Nether Providence Township is a first class township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Many residents refer to the township by the name of its largest community, Wallingford, because the Wallingford postal code is used for most of the township. The population of the township was 13,706 at the 2010 census.[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12.2km2), of which 0.01 square miles (0.02km2), or 0.17%, is water.[4]Crum Creek forms the eastern boundary of the township, and Ridley Creek forms the western and southern border. Nether Providence's commercial area or downtown is located on Providence Road between the bridge over SEPTA's Media/Wawa line and Wallingford Avenue.
History
The first recorded inhabitants of Nether Providence Township were Native Americans of the Lenape tribe, who lived in the area for about five hundred years, but by 1740 few remained. On August 14, 1682, two months before William Penn's landing in Chester, John Sharpless came to the area. Penn had given Sharpless a thousand-acre (4-km2) tract, and he settled near Ridley Creek.
By the time Penn arrived, there were several small settlements in the area, which became known as Providence Township. Providence Township comprised today's Nether Providence, Rose Valley, Media, and Upper Providence. On October 17, 1683, the residents of Providence Township petitioned the Court of Chester County, of which they were then a part, to establish a road from Providence to Chester. The court approved the creation of Providence Great Road (now Route 252).[6]
Nether Providence went through four distinct phases from farming, to manufacturing, to resort, and finally, to residential community. By 1729, the area was producing sufficient crops to allow exporting to New England, Canada, and Europe.
Fourteen major mill complexes were built in Nether Providence, six on Crum Creek and eight on Ridley Creek. The first, a cotton mill along Crum Creek, was started by Thomas Allen in 1763. He named his mill for his hometown, Wallingford, England. The mills played an essential part in the growth of Nether Providence. Millhands lived in the self-contained villages that grew up around the mills.
After the Civil War, wealthy Philadelphians built summer residences and vacation resorts in the area.
The first railway was the Leiper Railroad, a horse-drawn quarry rail line, constructed in 1809–1810 and used to haul cut stone until about 1828. That early rail line was superseded by the Leiper Canal.[7] The first steam-locomotive train came through in 1854; it used a single track with a sidetrack at Wallingford. The first post office in Nether Providence was established at Hinkson's Corner in 1873. Trolleys also contributed to the area's development. The first independent trolley was the Chester and Media Electric Railway, chartered in 1892. The last trolley through the township closed in 1938. The Nether Providence Police Department was established in 1935, and automobile parking was regulated in 1947 and speed in 1949.
As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 13,456 people, 5,007 households, and 3,755 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,857.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,103.4/km2). There were 5,125 housing units at an average density of 1,088.4 per square mile (420.2/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 90.08% White, 6.12% African American, 0.10% Native American, 2.34% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,007 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the township the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $68,059, and the median income for a family was $78,491. Males had a median income of $72,370 versus $49,048 for females. The per capita income for the township was $32,946. About 3.1% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The first area school started in 1810. Nether Providence Township currently lies within the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, created by a merger between the Nether Providence and Swarthmore-Rutledge School Districts in 1983. Public school students within the township attend either Nether Providence Elementary School, Swarthmore-Rutledge School or Wallingford Elementary School for grades K-5, depending on where they live. Strath Haven Middle School serves students in grades 6–8, and Strath Haven High School serves students in grades 9-12.
The township's only parochial school is the Mother of Providence Regional Catholic School, located in the southern part of the township, in Wallingford. It formed in 2012 from a merger of St. John Chrysostom in Wallingford and Nativity BVM School in Media.[11] Originally Nativity BVM was to be the location of the merged school, but St. John Chrystosom appealed and the archdiocese changed its decision.[12]Notre Dame Catholic Girls High School was formerly in Moylan. In 1981 it closed.[13]
The township is also serviced by the Helen Kate Furness Free Library.
Transportation
I-476 "Blue Route" northbound in Nether Providence Township
As of 2018, there were 62.89 miles (101.21km) of public roads in Nether Providence Township, of which 17.45 miles (28.08km) were maintained by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 45.44 miles (73.13km) were maintained by the township.[14]
Interstate 476 runs up the east side of the township near Crum Creek, with access from Exit 3 (Baltimore Pike). Pennsylvania Route 252 follows Providence Road along a northwest-southeast alignment through the center of the township, while Pennsylvania Route 320 follows a southwest-northeast alignment through the southeastern corner of the township.
Wallingford Presbyterian on an old postcardThe Greater Philadelphia Baptist Church, formerly Zion AMEThe former Leiper Presbyterian Church
Several religious congregations serve Nether Providence.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Holy Trinity is a Lutheran church located approximately at the intersection of Harvey Road and route 252.
Ohev Shalom
Congregation Ohev Shalom is a synagogue located on route 320, at approximately the junction with route 252.
St. John Chrysostom
St. John Chrysostom is a Roman Catholic church on route 252, across from Springhaven Country Club.
Wallingford Presbyterian Church
Wallingford Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian church located at the intersection of Brookhaven Road and Avondale Road.
Greater Philadelphia Baptist Church
Formerly occupied by Zion African Methodist Episcopal, the church building was occupied by the Greater Philadelphia Church in 2015. It is located in South Media at the intersection of Manchester Ave. and Wallingford Ave.
Leiper Church
The historic Leiper church is located on Fairview Road in Ridley. In 2015, it became home to Holy Myrrh Bearers Ukrainian Catholic church.
Grace Bible Fellowship
The Foundry
Government and communities
Major communities in Nether Providence are Garden City, South Media and Wallingford. The South Media Fire Company was organized in 1922 and Garden City Fire Company in 1944. Ambulance service is provided by the Media Fire Company and Parkside Fire Company. The Moylan community near Rose Valley is also within Nether Providence Township, as are the Bowling Green, Park Ridge, Pine Ridge, and Wesley Manor communities located north of Baltimore Pike.
Garden City
Within Garden City area are the Waterville, Lapidea, Putnum Village, and Crum Creek Manor sections. The Crum Creek Manor section is known for its circular layout. Putnam Village is usually considered within the Garden City community.[19] Garden City is known as a working class blue collar area, made up of row houses and ranch houses built for returning World War II veterans in the 1940s.
The small community of Garden City is located in the southernmost part of Nether Providence. It borders Chester city to the south, where it is cut off by Ridley Creek. It lies southwest of the intersection where Route 252 (South Providence Road) and Route 320 (Chester Road) meet, and it is cut off by Route 252 (or sometimes Harvey Road) at the east. The north and west borders of the community are disputed. Moore Road or Georgetown Road are loosely used as the northern border for Garden City. West Brookhaven Road (or in some cases Putnam Village) is often used as the western border of Garden City.
Garden City is home to the Garden City Fire Co., the Foundry Church, and the Creekside Swim Club. Nether Providence Elementary School is the elementary school for the Garden City Community and is often considered within Garden City.
South Media
South Media is an unincorporated community bordering the southern edge of Media. The neighborhood lies within the Media, PA 19063 postal code. It lies north of Wallingford and Rose Valley and west of North Providence Road. East Baltimore Avenue is usually considered the northern border. It is a diverse working class to lower middle class community, and it is known as having a large African American population. It is home to the South Media Fire Co., the oldest fire company in Nether Providence.
Moylan
The house of Anna Howard Shaw in MoylanMoylan-Rose Valley SEPTA station
Moylan is an unincorporated community, founded on the land and tax reform principles of Henry George,[20] located partially in Nether Providence township and partially in Rose Valley Borough. It is home to the Moylan – Rose Valley commuter train station on the Media/Wawa Line, which is located on Manchester Avenue. To the north Moylan borders the township of Upper Providence and the unincorporated community of South Media. The southern boundary is sometimes disputed, but it is approximately Rose Valley Road.[citation needed]
Wallingford
Wallingford is an unincorporated community in the middle of Nether Providence. Wallingford usually refers to the area in between Brookhaven Road, Route 252, Rosevalley Road and Avondale Road. The neighborhood of South Wallingford is also in Wallingford.
Neighborhoods
Bowling Green
Bowling Green is a neighborhood of detached houses north of Baltimore Pike bordering Media Borough. Streets in Bowling Green are Mulberry Lane, Bent Road, Quaint Road, Twyckenham Road, Truepenny Road, Luckie Lane, Hidden Acres Lane and Surrey Road while west of Beatty Road.
Pine Ridge
Pine Ridge is a neighborhood of detached houses north of Baltimore Pike. Streets in Pine Ridge are Hemlock Road, Beechwood Road and Pine Ridge Road. Pine Ridge is zoned to go to Swarthmore-Rutledge School even though it is in Nether Providence Township.
Wesley Manor
Wesley Manor is a neighborhood of detached houses north of Baltimore Pike. Streets in Wesley Manor are Meredith Drive, Springlawn Drive, and Surrey Road while east of Beatty Road.
Sproul Estates
Sproul Estate is a neighborhood of detached houses north and west of Bullens Lane and bordered on the west by 320. It is named after William Cameron Sproul, where he resided.
Delaware County, colloquially referred to as Delco, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. With a population of 576,830 as of the 2020 census, it is the fifth-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the third-smallest in area. The county was created on September 26, 1789, from part of Chester County and named for the Delaware River.
Edgmont Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Edgmont contains the unincorporated community of Gradyville. The population was 3,987 at the 2010 census.
Marple Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It contains the census designated place of Broomall. The population was estimated at 23,743 as of 2015. ZIP codes include mainly 19008, as well as 19064 and 19063. The township is run by Marple Township board of commissioners.
Media is a borough in and the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located about 13 miles (21 km) west of Philadelphia. It is part of the Delaware Valley.
Newtown Township, also referred to by the name of its post office of Newtown Square, is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Prior to 1789, it was part of Chester County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,002.
Ridley Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 30,768 at the 2010 census. Ridley Township contains the (CDPs) of Folsom and Woodlyn, along with the unincorporated communities of Crum Lynne and Holmes and a portion of Secane.
Rose Valley is a small, historic borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its area is 0.73 square miles (1.9 km2), and the population was 913 at the 2010 census. The area was settled by Quaker farmers in 1682, and later water mills along Ridley Creek drove manufacturing in the nineteenth century.
Springfield Township, or simply Springfield, is a township in Delaware County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 25,070 at the 2020 census. Springfield is a suburb of Philadelphia, located about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the city.
Swarthmore is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Swarthmore was originally named "Westdale" in honor of noted painter Benjamin West, who was one of the early residents of the town. The name was changed to "Swarthmore" after the establishment of Swarthmore College. The borough population was 6,194 as of the 2010 census.
Upper Providence Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, located around and to the north of the borough of Media, and approximately 15 miles (24 km) west of center city Philadelphia. The population was 10,142 at the 2010 census. The township lies between Ridley Creek on the west and Crum Creek on the east. Most of Ridley Creek State Park is in the township, towards the northern edge. Zoning is 98% residential, 1% commercial and 1% industrial, with minimal space zoned to commercial business.
Wallingford is an unincorporated community in Nether Providence Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1687, it is named for Wallingford, England. In 2007, Wallingford was named by Money Magazine as the ninth best place to live in the United States; two other towns in the area made the top 15. Most locations in Nether Providence use Wallingford's ZIP code.
Moylan–Rose Valley station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Nether Providence Township, Pennsylvania. Located at 4 Manchester Road, it serves the Media/Wawa Line. The station has a 149-space parking lot and a post office at the station. The Pennsylvania Institute of Technology is about 100 yards north of the station.
Ridley Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in Chester and Delaware counties, Pennsylvania in the United States.
Crum Creek is a creek in Delaware County and Chester County, Pennsylvania, flowing approximately 24 miles (39 km), generally in a southward direction and draining into the Delaware River in Eddystone, Pennsylvania. It begins in a swamp near Newtown Square, Pennsylvania along which several mills were established in the 19th century. Right afterward it crosses under Pennsylvania Route 29 and winds one and a half miles (2.4 km) downstream until it hits the hamlet of Crum Creek. It later flows into the Delaware River near Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania Route 320 is a north–south state highway in southeastern Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the 18.8-mile (30.3 km) long route is at U.S. Route 13 /PA 291 in Chester. The northern terminus is at PA 23 in Swedeland. The route passes through suburban areas in Delaware and Montgomery counties to the west of Philadelphia, serving Swarthmore, Springfield, Broomall, Villanova, and Gulph Mills. PA 320 intersects many important highways including US 13 Business and Interstate 95 (I-95) in Chester, US 1 in Springfield, US 30 in Villanova, and I-76 in Gulph Mills. PA 320 runs parallel to I-476 for much of its length and crosses it four times. Even though there are no direct interchanges between I-476 and PA 320, several roads that intersect PA 320 provide access to I-476.
The Leiper Railroad was a 'family business–built' horse drawn railroad of 0.75 miles (1.21 km), constructed in 1810 after the quarry owner, Thomas Leiper, failed to obtain a charter with legal rights-of-way to instead build his desired canal along Crum Creek. The quarry man's 'make-do' railroad was the continent's first chartered railway, first operational non-temporary railway, first well-documented railroad, and first constructed railroad also meant to be permanent.
The credit of constructing the first permanent tramway in America may therefore be rightly given to Thomas Leiper. He was the owner of a fine quarry not far from Philadelphia, and was much concerned to find an easy mode of carrying stone to tide-water. That a railway would accomplish this end he seem to have had no doubt. To test the matter, and at the same time afford a public exhibition of the merits of tramways, he built a temporary track in the yard of the Bull's Head Tavern in Philadelphia. The tramway was some sixty feet long, had a grade of one inch and a half to the yard, and up it, to the amazement of the spectators, one horse used to draw a four-wheeled wagon loaded with a weight of ten thousand pounds. This was the summer of 1809. Before autumn laborers were at work building a railway from the quarry to the nearest landing, a distance of three quarters of a mile. In the spring of 1810 the road began to be used and continued in using during eighteen years. by John Bach McMaster, page 494, A History of the People of the United States, from the Revolution to the Civil War
Pennsylvania Route 252 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that connects PA 320 in Nether Providence Township at its southern terminus to PA 23 in Valley Forge at its northern terminus. The route runs through the western suburbs of Philadelphia in Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery counties, including Nether Providence Township, the borough of Media, Upper Providence Township, Marple Township, Newtown Township, Easttown Township, Tredyffrin Township, and Upper Merion Township. The route intersects many roads including U.S. Route 1 north of Media, PA 3 in Newtown Square, US 30 in Paoli, and US 202 near Berwyn.
Nether Providence High School was a four-year public high school in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, United States, serving Nether Providence Township and the boroughs of Rose Valley and Moylan. The school merged with Swarthmore High School in 1983 to form Strath Haven High School, based at the second Nether Providence campus. Nether Providence High School was a part of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District.
Early in the 19th century, the Leiper Canal built in 1828–29 during the middle of the American canal age ran about 3 miles (5 km) along Crum Creek in Delaware County to its mouth in eastern Pennsylvania's Delaware Valley carrying its owner‘s quarried products to docks on the Delaware River tidewater until 1852.
Thomas Leiper was a Scottish American businessman, banker and politician who owned a successful tobacco exportation business as well as several mills and stone quarries. He served as a lieutenant in the Philadelphia City Troop during the American Revolutionary War. He built one of the first railways in America and the first in Pennsylvania. The Leiper Railroad was a three-quarter-mile long track on his property in Nether Providence Township, Pennsylvania used to ship quarry stone to market with animal-powered carts.
↑ Dixon, Mark (2010). The hidden history of Delaware County: untold tales from Cobb's Creek to the Brandywine. Charleston, SC: History Press. ISBN1609490657.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
