Douglassville, Pennsylvania
Douglassville, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
 Old St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church, founded in 1720; this building was built in 1801 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Berks |
| Township | Amity |
| Elevation | 194 ft (59 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 448 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 19518 |
| Area code(s) | 610 and 484 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1173428[2] |
Douglassville is a census-designated place (CDP)[3] 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[4] 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.[5] Douglassville is Exchange 385 in area code 610.
History
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.[6][7]
Parks
Lake Drive Park and Recreation Area
It is on Lake Drive in the Amity Gardens Subdivision. Facilities include basketball and tennis courts, a skateboard park, a pavilion, and a picnic area.
Hill Road Park
Hill Road Park is located on Hill Road in the West Ridge subdivision.
Monocacy Hill Preserve
Monocacy Hill Preserve is an undeveloped park used for hiking and environmental education on Monocacy Hill outside of Douglassville. The park has trails going all around the mountain.
References
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
- ^ "Douglassville". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ http://www.census.gov/2010census/
- ^ High Meadow
- ^ http://www.census.gov/#
- ^ Mouns Jones House (1716) (Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County) [1]
- ^ Andreas Rudman and his Family (by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig . Swedish Colonial News, Volume 2, Number 1 . Winter 2000) [2]
