Dresher, Pennsylvania

Dresher
Unincorporated community
Dresher Location of Dresher in Pennsylvania Dresher Dresher (the United States)
Coordinates: 40°08′27″N 75°10′01″W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Montgomery
Township	Upper Dublin
Area
• Total	3.24 sq mi (8.4 km2)
• Land	3.24 sq mi (8.4 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	203 ft (62 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	5,610
• Density	1,700/sq mi (670/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	19025
Area codes	215, 267, and 445

Dresher (previously Dreshertown) is a community in Upper Dublin Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The population was 5,610 at the 2000 census. Because Dresher is neither an incorporated area nor a census-designated place, all statistics are for the ZIP Code 19025, with which the community is coterminous.

History

Dreshertown developed around a sawmill and gristmill built by John Kirk sometime before 1750. George Dresher bought the mill about 1780 and the family owned it for 54 years. The Dreshers began a small burial ground next to their residence. The Dreshertown Cemetery is mostly descendants of Christopher Dresher, an early Schwenkfelder immigrant. The family left Silesia, a province in the German kingdom of Prussia, in 1726 to escape religious persecution as Schwenkfelders. They first landed in England, and in 1734, left Plymouth, England, and arrived in Philadelphia with their children, Christopher and Anna, on the St. Andrews, one of three ships carrying Schwenkfelders,

Bean's 1884 History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania describes Dreshertown as follows:

"Dreshertown is situated at the intersection of the Limekiln turnpike with the Susquehanna Street road, and equidistant from Fitzwatertown and Jarrettown. As these two highways are ancient, they must denote an early settlement. It contains a store, grist-mill and eleven houses. A post-office was established here in 1832..."

An old blacksmith shop stood at the corner of Dresher Road and Limekiln Pike. Francis Houpt ran a general store beginning in 1871 at the village center: the triangle formed by Peg Street, Susquehanna Road and Limekiln Pike. In the 1880s, the McCormick Brothers were wheelwrights and blacksmiths at a shop at this intersection that was owned first by Michael Carolan (1844-1906), an Irish immigrant born near Kells, County Meath, who came, at age three, with his family to New York aboard the Patrick Henry.

In about 1876, after the death of his mother, Michael opened a blacksmith shop on the Limekiln Pike in Dreshertown. The same year, he moved with his wife, Annie Larner (1852-1901) and young children to the center of Fitzwatertown, about a mile to the south of his shop at Dreshertown.

In the center of Dreshertown on May 8, 1878, Carolan, "blacksmith," and his wife, "Annie L. Carolan," paid Martin Costello $500, the equivalent of about $30,000 in real price today, for 53 square perches of land, about 1/3 of an acre, at the aforementioned triangle along Limekiln Pike at Peg Street, next door to the Houpt store. Michael owned the parcel only six months before selling, on December 5 that year, to Henry J. Houpt for the exact price he paid. This was the only real estate property Michael owned in his lifetime.

By June 1880, Michael is renting the Dreshertown shop, where he owns $1,200 capital, $1,200 value of material, $2,500 value of product, which is the equivalent today of about $151,000. He has 4 employees, 2 males above age 16, and paid $1.60 per day to skilled mechanic and $1.25 a day to the ordinary laborer. Between May 1879 and November of that year, he worked 12 hour days, and from November to May 1880, he worked 9 hour days. Nearby are 10 other business including 6 blacksmiths, 2 wheelwrights (the McCormicks), and 2 wagon and carriage makers. The Likekiln Pike was a toll road and major thoroughfare.

In about 1882, the Carolan family left Fitzwatertown and the McCormick Brothers took over the shop in Dreshertown. The Carolans moved to a rental in Rowlandville, in North Philadelphia, near Wyoming Ave. and Tacony Creek. By 1887, they were to the immediate south, in Franklinville, where Michael and Annie lived the remainder of their lives.

The Pennsylvania Railroad built a line through Dreshertown in 1888 and a station stood where Susquehanna Road and Limekiln Pike cross.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the community has a total area of 3.24 square miles (8.4 km²), all land. The headwaters for Sandy Run, a tributary of Wissahickon Creek are located in Dresher.

Dresher is located north of Philadelphia and is adjacent to the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 276).

Demographics

At the 2000 census, there were 5,610 people, 1,765 households, and 1,538 families in the community. The population density was 1,734.04/sq mi. There were 1,830 housing units at an average density of 564.67/sq mi. The racial make-up was 89.9% White, 1.0% African American, 0.7% Native American, 6.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.

Out of the 1,765 households, 47.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.4% were married couples living together, 2.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.9% were non-families. 12.0% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 3.31.

The age distribution was 30.1% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% 65 or older. The median age was 39.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 96 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93 males.

The median household income was $99,231 and the median family income was $107,236. Males had a median income of $82,897 versus $35,316 for females. The per capita income for the community was $38,865. 2.1% of the population and 2.1% of families were below the poverty line.

Notable people

• Zach Pfeffer, American soccer player
• Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania