Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania

Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania
Cheltenham Township
Home Rule Municipality First Class Township
The skyline of the City of Philadelphia, as seen from Cheltenham Avenue
Motto: "Salubritas et Eruditio" (English: Health and Education)
Country	United States of America
State	Pennsylvania
County	Montgomery
Elevation	157 ft (47.9 m)
Coordinates	40°04′00″N 75°06′59″W
Area	9.0 sq mi (23.3 km2)
- land	9.0 sq mi (23 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population	36,793 (2010)
Density	4,083.1 / sq mi (1,576.5 / km2)
Founded First Class Township Home Rule Municipality	March 22, 1682 1900 1976
Timezone	Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5)
- summer (DST)	Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)
Postal code	19012, 19027, 19038, 19095
Area code	215
Demonym	"Cheltonian"
Sister city	Cheltenham, United Kingdom
Commissioners	Art Haywood Harvey Portner Daniel B. Norris Charles D. McKeown, Sr. Morton J. Simon, Jr. Kathy A. Hampton J. Andrew Sharkey
Founder	Richard Wall Tobias Leech
Location of Cheltenham Township in Montgomery County
Location of Cheltenham Township in Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
Website: http://www.cheltenhamtownship.org/

Cheltenham Township is a home rule municipality in Montgomery County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Although it retains the word "Township" in its official name, it has been governed by a home rule charter since 1977 and is therefore not subject to the Pennsylvania Township Code. The population was 36,793 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the third most populous township in Montgomery County and the 24th most populous municipality in Pennsylvania. With just over 4,000 people per square mile, Cheltenham is the most densely populated Township in Montgomery County. It is bordered by the City of Philadelphia to the East and South, Abington Township to the North, Springfield Township to the West. Originally part of Philadelphia County, Cheltenham is often noted as "Philadelphia's first suburb".

As one of the oldest communities in Pennsylvania, Cheltenham Township is rich in history. It is home to the oldest house of continuous residency in Pennsylvania, Wall House. It was home to the state's only training ground for Black troops during the Civil War, Camp William Penn. Cheltenham also served as a major stop on the Underground Railroad. The early development of Old York Road and the railroad connected Cheltenham with the rest of the Philadelphia area. Cheltenham also served as the home of some of the wealthiest people in the history of the United States, most notably, John Wanamaker, Peter Widener, William Lukens Elkins, John B. Stetson, Henry W. Breyer, Jr., Cyrus H.K. Curtis, George Horace Lorimer, among others.

History

Wall House, the oldest house in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Tookany Creek played an important role in the founding of Cheltenham

Old farm houses in Cheltenham

Soldiers at Camp William Penn

Lynnewood Hall, the home of Peter A.B. Widener, designed by Horace Trumbauer

Cheltenham was established in 1682 by 15 Quakers from Cheltenham, England, including Richard Wall and Tobias Leech, who purchased 4,070 acres (16.5 km²) of land from William Penn.

The La Mott section of the township was the site of Camp William Penn, the training grounds of the first African-American troops ever enlisted into the United States Army during the American Civil War. These soldiers were at General Lee's surrender, helped hunt down John Wilkes Booth and were the only African-American soldiers to carry President Lincoln's casket.^{[citation needed]}

The following is the list of the 15 original founders of Cheltenham Township

Name	Land Size	Date given
John West	200 acres	June 29, 1682
Nehemiah Mitchell	210 acres	July 1, 1682
John Day	210 acres	August 5, 1682
William Brown	500 acres	September 10, 1683
Everard Bolton	100 acres	September 10, 1683
John Ashmead	250 acres	September 10, 1683
Tobias Leech	150 acres 200 acres	September 10, 1683 September 10, 1683
Richard Wall Sr.	100 acres 200 acres	May 2, 1683 September 10, 1683
Richard Wall Jr.	100 acres	September 10, 1683
Patrick Robinson	200 acres	November 5, 1683
John Russell	300 acres	November 5, 1683
William Frampton	500 acres	January 13, 1683
Mary Jefferson	300 acres	January 13, 1683
Thomas Phillips	300 acres	June 13, 1683
Humphrey Morrey	250 acres	May 23, 1683
Total acreage	4070 acres

The USCT (United States Colored Troops) 3rd Regiment were the first to be trained at Camp William Penn. It is tradition that soldiers have a grand parade before leaving for war, but Philadelphia was partially a racist community at that time and the government believed that a parade might cause a riot, so it was cancelled. The leader of the Camp (Colonel Louis Wagner) was furious and made sure the next regiment to come through would have a parade.

Cheltenham became a township of the first class in 1900. In 1976, it passed a home rule charter that took effect in 1977.

There are many books about Cheltenham Township's prestigious history.

• A History of Cheltenham Township by Elaine Rothschild
• Images of America Cheltenham Township by Old York Road Historical Society
• Remembering Cheltenham Township by Donald Scott Sr.
• Making Marathon: A History of Early Wyncote by Thomas J. Wieckowski

Township Seal

The seal of Cheltenham was adopted from the seal of the namesake and sister city, Cheltenham, England. It appears on all formal documents, resolutions, proclamations, and all legal records or documents. The pigeon on top of a blue sphere represents the founding of the fountain spa which made Cheltenham famous. They are placed above a wreath of Oak leaves. The two books represent Education, in particular, the Pates Grammar School and the Cheltenham College. The silver cross in the middle represents religion. The two pigeons represent the flock that would gather at the spas. Finally, the Oak tree represents the many Oak trees that line the streets of Cheltenham and promenades.

Geography

Cheltenham is a residential township in Montgomery County, southeastern Pennsylvania. It is one of six municipalities in Montgomery County that borders Philadelphia and is 16 km (10 mi) northeast of the city's center. It also borders Abington Township on the north side and Springfield Township on the west side.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 9.0 square miles (23 km²). The area consists of rolling hills and also has a few streams running through it, most notably the Tookany Creek. The highest elevation is 411 feet, at the intersection of Sunset and Lindley Roads. The lowest elevation is 63 feet, in the southeastern most part of the township where Tookany Creek flows into Philadelphia. It includes the census-designated places of Cheltenham, Elkins Park, Wyncote, Glenside, Melrose Park, La Mott and Laverock, all of which form a border with the City of Philadelphia along Cheltenham Avenue.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	627		—
1930	15,731		—
1940	19,082		21.3%
1950	22,854		19.8%
1960	35,990		57.5%
1970	40,066		11.3%
1980	35,509		−11.4%
1990	34,923		−1.7%
2000	36,875		5.6%
2010	36,793		−0.2%
www.dvrpc.org/data/databull/rdb/db82/appedixa.xls.</ref>

As of the 2010 census, Cheltenham Township was 57.4% White, 31.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 7.7% Asian, and 2.5% were two or more races. 3.9% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry [1].

The home of Cyrus H.K. Curtis, longtime Cheltenham resident

As of the census of 2000, there were 36,875 people, 14,346 households, and 9,640 families residing in the township. The population density was 4,083.1 people per square mile (1,576.7/km²). There were 14,897 housing units at an average density of 1,649.5 per square mile (637.0/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 66.45% White, 24.61% African American, 0.12% Native American, 6.44% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.99% of the population.

30.4% of the townships households have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% are headed by married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05.

The age distribution was 22.8% under 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $61,713, and the median income for a family was $76,792. Males had a median income of $50,564 versus $36,439 for females. The per capita income for the township was $31,424. About 3.0% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Politics and government

Presidential elections results

Year	Republican	Democrat
2008	19.3% 4,043	80.0% 16,728
2004	22.7% 4,690	77.0% 15,866
2000	22.0% 4,106	76.0% 14,169
1996	23.2% 4,040	70.1% 12,190
1992	24.3% 4,723	65.0% 12,624

Cheltenham Township does not have a mayor. Rather it is governed by a Board of Commissioners, who are elected one from each of the township's seven wards. A President of the Board is rotated between these commissioners, and serves as the head of government. Art Haywood is the current Board President. A school board, led by Tina Viletto, is in charge of the school district.

The township is in the Second Congressional District (represented by Rep. Chaka Fattah), and Pennsylvania's 154th Representative District (represented by Rep. Lawrence Curry). Prior to the 2000 census, it was in the 13th congressional district with the rest of Montgomery County. It is also in Pennsylvania's 4th Senatorial District

Commissioners

The following is a table of the current commissioners of Cheltenham Township along with their Wards and the areas of the Township they serve.

Name	Ward	Area Served
J. Andrew Sharkey	1	Glenside and Edgehill
Art Haywood	2	Laverock, Cedarbrook, west Wyncote and Curtis Hills
Harvey Portner	3	La Mott, west Elkins Park and Wyncote
Kathy A. Hampton	4	Lynnewood Gardens, north Wyncote, west Elkins Park and east Glenside
Daniel B. Norris	5	Melrose Park
Morton J. Simon, Jr.	6	Elkins Park
Charles D. McKeown, Sr.	7	Cheltenham Village, Rowland Park and Oak Lane Manor

Education

Cheltenham High School, established in 1884.

The Northern terminus of Broad Street is in Cheltenham

Easton Road, a main thruway of Cheltenham

Glenside Free Library

Reggie Jackson, born and raised in Cheltenham

Benjamin Netanyahu, raised in Cheltenham

Bill Cosby, lives in Cheltenham

John Wanamaker, lived in Cheltenham

Lucretia Mott, lived in Cheltenham

William Lukens Elkins, lived in Cheltenham

National Historic Landmark Grey Towers Castle.

The Cheltenham Twinning Fingerpost at the Township building points to all other Cheltenhams throughout the World.

National Historic Landmark Beth Sholom Synagogue.

The Grave of legendary Hall of Fame Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack.

Glenside Memorial Hall

The Cheltenham Township School District serves the township. There are seven public schools and a number of private schools. Public schools include Cheltenham Elementary School (k-4), Myers Elementary School (k-4), Glenside Elementary School (k-4), Wyncote Elementary School (k-4), Elkins Park School (5-6), Cedarbrook Middle School (7-8), and Cheltenham High School (9-12).[2]

The largest private high school in Cheltenham Township is Bishop McDevitt High School (9-12) which is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The section of Elkins Park in Cheltenham is the former home of Tyler School of Art, a conceptual fine-arts school that is part of Temple University. Cheltenham is also home to Arcadia University (formerly known as Beaver College), Salus University (formerly known as The Pennsylvania College of Optometry), Westminster Theological Seminary, Gratz College and Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, the only seminary affiliated with Reconstructionist Judaism.

Libraries

Cheltenham Township has four libraries which are the East Cheltenham Free Library, Elkins Park Free Library, La Mott Free Library, and the Glenside Free library.

Transportation

Three SEPTA Regional Rail line stations are located wholly within the township. The stations carry the names of the neighborhoods in which they are located: Elkins Park; Glenside; and Melrose Park. Two additional stations, (Jenkintown-Wyncote and Cheltenham), straddle the township's border.

Beginning on January 31, 2005, Cheltenham Township partnered with Abington Township to launch a shared transit service. The Cheltenham Transit Service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays according to the same route and timetable as the current schedule. A new bus will be used for the service since Laidlaw Transit Service will be the new contractor. All other policies and procedures will remain the same. The bus runs in Abington Township on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

The addition of Saturday to the Cheltenham Transit Service schedule offers riders new flexibility in their weekend travels. Although the change will result in a net reduction in service, Township officials consider this option preferable to eliminating the transit bus altogether.

There are several major roads in Cheltenham Township. Cheltenham Avenue is a major roadway and is an easy access point to many of the other roadways like Pennsylvania Route 611 and Pennsylvania Route 309. It is also the border between Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Cheltenham Avenue ends on the westside at Paper Mill Road in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania which is part of the Springfield Township. Pennsylvania Route 73 is one of the major roadways in Cheltenham Township, known as 'Church Road' and 'Township Line Road' because it is the border line between Cheltenham and Abington Townships. Pennsylvania Route 309 starts in Cheltenham Township and serves as a major highway. It goes through many townships and ends up in PA 29 in Noxen Township. Pennsylvania Route 152 starts in Cheltenham Township and is known as 'Limekiln Pike.' It ends on the north end of Pennsylvania Route 309 in Telford, PA. Pennsylvania Route 611 starts in Philadelphia and runs through Cheltenham Township as Old York Road. It is the main access road to Willow Grove in Abington and Upper Moreland Townships.

Notable people

• Candace Allen Miss District of Columbia USA 2006
• Eddie Applegate Actor
• Joel Bernstein Rock Album Photographer (Joni Mitchell, CSN&Y) 1970 Graduate
• Brandon Bing Professional Football Player for the New York Giants
• Michael Brecker (saxophonist)
• Randy Brecker (jazz, rock, and R&B trumpeter)
• Michael Stuart Brown (American physician, geneticist, and Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine)
• George Castle Son of J.R. Castle, professional lacrosse player for the Philadelphia Wings
• J.R. Castle Former lacrosse player
• Laurie Colwin Author and Columnist
• Jay Cooke (financier - had his 'country estate' in Chelten Hills)
• Chris Conlin (All-American football player at Penn State)
• Bill Cosby (comedian)
• Rebecca Creskoff (American actress)
• Cyrus H.K. Curtis (founder of the Curtis Publishing Company, which published The Saturday Evening Post and Ladies Home Journal)
• Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr. - son of banker Fitz Eugene Dixon, Sr. and Eleanor Widener (member of the Widener family.)
• William Lukens Elkins - prominent role in history of the Pennsylvania Railroad, SEPTA and several other railroads.
• JoAnne A Epps Attorney and Dean Temple University Beasley School of Law
• Jim Callahan, Football player, writer, and member of the Temple University Hall of Fame.
• Tony Donatelli soccer player for VSI Tampa Bay FC
• Josh Fattal, American hiker detained in Iran from 2009–2011
• Tom Feeney Member of Congress, R-FL
• Douglas Feith former Under-Secretary of Defense
• Marian Filar Polish-born American-based concert pianist and virtuoso
• Stuart F. Feldman Co-founder of Vietnam Veterans of America.
• Glenn A. Fine Inspector General, United States Department of Justice
• Wilmot E. Fleming State Senator
• Jon D. Fox U.S. Congressman
• Laura Harper Professional Basketball Player
• Marvin Harrison NFL wide receiver
• Trina Schart Hyman Artist & Illustrator
• Bill Hyndman Amateur golfer
• Reggie Jackson (Hall of Fame baseball player, Actor - grew up in township)
• Mark Levin Conservative Talk Radio Host & Attorney
• Richard Levinson Emmy Award-Winning Writer & Producer
• Chad Levitt (b. 1975) American NFL football player
• Franz Lidz Journalist whose memoir, Unstrung Heroes, became a 1995 feature film directed by Diane Keaton
• William Link Emmy Award-Winning Writer & Producer
• Craig Littlepage College Administrator & Educator
• Jeff Lorber Musician
• George Horace Lorimer (longtime editor of The Saturday Evening Post)
• Bernie Lowe founder of Cameo Records
• John Charles Martin Newspaper publisher
• Edgar Lee Masters (Lawyer and author of the Spoon River Anthology – spent final years and died in Elkins Park.)
• Mark Levin (conservative talk radio host)
• Mary Ellen Mark (photographer)
• Robert J. Myers Co-creator of United States Social Security program
• Humphrey Morrey founder of Cheltenham, first Mayor of Philadelphia
• Lucretia Coffin Mott (prominent feminist, abolitionist, and Quaker)
• Benjamin Netanyahu (Currently serving his second term as Israeli prime minister - lived in township during high school)
• Yonatan Netanyahu (Israeli war hero who died saving Jewish hostages in Operation Entebbe)
• Bob Perkins radio host at WRTI
• Ezra Pound (poet - grew up in township)
• Jesse Purnell Professional baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies
• Brad Raider Actor
• Sean Renio CEO Mouge Entertainment
• Ralph J. Roberts Co-Founder of Comcast, father of current Comcast CEO, Brian L. Roberts
• David Saxon Physicist, Educator & Administrator
• Roger Scott Musician & Educator
• Ronald M. Shapiro, Notable Sports Agent, Corporate Attorney, New York Times Best Selling Author
• Robert C. Solomon PhD, Author & Educator
• Jeffrey Solow American virtuoso cellist
• Wallace Triplett Professional Football Player
• David Uosikkinen (drummer for rock band The Hooters)
• Kate Vrijmoet Artist
• Richard Ward Actor
• Chris Williams Professional Soccer Player for Miami FC
• George Wilson Hall of Fame collegiate football player
• John Wanamaker (businessman sometimes called the father of the department store - had a second home in the township)
• Paul Westhead (NBA championship-winning coach, taught English at Cheltenham High School in 1960's)
• Thomas Wharton, Jr. first Governor of Pennsylvania
• George Dunton Widener (a Philadelphia businessman who died in the sinking of the Titanic)

Miscellaneous

• Cheltenham has its own Public-access television cable TV channel, Channel 42 (Cheltenham School District Broadcasting) on Comcast Cablevision.
• The Fox sitcom "'Til Death" is set in Cheltenham.^{[citation needed]}
• The movie "The In Crowd" was filmed partly at Cheltenham High School.^{[citation needed]}

Fire services

The Cheltenham Township Fire Department consists of 5 all volunteer fire companies.

• Glenside Fire Company
• La Mott Fire Company
• Elkins Park Fire Company
• Cheltenham Hook & Ladder Company
• Ogontz Fire Company

Other Cheltenhams

Cheltenham is officially Twinned with their namesake, Cheltenham, England. There are also five other places in the World named "Cheltenham."

• Cheltenham, England (Official Twin and Namesake)
• Cheltenham, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
• Cheltenham, Ontario, Canada
• Cheltenham, Auckland, New Zealand
• Cheltenham, New South Wales, Australia
• Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia

Points of Interest

National Historic Landmarks

• Grey Towers Castle
• Beth Sholom Synagogue

National Register of Historic Places

• Curtis Hall Arboretum
• Richard Wall House
• St. Paul's Episcopal Church
• Milmoral
• Rowland House
• Elkins Railroad Station
• Glenside Memorial Hall
• George K. Heller School
• Henry West Breyer Sr. House

U.S. Historic Districts

• Camptown Historic District
• Wyncote Historic District

Pennsylvania Historic Site

• Camp William Penn

Other Points of Interest

• Lynnewood Hall -
• Elkins Estate -
• Holy Sepulchre Cemetery

External links

• Cheltenham Township
• School District of Cheltenham Township
• Art: Xanthus Russell Smith (1839-1929) Mather's Cottage, at Cheltenham (Montgomery County), 1880
• Cheltenham Township Fire Department
• Lynnewood Hall
• The Elkins Estate

Preceded by Springfield Township

Bordering communities of Philadelphia

Succeeded by Abington