Towamencin Township is a home-rule township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 17,578 at the 2010 census. It is part of the North Penn School District and the North Penn Valley region that is centered around the borough of Lansdale. Towamencin has residential neighborhoods, historic farmhouses, recreational facilities, many schools, and open spaces. The community is a mix of residential, commercial and rural development. The Township is centrally located within Montgomery County with easy access to the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Northeast Extension.

Etymology The name Towamencin is of Native American origin, although there exists some disagreement about the name's history. Some early sources, such as the 1850 United States census, record the township's name as "Towamensing." The Towamensing name appears on local tax records as late as 1922, although the 1920 census records the township with the modern spelling of Towamencin. According to History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Volume II, both the Towamensing and Towamencin spellings were in use circa 1884. The same source cites Towamensing as the original spelling, but notes that the Towamencin spelling was in use for government records in Norristown. It is unclear when the modern spelling of Towamencin was universally adopted.

The name "Towamensing" is Lenape in origin and means either "the place of feeding cattle" or "pasture land," or "a fording place at the falls". However, an alternative source claims that, while the name Towamencin is of Native American origin, it instead means "poplar tree."

A third source claims that the name was derived from an existing Native American name for Towamencin Creek, rather than the creek being named for the township. This claim is supported by the petition to erect the Township, which indicated that "The desire of the Subscibers is that the township may be called Touamensen being the Indian name of the Creek yt springs & runs through the same."

An alternative local legend is that a local landowner, Heinrich Fry, purchased some land near what is now known as the Towamencin Creek. On this tract of land was a Native village whose chief spoke broken English. He observed one day two men clearing trees near the creek and said "Towha-men-seen", meaning "Two men seen." As the legend goes, the chief's pronunciation stuck, and is how Towamencin got its name.

History

Founding The first settlers, of German, Welsh, and Dutch descent, arrived in Towamencin Township around the turn of the 18th century. They mainly pursued agricultural endeavors to sustain their livelihood.

The first grant of land in Towamencin Township was in 1703 from William Penn's Commissioners to Benjamin Furley on June 8. The Commissioners granted 1,000 acres (4 km2) to him. On June 17 of that same year, Abraham Tennis and Jan Lucken bought the property from him, and then divided the land in half in 1709. The Edward Morgan Log House stands on land that was part of 600 acres (2.4 km2) granted to Griffith Jones by the Commissioners. Edward Morgan purchased 309 acres (1.25 km2) of this land, which included an existing "dwelling house", from Griffith Jones on February 26, 1708. In 1720, his daughter Sarah, who in 1734 would give birth to the famous frontiersman Daniel Boone, married Squire Boone. The land containing the house was then deeded to John Morgan, son of Edward, on August 23, 1723, as part of a 104-acre (.42 km2) tract.

Towamencin Township was erected when the Court of Quarter Sessions of Philadelphia County confirmed a petition presented to its session held on March 3, 1728/1729 (O.S.) [March 14, 1729 (N.S.)], requesting the formation of a township of about 5,500 acres.Draft + Petition for Towamencin Township, 1728 (Folder T-5). Townships, 1718-1763 (Packet 3). Road Petitions (Series 21.26, Clerk of the Court of Quarter Sessions and Oyer and Terminer). Philadelphia City Archives, Philadelphia, Pa.

In 1734, there were 32 landholders within the Township, with William Tennis having the most area at 250 acres (1 km2).

The Indians of Towamencin The American Indians who inhabited the area were the Lenni Lenape. They lived in Pennsylvania, as well as Delaware, New Jersey, and parts of Maryland. They were divided into three tribes: the Turtle, Turkeys, and Wolf, which were subdivided into clans, each clan having a name representing the character and situation of the tribe as a whole.

The Indians of Towamencin Township are of the Delaware Nation. They had a settlement in the southwest section of the Township along the Towamencin Creek. They established friendly relations with the settlers when they came to the Township. There are some accounts of violence attributed to the Indians, but they cannot be proven and are probably fictional. There are many accounts of Indians helping to tend the sick, and trading food and goods with the settlers.

It is not recorded when the tribes of Indians left Towamencin; it is suspected they left after the Revolutionary War.

The Maltese Cross of the Towamencin Volunteer Fire Company has an American Indian in the center.

American Revolutionary War Pennsylvania is known as the Keystone State for its role in the Revolution, and as one of the oldest settlements during the time, Towamencin Township played a part: the Township had encampments of soldiers, had many citizens that served, and was the retreating place for General Washington and his troops after the Battle of Germantown.

The Continental Army troops were in Towamencin from October 8, 1777, to October 16, 1777 and camped in the Northern section of the Township. The Township provided a secure area to rest, without fear of surprise attack by the British.

Washington commandeered Frederick Wampole's house to establish his quarters and conducted military duties from there. The house was located on Wambold Road.

General Francis Nash was wounded at the Battle of Germantown and was carried from Germantown to Towamencin. He was cared for in a house, according to Washington's writings, located "a mile-and-a-quarter south of the Great North Wales Turnpike," now Sumneytown Pike, along with other wounded men of the Battle of Germantown. He died two days later and is buried at the present-day Towamencin Mennonite Church cemetery, known then as the Towamencin Mennonite Meetinghouse.

It was reported that Henry Cassel, whose land was used as an encampment by the Colonists, submitted to the Continental Congress an estimate of damages to his property by Washington's Army. The damage was to 696 fence rails used for firewood. The cost to replace those rails was 8.14 pounds. It is not known whether the newly formed government paid.

Home rule In May 2022, the Towamencin Board of Supervisors approved the sale of the township's sewer system, with four in favor and one against. The privatization effort was met with opposition by some residents, and prior to the authorization of the sale, a group known as Towamencin N.O.P.E. (Neighbors Opposing Privatization Efforts) was set up in an attempt to block the move. Following the approval of the sale, Towamencin NOPE pivoted to campaigning for the township to adopt a home rule charter in an attempt to block the sale. In response to the move, the Board of Supervisors issued a statement questioning the legality of unilaterally terminating the sale, while a rival group, TRUST Towamencin, was established to oppose the adoption of home rule.

On November 8, 2022, residents of Towamencin voted in favor of forming a government study commission to draft a home rule charter. Unofficial results showed that 60% of residents voted in favor of forming the commission, and that the full slate of candidates backed by Towamencin NOPE backing the charter had been elected to the commission. In March 2023, the government study commission put forward a proposed home rule charter to be placed on the ballot during the May 16 primary. Under the proposal, the township would retain its form of government, but with provisions for increased government transparency, a prohibition on the sale of municipally owned water systems, and allowing residents to submit initiatives or referendums to the ballot.

On May 16, 2023, residents of the township voted in favor of adopting the proposed home rule charter, with approximately 53% of voters supporting the measure. The new charter took effect on July 1, 2023.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 9.7 square miles (25.1 km2), all land. It is drained via the Skippack Creek into the Perkiomen Creek and Schuylkill River. Its villages include Inglewood, Kulpsville, and Oak Park (also in Hatfield Township.)

Climate According to the Köppen climate classification system, Towamencin is located in zone Dfa, indicating a humid continental climate with hot summers. Its USDA plant hardiness zone is 6b, except in some lower areas where it is 7a. The warmest month is typically July, with an average maximum temperature of 85.7 °F (29.8 °C). Between 1895 and 2019, the average July maximum temperature never fell below 81 °F (27 °C), and rose above 90 °F (32 °C) in 1955, 1999, and 2011. Over the same period, the January mean temperature ranged from 19.3 °F (−7 °C) in 1918 and 1977 to a peak of 42 °F (5.5 °C) in 1932. January 1918 also recorded the lowest average maximum temperature, at 27.5 °F (−2.5 °C). The typical January has a daily mean temperature of 31 °F (−0.5 °C). The mean temperature in July is 76 °F (24 °C). The hot season lasts from late May through mid-September, while the cold season typically runs from December through early March. The highest recorded temperature in the township was 103.2 °F (39.6 °C) in 2011, and the lowest recorded temperature was −10.7 °F (−23.7 °C) in 1984.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the township was 85.1% White, 4.1% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 8.4% Asian, and 1.6% were two or more races. 2.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

As of the census of 2000, 17,597 people, 6,872 households, and 4,810 families resided in the township. The population density was . There were 7,035 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 88.30% White, 3.47% African American, 0.09% Native American, 6.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.

There were 6,872 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the township the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $66,736, and the median income for a family was $80,167. Males had a median income of $56,870 versus $36,879 for females. The per capita income for the township was $30,559. About 1.4% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy