Douglassville, Pennsylvania

Douglassville, Pennsylvania
Census-designated place
Old St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church, founded in 1720; this building was built in 1801
Douglassville Show map of Pennsylvania Douglassville Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 40°15′28″N75°43′35″W / 40.25778°N 75.72639°W / 40.25778; -75.72639
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Berks
Township	Amity
Area [1]
• Total	0.70 sq mi (1.81 km2)
• Land	0.65 sq mi (1.67 km2)
• Water	0.05 sq mi (0.14 km2)
Elevation	194 ft (59 m)
Population  (2020) [2]
• Total	518
• Density	803.10/sq mi (309.90/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	19518
Area code(s)	610 and 484
GNIS feature ID	1173428 [3]

Douglassville is a census-designated place (CDP) ^[4] in Amity Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. Douglassville is situated along U.S. Route 422 and Pennsylvania Route 724. Developments include the Amity Gardens subdivision, the West Ridge subdivision, the Briarwood subdivision, and the High Meadow ^[5] subdivision. Douglassville also includes Cider Mill and the Woods Edge subdivision along Pennsylvania Route 562. As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP was 518 residents. ^[6]

History

Swedish pioneers were the first European settlers in present Berks County on land granted by William Penn. Swedish Lutheran Minister Andreas Rudman secured an order from William Penn on October 21, 1701, setting aside 10,000 acres (40 km²) up the Schuylkill, near Manatawny Creek, for members of his congregation. The boundaries of Amity Township are almost identical to the boundaries of the original area known as the Swedes' tract. Morlatton Village, an early settlement which became part of what is now Douglassville, was Berks County's first settlement site along the Schuylkill River. The settlement later became the location of Old St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church or Old Swedes, founded in 1720 as the oldest church in Berks County. The site also included the Mouns Jones House, built by Swedish settlers in 1716. The house is the oldest documented dwelling in Berks County. ^{[7] [8]}

Geography

Douglassville is located on the Schuylkill River and mainly upon its left bank. The CDP has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) and average monthly temperatures range from 30.7 °F in January to 75.5 °F in July. The hardiness zone is 7a bordering upon 6b. Archived July 4, 2019, at the Wayback Machine

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	518		—
U.S. Decennial Census [9]

Parks and recreation

Lake Drive Park and Recreation Area is in the Amity Gardens subdivision. Facilities include basketball and tennis courts, a skateboard park, a pavilion, and a picnic area. Hill Road Park is located in the West Ridge subdivision, and includes a baseball field and a pavilion. Monocacy Hill Preserve is an undeveloped park used for hiking and environmental education outside Douglassville. The park has trails going around the mountain.

Infrastructure

Klein Transportation provides bus service from Douglassville to Reading, Kutztown, Wescosville, Hellertown, and Midtown Manhattan in New York City. ^[10]

• 
  Old Swede's House, built 1716
• 
  Douglass House

Notable people

• Lucy L. Flippin – actress
• Mark Forrest (born 1996) – professional footballer
• Chris Guiliano (born 2003) – Olympic swimmer
• Carmelo Marrero (born 1981) – professional mixed martial artist
• James W. McCord (1924–2017) – CIA officer who participated in the Watergate scandal
• Jacob K. McKenty (1827–1866) – attorney and politician
• Natalie Wojcik (born 1999) – college artistic gymnast

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
2. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
3. "Douglassville". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
4. "2010 U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved February 10, 2013.
5. "New Homes in PA for sale - Houses for Sale - Pennsylvania Home Builder - TH Properties". www.thproperties.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
6. Bureau, US Census. "Census.gov". www.census.gov. Retrieved April 20, 2018.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
7. Mouns Jones House (1716) (Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County) "Historic Preservation Trust: Preserving Berks County's Living History". Archived from the original on July 13, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
8. Andreas Rudman and his Family (by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig . Swedish Colonial News, Volume 2, Number 1 . Winter 2000) "Pastor Andreas Rudman and his Family". Archived from the original on November 15, 2009. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
10. "Klein Transportation and OurBus announce introductory schedule and rates". Allentown, PA: WFMZ-TV. February 10, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2019.