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Llanerch, Pennsylvania

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Coordinates: 39°58′17″N 75°17′57″W / 39.97139°N 75.29917°W / 39.97139; -75.29917
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Llanerch, Pennsylvania
Unincorporated community
Valley Road in Llanerch
Valley Road in Llanerch
Llanerch is located in Pennsylvania
Llanerch
Llanerch
Llanerch is located in the United States
Llanerch
Llanerch
Coordinates: 39°58′17″N 75°17′57″W / 39.97139°N 75.29917°W / 39.97139; -75.29917
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
CountyDelaware
TownshipHaverford
Elevation
85 m (278 ft)
Population
 • Total
1,162
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code(s)610 and 484
GNIS feature ID1179730[1]

Llanerch is an unincorporated community in Haverford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Llanerch is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 1, Pennsylvania Route 3, and Darby Road.[2] The name Llanerch means "Open Space" in Welsh.[3][4]

History

[edit]

Prior to colonization, Llanerch was land belonging to the Lenape tribe. It fell under possession of William Penn by royal charter, and was subsequently settled by Welsh Quakers in what is known as the Welsh Tract.[5] Much of the Welsh influence on the area today is apparent through road names such as "Llandillo" and "Llandaff". The name Llanerch itself derives from Llannerch, an abolished Welsh commote, presumably where settlers of the region came from.[6]

Until the 1890s, Llanerch remained a mostly undeveloped area, with only a handful of families occupying the area.[7] The use of the name in the area dates at least to 1867.[4] Following the development of railway in nearby Philadelphia and the growth of the now-extinct trolley lines down West Chester Pike and Darby Road, Llanerch's population grew as the area became a junction between the city and many smaller, nearby boroughs.

Davis Road in the Llanerch before electrification and the widespread uptake of the automobile.[8]

The 1898 subdivision development in Llanerch was one of the Township's first, with twelve dwellings constructed by architects Robert G. Kennedy and Frank A. Hays who both resided in the neighborhood.[4] Frank A. Hays left the firm Kennedy, Hays & Kelsey shortly after completing much of the design work of Llanerch, becoming a professor of ink and rendering at the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture.[9] The two purchased 200 acres of "beautiful rolling ground" from businessman Henry Albertson, with the highest point of the site allowing a view of Philadelphia City Hall.[10] The new subdivision was planned with "Telford roads, granolithic pavements, under drains, [and] electric lights" with a minimum lot size of 50 by 150 feet.[11] The streets were laid out to magnify the distance between one home and next, offering focal points and a sense of destination between houses.[10]

The ceremonial first trolley at Llanerch Junction, May 29, 1902.

Most of the early subdivisions in Haverford, such as Preston, Millbrook, South Ardmore, Brookline, Beechwood and Penfield, were streetcar suburbs along trolley and train lines that served as a key mode of transportation.[12] Llanerch had two lines meeting at Llanerch Junction by the end of the 19th century and a further third line to Ardmore in 1902.[13] Three lines of the four original Haverford Township lines, the two trolley lines on Darby Road and West Chester Pike and the Newtown Square Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, met in Llanerch. The fourth line, the Norristown High Speed Line, still runs along the eastern edge of Haverford Township.

A sketch of the blockade at Llanerch Crossing by the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1895, erected by engineers of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company to prevent the Philadelphia and Castle Rock Transit Company crossing the tracks of its Delaware County branch.[11]

"The Battle of Llanerch Crossing" (1895) was a rights battle over land between railway companies that ended at a crossroads in Llanerch, ending with a ruling at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.[14][15][16] There is a memorial to the historical background involving the case in the form of Llanerch Crossing, a small park with a mural and markers detailing the history of the feud.[17]

In 1916, a group of Llanerch residents pushed to create an independent borough, carved out of Haverford Township. The group, citing an irritation of "not getting back enough in betterments for the amount of taxes it pays into the Township treasury."[18][10] The campaign to create a borough for Llanerch was unsuccessful.

Llanerch is served by the Haverford Township Police Department, the Haverford Township School District, and the Llanerch Volunteer Fire Company.[19] The former Llanerch School in Llanerch, built in 1913, served the neighborhood until 1977. It has been repurposed and converted to apartments.[20]

Demographics

[edit]

As of the 2020 census, there were 1,162 people. The median age was 38.7 years. The racial makeup of Llanerch was 83.8% white, 6.7% African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.9% Asian, and 4.9% from two or more races. 22.5% of the population of Llanerch was under 18. The average family size was 3.3. There were 449 households of which 85% were families.[21]

The population density was 6,916 inhabitants per square mile as of the 2020 census. There were 464 total housing units.

Former Llanerch School, built in 1913

The age distribution was 22.3% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 15.6% from 25 to 34, 14.2% from 35 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was approximately 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.3 males.

Indicated in the 2022 American Community Survey, 59.7% of the population 25 years and old had a bachelor's degree or higher. The median household income was $126,250. The median family income was $147,361.

Religion

[edit]

The community is home to the historic Llanerch Presbyterian Church, built in 1912,[22] and the former St. Andrew's Brookline Methodist Church, built in 1898, no longer in use for worship.[23]

[edit]

Several scenes from the movie Silver Linings Playbook were shot in Llanerch, such as The Llanerch Diner, located on U.S. Route 1, where the diner scene was shot.[24][25][26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Llanerch". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ Delaware County, Pennsylvania Highway Map (PDF) (Map). PennDOT. 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  3. ^ Kerr, Richard (2016–2018). "Llanerch" (PDF). Haverford Township Historical Society.
  4. ^ a b c Hotchkin, Samuel (1897). Rural Pennsylvania in the Vicinity of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: G.W. Jacobs & Company. pp. 349–350.
  5. ^ "The Birth of Llanerch Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  6. ^ Glenn, Thomas Allen (1970). Welsh Founders of Pennsylvania (Revised ed.). Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-8063-0430-4.
  7. ^ "Llanerch". Philadelphia Inquirer. 1 Jan 1899. p. 36. Retrieved 8 Jul 2023.
  8. ^ Bjorkgren, David (2024-11-22). "Delaware County Mystery Histories Found in Old Postcards". DELCO.Today. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  9. ^ "Hays, Frank Allison (1866 - 1930) -- Philadelphia Architects and Buildings". www.philadelphiabuildings.org. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  10. ^ a b c Graaf, Zachary (2022). United We Fall. pp. 61–65.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  11. ^ a b "May 11, 1895, page 9 - The Philadelphia Inquirer at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com". www.newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  12. ^ Delaware County History (1908). "Haverford Map 1892, Part of Haverford and Lower Merion Twps. 1908, Haverford Twp. part of 1908, Part of Haverford Twp. 1926".
  13. ^ "History of Haverford | The Township of Haverford, PA". www.havtwp.org. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  14. ^ "Llanerch". I LIVE IN HARFORD. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  15. ^ "This photograph from ca. 1900 looks west along the Philadelphia & West Chester Traction Company's West Chester Pike ..." Hagley. 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  16. ^ "Jul 18, 1895, page 3 - The Philadelphia Times at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com". www.newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  17. ^ "Haverford Heritage Trail-Site 31". hht.havtrail.com. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  18. ^ "Llanerch Ambitious for Borough Dignity". Delaware County Times. 1916.
  19. ^ "Llanerch Fire Company - Llanerch, PA". Llanerch Fire Department Co. 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  20. ^ Jablow, Paul (2021-05-19). "A tale of two Haverford schools: One converted to apartments, the other headed for demolition". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  21. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  22. ^ "About 4". The Presbyterian Church of Llanerch. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  23. ^ "A History of the Church". HaverfordUMC. 2022. Retrieved 8 Jul 2023.
  24. ^ "'Silver Linings Playbook' draws diners to special booth at Llanerch". WHYY. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  25. ^ Hostutler, Mark (2022-11-12). "Upper Darby's Llanerch Diner Again the Scene of Film Crews". DELCO.Today. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  26. ^ Trinacria, Joe (2017-07-26). "Delco Diner That Starred In "Silver Linings Playbook" Temporarily Closes". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
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