Old York Road Historical Society

Cheltenham Township Old York Road Historical Society

Beginning in the 1700s, water from the Tookany Creek powered mills throughout what became Cheltenham Township. Following the coming of the railroad in 1855 and the end of the Civil War, many of the wealthy in Philadelphia moved to the area to establish summer homes and, later, permanent residences. Home to early abolitionist Lucretia Mott and Camp William Penn, the nation's largest training ground for black Union troops, Cheltenham Township today remains a diverse community with a rich history. Cheltenham Township is the first comprehensive photographic history of this Philadelphia suburb. From the early days of mill towns along the Tookany Creek to the vast estates built by the fabulously wealthy at the end of the nineteenth century, Cheltenham Township captures all the towns and villages that comprise the township. The histories of Wyncote, Cheltenham Village, Elkins Park, Glenside, Melrose Park, and LaMott are brought into focus with many rare and unpublished photographs. Pictured are the early homes of Richard Wall and Toby Leech and the later mansions of the Widener, Elkins, Stetson, and Cooke families, as well as the fire companies, businesses, schools, people, and institutions that define the history of Cheltenham Township.