Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
| Upper Providence Township | |
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| Township | |
Black Rock Bridge over the Schuylkill River
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 Location of Upper Providence Township in Montgomery County |
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 Upper Providence Township
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| Coordinates: 40°07′24″N 75°27′29″W / 40.12333°N 75.45806°WCoordinates: 40°07′24″N 75°27′29″W / 40.12333°N 75.45806°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Montgomery |
| Area | |
| • Total | 18.2 sq mi (47 km2) |
| • Land | 17.8 sq mi (46 km2) |
| • Water | 0.4 sq mi (1 km2) |
| Elevation | 105 ft (32 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 21,219 |
| • Density | 1,200/sq mi (450/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code(s) | 610 |
| Website | www |
Upper Providence Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 21,219.
William Penn originally owned the land that is now Upper Providence. After selling off most of the land, he kept a large tract on the east side of the Schuylkill River, which included Upper and Lower Providence and parts of Perkiomen and Worchester. William Penn named the land “The Manor of Gilberts” after his mother’s maiden name.
The first person to settle in this area was Edward Lane, who bought 2,500 acres of land from William Penn in 1701. Edward and his wife established the Episcopal church in Lower Providence. In 1717 John Jacob Schrack came to the township from Germany. Schrack was able to convince Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg to relocate to this area. Muhlenberg was the founder of the Lutheran church in the United States. The first of which was founded in Trappe.
In March 1725 the farmers living on this land petitioned to form a new township called Providence. This land included Upper and Lower Providence.
Upper Providence Township was established in 1805 by the division of the former Providence Township along the Perkiomen Creek. In 1896, the Boroughs of Collegeville and Trappe were created from northeastern portions of the township, yielding the present township boundaries.
The town of Trappe is the oldest village in the township. Samuel Seely bought 150 acres of land in 1762 and divided it into town lots. Seely named the town “Landau”. The town was better known by a hotel called “The Trap” and when the town incorporated it selected Trappe over Landau..
The Schuylkill canal was built to help navigate past rapids on the Schuylkill river between Norristown and Pottstown. It was completed in 1825 and was about 5 miles long, extending from Black Rock dam (Lock 60) to Pawlings dam at the Perkiomen creek in Oaks (Lock 61). In the 1830s Lock 60 was doubled in size and again in 1840s the locks were expanded to handle wider boats.
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