, financial guru, founder of The Vanguard GroupThe Vanguard GroupThe Vanguard Group is an American investment management company based in Malvern, Pennsylvania, that manages approximately $1.6 trillion in assets. It offers mutual funds and other financial products and services to individual and institutional investors in the United States and abroad. Founder...
of mutual funds. He is the author of several books, most recently "The Little Book of Common Sense Investing" (John Wiley, 2007). In 1999, FortuneFortune (magazine)Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
magazine named Bogle as one of the four "Investment Giants" of the twentieth century. In 2004, Time magazine named Bogle as one of the world's 100 most powerful and influential people. He is a former resident of North Rose Lane. - Catherine Drinker BowenCatherine Drinker BowenCatherine Drinker Bowen was born as Catherine Drinker on the Haverford College campus on January 1, 1897, to a prominent Quaker family. She was an accomplished violinist who studied for a musical career at the Peabody Institute and the Juilliard School of Music, but ultimately decided to become a...
(1897–1973) author and historian. She was the author of many books including "Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, May to September 1787" and "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Scenes from the Life of Benjamin Franklin" (1974). She lived on Booth Lane, north of Montgomery Avenue - Alexander Johnson ("AJ") Cassatt (1839–1906), president of the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1899 to 1906. His estate, "Cheswold," was off of Grays Lane. A bas-relief plaque showing Cassatt on horseback is located on the stone wall of the Merion Cricket Club, at the corner of Grays Lane and Montgomery Avenue. The inscription on the plaque reads
Alexander Johnson Cassatt
1839–1906
His friends and neighbors hereby record
their grateful appreciation of many years
given to generous interest in the welfare of
Lower Merion Township and to the intelligent
supervision of the public roads. 1910
- Cassatt, the brother of the American impressionist painter Mary CassattMary CassattMary Stevenson Cassatt was an American painter and printmaker. She lived much of her adult life in France, where she first befriended Edgar Degas and later exhibited among the Impressionists...
, was responsible for the granite curbstones which give so many roads in Lower Merion Township such charm. He also designed the distinctive green and yellow metal street signs which characterize the township.- Frank ConverseFrank ConverseFrank Converse is an American actor. In 1962, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama at Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
(born 1938), actor, former resident of Laurel Lane. - Clement Acton GriscomClement GriscomClement Acton Griscom was a prominent American Quaker businessman and nineteenth century shipping magnate.-Biography:...
, founder and president of American Steamship Lines. His estate, "Dolobran," is on Laurel Lane. The house was designed by the famous Philadelphia architect Frank FurnessFrank FurnessFrank Heyling Furness was an acclaimed American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his eclectic, muscular, often idiosyncratically scaled buildings, and for his influence on the Chicago architect Louis Sullivan...
, who also designed the Merion Cricket Club in Haverford. Dolobran took four years to build, encompasses a floor area of over 0.5 acres (2,023.4 m²) on five levels and is "a priceless relic of the Gilded Age on the Main Line." (O'Loughlin, Kathy, "Frank H. Furness: Visionary architect," Main Line Times, August 19, 2010. See also Lower Merion Historical Society, "The First 300 Years: An Amazing and Rich History of Lower Merion Township.") - Jameer Nelson, All-Star basketball player for the Orlando Magic. A native of Chester, Pennsylvania, he attended St. Joseph's University. He lives in Haverford during the off season (Philadelphia Magazine, "Best of Philly" issue, August 2010, page 134)
- Georges Perrier, chef, founder of Le Bec-Fin restaurantLe Bec-FinLe Bec-Fin is a French restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which opened in 1970. Owner and founder Georges Perrier named the restaurant after the French colloquialism for "Fine Palate". The restaurant has been rated as America's finest French restaurant and the Mobil Travel Guide has...
in Philadelphia. He lived on Booth Lane. - J. Howard PewJ. Howard PewJ. Howard Pew was an American philanthropist and co-founder of Sunoco .Joseph Howard Pew was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania in 1882 and raised as a devout Presbyterian. In 1886 Pew’s father, Joseph Newton Pew, Sr. started an oil business in Pennsylvania, expanding to Texas when oil was discovered...
, son of Joseph Newton Pew, the founder of Sun Oil CompanySunocoSunoco Inc. is an American petroleum and petrochemical manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, formerly known as Sun Company Inc. and Sun Oil Co. ....
. His estate, "Knollbrook," was at Grays Lane and Mill Creek Road. - Karin Katherine TaylorKarin TaylorKarin Taylor is a former international fashion model, chosen by Playboy as their Playmate of the Month June 1996....
, actress, fashion model, Playmate of the Month in PlayboyPlayboyPlayboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine (June 1996). She founded Style House in Haverford. She is currently living in Palm Beach, FloridaPalm Beach, FloridaThe Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
.
- Frank Converse
See also
- Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
- Haverford CollegeHaverford CollegeHaverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
- The Haverford SchoolThe Haverford SchoolThe Haverford School is a private, non-sectarian, all-boys college preparatory day school, junior kindergarten through grade twelve. Founded in 1884 as The Haverford College Grammar School, it is located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, nine miles northwest of Philadelphia, on Philadelphia's historic...