Lansdale Historical Society

Lansdale Historical Society It has its headquarters in a two-building complex, located on Jenkins Avenue in the center of Lansdale, Montgomery County, PA.

The Lansdale Historical Society was founded in 1971, and its purpose is to preserve the history of the Borough of Lansdale and the greater North Penn area, and to share its collection of material and resources with the greater community, particularly the youth. The buildings are owned by the Borough of Lansdale. The complex includes the Jenkins Homestead, a 1770-era Federalist-style farmstead that

is the oldest building within the original borders of Lansdale. Portions of the Homestead have been restored and are open for public tours. The Lansdale Historical Research Center, located less than 60 feet from the Homestead, was acquired by the Borough in 2000 and has undergone extensive renovations to make it computer and Internet friendly and a repository for the Society's vast collection of documents and artifacts related to Lansdale and the surrounding North Penn area. The building is handicapped accessible. LOCATION: The complex is located one block off Lansdale's Main Street on Jenkins Avenue between Chestnut and Line Streets. On-street parking is available on Jenkins Avenue.

BACK THEN by Pat Rieker Before another school year comes to a close, let’s take a look back about 90 years to the spri...
06/10/2026

BACK THEN by Pat Rieker

Before another school year comes to a close, let’s take a look back about 90 years to the spring of 1937 at Broad Street School. These second graders are posing for the camera in costume for their class play. We’re thrilled that someone long ago had the foresight to write the names of all the students on the back of the picture. Do you see any familiar faces and names?

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER The quality of this vintage photograph leaves a lot to be desired but it shows what the hous...
06/09/2026

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER

The quality of this vintage photograph leaves a lot to be desired but it shows what the house on the southeast corner of E. Main and Chestnut Sts. looked like in 1916.
At that time, it was the residence of Harry Brand who built a store into part of the building in 1930. That space is currently filled by The Classic Barber Shop. Earlier, it was home to Lee’s Hair Fashions for a number of years.

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER Reporter editors knew that when Chief Photographer Willard Krieble arrived for work, checked...
06/08/2026

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER

Reporter editors knew that when Chief Photographer Willard Krieble arrived for work, checked the assignment book and saw nothing scheduled they’d be in for a surprise at the end of his shift.
Willard wasn’t one to sit around and drink coffee at his desk on days like this. He would grab his camera, turn on his creative juices and look for a routine scene he could turn into something special.
We’re not certain where or when Willard spotted this full-to-capacity bike rack during classes at an elementary school, but when he shot it with something more in mind – the start of three-photo sequence that was followed by the gleeful students reclaiming their bikes at the end of the school day, and finally the lonely rack waiting for the kids to return the next morning.
It required two additional trips back to the school on that day but, to Willard, it was better than sitting around drinking coffee. And he was rewarded with several awards for making something out of nothing.

BACK THEN by Pat Rieker For many families who lived in Lansdale 100 years ago, summer vacation meant a week or two at ...
06/07/2026

BACK THEN by Pat Rieker

For many families who lived in Lansdale 100 years ago, summer vacation meant a week or two at Camp Oaks. Nestled in a peaceful bend of the Unami Creek near the village of Finland in Milford Twp., Camp Oaks is a cluster of about 20 bungalows, many of which were built around 1920 by families from the Lansdale area. Summer days were spent swimming or canoeing or fishing in the creek, which is backed up by a small dam. Evenings saw “doggie” roasts and singalongs around the campfire. The cooler air along the creek was a welcome relief from the summer heat.

In 1926, St. John’s Reformed Church started a Union Sunday School in a small creekside cabin at Camp Oaks. Throughout the summer, Sunday School classes were led by members of several churches in Lansdale and North Wales. Some folks drove to Camp Oaks on summer Sunday mornings just to attend the Sunday School. Often more than 150 people were in attendance.

These days the turnpike brings the noise of the outside world to the edge of the camp, but Camp Oaks still remains a peaceful retreat from the hubbub of everyday life.

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER Work on the Pennsylvania Turnpike began in 1939, but not in the populous eastern part of the...
06/06/2026

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER

Work on the Pennsylvania Turnpike began in 1939, but not in the populous eastern part of the state. By the early 1950s the push was on to spread the superhighway east where it could be connected to the New Jersey Turnpike.
This artist’s rendering appeared in a 1953 edition of the North Penn Reporter. It shows the planned bridge that would cross the Schuylkill River as the pike extended east across Montgomery and Bucks counties.
Once completed to the Delaware River, attention was redirected to the Northeast Extension and Lansdale, Quakertown, the Lehigh Valley, the Pocono Mountains and Wilkes-Barre-Scranton.
As you can see from the drawing’s perspective, it wasn’t long before the Plymouth Meeting area changed from rolling countryside to the an industrial-commercial-retail region.

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER An annual rite of summer was the Lansdale Jaycees Fishathon held at the John Jacobs farm on A...
06/05/2026

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER

An annual rite of summer was the Lansdale Jaycees Fishathon held at the John Jacobs farm on Allentown Road in Towamencin Township.
Both the kids and adults had a lot of fun reeling in their catches and in the long run there were really no losers. These photographs are from the 1973 event.

BACK THEN by Pat Rieker In 1885, William H. D. Godshall and his bride, Marietta Gerhart purchased a lot at 410 W. Main...
06/04/2026

BACK THEN by Pat Rieker

In 1885, William H. D. Godshall and his bride, Marietta Gerhart purchased a lot at 410 W. Main St. and began to build “a handsome dwelling.” Before the distinctive brick home was completed the following year, it was heralded by The Reporter as “one of the finest structures in town.” The Godshalls raised a large family and lived in the house for 33 years.

Dr. Carl Bigoney purchased the home in 1919. Having grown up in Lansdale, the young doctor was returning home after a stint in the US Army Medical Corps in WWI. Dr. Bigoney made his home and medical office in the fine old house for nine years.

The 1920s brought growth and change to Main St., and some properties which had formerly been residential were converted for commercial use. Dry goods dealer John M. Starr bought the elegant home from Dr. Bigoney and made some drastic changes. The front of the house was entirely removed and replaced with a modern 20th century business facade. When it was completed, the building housed Starr’s dry goods store as well as the tailor shop of T. H. Walter. The back of the building retained part of the old house and was rented as apartments.

The building has been updated is now occupied by the Hibsman Insurance Agency. Part of the original brick wall is still visible on the northwest side of the building.

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER Area merchants and businesses came together to buy a full-page advertisement in the North Pe...
06/03/2026

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER

Area merchants and businesses came together to buy a full-page advertisement in the North Penn Reporter listing the names of the 1946 Lansdale High School graduating class.

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARERThe caption on this June, 1959 photo speaks for itself. I wish we had a follow-up picture of th...
06/02/2026

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER

The caption on this June, 1959 photo speaks for itself. I wish we had a follow-up picture of the dog trying to teach the kittens how to bury a bone.

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER Many of us who are old enough to remember still cast a glance to the right as we head north ...
06/01/2026

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER

Many of us who are old enough to remember still cast a glance to the right as we head north on Route 113 approaching Diamond Street in Hilltown Township. There’s not much to see, just a line of trees, and an unforgiving fence, high enough to shield the houses that have been built behind them. Typical country roadside scenes along America’s suburban roads in 2026.
Not a trace of what took place there on Nov. 22, 1967, but we older folks can’t forget that it was the scene of a heinous triple murder that rocked the North Penn Valley so many years ago.
It was on that Thanksgiving Eve, when a farm equipment dealer, John Brickajlik, 72, his wife Mary, 71 and their 11-year-old grandson William Brickajlik Jr. were shot to death in their modest farmhouse which stood behind a field of used agricultural implements.
Thus began a nationwide manhunt for their killer, soon to be identified as Ronald Eugene Storck, a 27-year-old maintenance worker from Perkasie. Storck was pursued across the country following a series of hit-or-miss tips that finally led to his capture in Hawaii on Feb. 29, 1968. He was on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List at the time he was apprehended.
The apparent motive was robbery. A large sum of money was missing from the house, and Storck, who did odd jobs for them, knew that. Young William, who was visiting his grandparents at the time, was likely killed so there would be no witnesses.
Storck was convicted and sentenced to three consecutive life terms in state prison. The latest information we can find says he’s still jailed all these years later. If so, he’d be 86 today.

Address

137 Jenkins Avenue
Lansdale, PA
19446

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 3pm
Thursday 11am - 3pm
Saturday 9:30am - 12pm

Website

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