Douglassville, Pennsylvania

Douglassville, Pennsylvania
Census-designated place
Old St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church, founded in 1720; this building was built in 1801
Douglassville
Coordinates: 40°15′28″N 75°43′35″W / 40.25778°N 75.72639°W / 40.25778; -75.72639Coordinates: 40°15′28″N 75°43′35″W / 40.25778°N 75.72639°W / 40.25778; -75.72639
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Berks
Township	Amity
Elevation	194 ft (59 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	448
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	19518
Area code(s)	610 and 484
GNIS feature ID	1173428

Douglassville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Amity Township, 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 subdivision. Douglassville also includes Cider Mill and the Woods Edge subdivision along Pennsylvania Route 562. As of the 2010 census the population of the CDP was 448 residents. Douglassville is Exchange 385 in area code 610.

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 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 Mounce Jones House, built by Swedish settlers in 1716. The house is the oldest documented dwelling in Berks County.