Schwenksville, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Schwenksville is a borough in Montgomery County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. The population was 1,385 at the 2010 census. It is notable for being located near the site of the Philadelphia Folk Festival
. The borough was founded in in 1684, when the Lenni-Lenape Indians ceded to William Penn the land along the Perkiomen Creek; it was incorporated in 1903. The borough was named for George Schwenk, whose son, Jacob Schwenk, served in George Washington
's army.
The town was the inspiration for the protagonist in Catherine Gilbert Murdock
's novel Dairy Queen
(2006).
The Hall & Oates
song "Perkiomen" was written about the Perkiomen Creek
, which constitutes Schwenksville's eastern border. "Perkiomen" is Lenape
for "muddy waters" and "where the cranberries grow."
Schwenksville is also the gateway to the Perkiomen Trail
, a nineteen-mile section of the former Reading Railway's Perkiomen Valley corridor. It now serves as a multi-use rail trail
and was completed in 2003.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), of which, 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it is land and 2.38% is water.
It was home to the Schwenksville School District until amalgamation with the Collegeville-Trappe School District to form Perkiomen Valley School District
in 1969.
Today the Borough is a residential community. Commercial and industrial businesses are located along the Main Street corridor. Schwenksville Elementary School; the Perkiomen Valley Branch of the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library; the Schwenksville post office; two banks; three churches - Heidelberg United Church of Christ
, Jerusalem Lutheran, and Eden Mennonite
; and a 6.47 acre park along the Perkiomen Creek are located within the Borough.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,693 people, 626 households, and 326 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 4,198.5 people per square mile (1,634.2/km²). There were 662 housing units at an average density of 1,641.7 per square mile (639.0/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 94.21% White, 2.84% African American, 1.12% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races
, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population.
There were 626 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were married couples
living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.8% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.91.
In 2000, 17.7% of the population under the age of 18, with 26.5% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 15.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $44,514, and the median income for a family was $55,000. Males had a median income of $37,566 versus $31,200 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $19,679. About 3.3% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.
form of government with a mayor
and a five-member borough council. In 2007, Democrats took control of the borough council for the first time in the borough's history. The Mayor is Joseph Giunta. The Borough Council President is Steve Schwenk. The Borough Manager is Mike Galla.
The Borough also has active Activity and Historical Committees. The goal of the Activity Committee is to plan and support various community activities to promote a sense of vitality in the community. Accordingly, Community Day was started in 2009 to promote the businesses and non-profit organizations in Schwenksville with a fun community event. Committee members may plan other events through the year as well. The Historic Committee was formed by the Borough for the purpose of exploring ways to save meaningful older buildings from being destroyed and to keep the rich history of Schwenksville intact for future generations.
The borough is part of the Thirteenth Congressional District (represented by Rep. Allyson Schwartz
), Pennsylvania's 147th Representative District (represented by Rep. Bob Mensch
) and the 44th State Senate District (represented by Sen. John Rafferty, Jr.).
Municipal services include: trash, a volunteer fire department, and Parks & Recreation. It is home to Meadow Park, which has a pavilion and provides a relaxing spot for people to walk and fish in the Creek. The Borough intends to further develop the Park by adding a walking path and other activities as our funding and grant funding allow. The Perkiomen Trail also runs through the Schwenksville borough, providing access to recreational activities along the Trail.
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...
. The population was 1,385 at the 2010 census. It is notable for being located near the site of the Philadelphia Folk Festival
Philadelphia Folk Festival
The Philadelphia Folk Festival is an annual folk music festival near Schwenksville, Pennsylvania in the vicinity of Philadelphia. Begun in 1962, the four-day festival is sponsored by the non-profit Philadelphia Folksong Society. The event hosts contemporary and traditional artists in genres...
. The borough was founded in in 1684, when the Lenni-Lenape Indians ceded to William Penn the land along the Perkiomen Creek; it was incorporated in 1903. The borough was named for George Schwenk, whose son, Jacob Schwenk, served in George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's army.
The town was the inspiration for the protagonist in Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Catherine Gilbert Murdock
-Background:Catherine Gilbert Murdock was born in Charleston, South Carolina. Her father was a chemical engineer, her mother a nurse. Along with her only sister, novelist Elizabeth Gilbert, she grew up on a small family Christmas tree farm in Litchfield, Connecticut. The family lived in the country...
's novel Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen (novel)
Dairy Queen is a 2006 novel written by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. It received recognition as a 2007 Best Book for Young Adults from the American Library Association.The sequel is called The Off Season...
(2006).
The Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
song "Perkiomen" was written about the Perkiomen Creek
Perkiomen Creek
Perkiomen Creek is a tributary of the Schuylkill River in Berks, Lehigh and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania in the United States.Perkiomen Creek begins in Hereford Township, Berks County, initially flows eastward into Upper Milford Township, Lehigh County, and turns southward to reenter...
, which constitutes Schwenksville's eastern border. "Perkiomen" is Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
for "muddy waters" and "where the cranberries grow."
Schwenksville is also the gateway to the Perkiomen Trail
Perkiomen Trail
The Perkiomen Trail is a long multi-use rail trail in Pennsylvania.It begins at the junction with the Schuylkill River Trail near Valley Forge NHP and ends in Green Lane Park. It follows the Perkiomen Creek and connects Lower Perkiomen Valley Park, Central Perkiomen Valley Park, and Green Lane Park...
, a nineteen-mile section of the former Reading Railway's Perkiomen Valley corridor. It now serves as a multi-use rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
and was completed in 2003.
Geography
Schwenksville is located at 40°15′23"N 75°27′54"W (40.256418, -75.465012).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 0.4 square miles (1 km²), of which, 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it is land and 2.38% is water.
History
The Borough was originally part of Perkiomen Township and home to the first copper mine in Pennsylvania. Ice harvesting was a major industry in the area. Several large icehouses were located along the creek, and ice was regularly shipped to Philadelphia. Mills devoted to grain and textiles were also very prominent which is evident by the existing historic structures. Its location along the Perkiomen Creek made the Borough a great summer resort community during its early existence, and Schwenksville was once home to The Perkiomen Inn, Spring Mountain House, and The Woodside Inn.It was home to the Schwenksville School District until amalgamation with the Collegeville-Trappe School District to form Perkiomen Valley School District
Perkiomen Valley School District
The Perkiomen Valley School District is a school district based in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania . PVSD was created in 1969 through the merger of the Collegeville-Trappe School District and the Schwenksville School District...
in 1969.
Today the Borough is a residential community. Commercial and industrial businesses are located along the Main Street corridor. Schwenksville Elementary School; the Perkiomen Valley Branch of the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library; the Schwenksville post office; two banks; three churches - Heidelberg United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
, Jerusalem Lutheran, and Eden Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
; and a 6.47 acre park along the Perkiomen Creek are located within the Borough.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, the borough was 94.9% White, 2.5% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian, and 1.4% were two or more races. 2.7% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/profile/PA.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 1,693 people, 626 households, and 326 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 4,198.5 people per square mile (1,634.2/km²). There were 662 housing units at an average density of 1,641.7 per square mile (639.0/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 94.21% White, 2.84% African American, 1.12% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.59% 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 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population.
There were 626 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% 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, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.8% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.91.
In 2000, 17.7% of the population under the age of 18, with 26.5% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 15.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $44,514, and the median income for a family was $55,000. Males had a median income of $37,566 versus $31,200 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 $19,679. About 3.3% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.
Politics and government
Schwenksville 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....
and a five-member borough council. In 2007, Democrats took control of the borough council for the first time in the borough's history. The Mayor is Joseph Giunta. The Borough Council President is Steve Schwenk. The Borough Manager is Mike Galla.
The Borough also has active Activity and Historical Committees. The goal of the Activity Committee is to plan and support various community activities to promote a sense of vitality in the community. Accordingly, Community Day was started in 2009 to promote the businesses and non-profit organizations in Schwenksville with a fun community event. Committee members may plan other events through the year as well. The Historic Committee was formed by the Borough for the purpose of exploring ways to save meaningful older buildings from being destroyed and to keep the rich history of Schwenksville intact for future generations.
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...
), Pennsylvania's 147th Representative District (represented by Rep. Bob Mensch
Bob Mensch
Robert "Bob" Mensch is a Republican politician. He is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where he represented the 147th legislative district. He was first elected in 2006 to succeed the retiring Raymond Bunt, Jr..Mensch attended Valley Forge Military Academy and College...
) and the 44th State Senate District (represented by Sen. John Rafferty, Jr.).
Municipal services include: trash, a volunteer fire department, and Parks & Recreation. It is home to Meadow Park, which has a pavilion and provides a relaxing spot for people to walk and fish in the Creek. The Borough intends to further develop the Park by adding a walking path and other activities as our funding and grant funding allow. The Perkiomen Trail also runs through the Schwenksville borough, providing access to recreational activities along the Trail.
See also
- Pennypacker MillsPennypacker MillsPennypacker Mills is a Colonial Revival mansion surrounded by of farmland located in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania on the shore of the Perkiomen Creek, approximately northwest of Philadelphia. Originally built around 1720, it was purchased in 1747 by Peter Pennebacker, and remained privately owned...
- Philadelphia Folk FestivalPhiladelphia Folk FestivalThe Philadelphia Folk Festival is an annual folk music festival near Schwenksville, Pennsylvania in the vicinity of Philadelphia. Begun in 1962, the four-day festival is sponsored by the non-profit Philadelphia Folksong Society. The event hosts contemporary and traditional artists in genres...
- Perkiomen TrailPerkiomen TrailThe Perkiomen Trail is a long multi-use rail trail in Pennsylvania.It begins at the junction with the Schuylkill River Trail near Valley Forge NHP and ends in Green Lane Park. It follows the Perkiomen Creek and connects Lower Perkiomen Valley Park, Central Perkiomen Valley Park, and Green Lane Park...
- Perkiomen CreekPerkiomen CreekPerkiomen Creek is a tributary of the Schuylkill River in Berks, Lehigh and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania in the United States.Perkiomen Creek begins in Hereford Township, Berks County, initially flows eastward into Upper Milford Township, Lehigh County, and turns southward to reenter...