In the Beginning..

The original inhabitants of the Souderton-Telford region were the Lenni-Lenape, also called the Delaware Indians. They were among the first to come in contact with Europeans in the early 1600s. “Pokasie,” today Perkasie, is believed to be the Lenape village nearest to Souderton.

Montgomery and Bucks Counties, where Souderton and Telford are located, originated out of the land granted to William Penn, which he purchased from the Lenape, who, due to the massive amounts of immigrants who began to pour in, were eventually forced to head west.

Souderton was first settled by immigrant Welsh, giving Souderton the early name of “Welshtown.” These were followed by German Mennonites beginning around 1719, and by 1750 they would occupy most of the land. The town is named for one of its pioneer settlers, Henry O. Souder.

Souderton was almost entirely developed for agricultural purposes, and was known as a small farm service oriented community.
The railroad arrived in 1857, adding industry and expansion - textile and cigar-making factories and mills brought prosperity, renown and population to the borough.

After World War II, the need for expensive labor in the textile industry began to decline in the region. Souderton has become mostly residential, as some of the buildings used for business have been converted into homes or office buildings.

Telford’s land was bought in 1737 by Conrad Detterer, and settled mostly by German immigrant farmers, some who also had trades on the side. The name “Telford,” which was adopted in 1867 comes from Englishman Thomas Telford, who was a famous architect and civil engineer.

Like Souderton, Telford’s industry boomed with the advent of the railroad opening in 1857. With cigar-making and textile factories, Telford became almost completely transformed. However, today, like Souderton, Telford is primarily residential.

Until 1937 there were actually two separate boroughs, Telford and West Telford, due to the borough’s location on the border of Montgomery and Bucks County. Pennsylvania prohibited a borough’s boundaries to be extended into another county. After the state law was changed the two boroughs merged.

Interesting facts from our neck of the woods:

The first electric sign in Souderton appeared in September 1905 on S. Front Street.

On May 1st, 1903, Harry H. Hunsicker purchased an eight horse power Locomobile, this being the first automobile owned in Souderton. One week later, Harvey S. Souder purchased one of the same model. Two years later, nine automobiles were owned in Souderton.

Main Street in Souderton was once called “Possum Lane.”
The first Souderton Community Pool was built in 1928. It was 300 feet and sand-bottomed. The pool was closed in 1941 due to not meeting the State Department of Health requirements.

A description of those early Telford railroad rides from a local passenger: “If you were not shut up in a box with a lot of tobacco smokers, if the engine and fire did not burn holes in your clothes, if the springs and hinges did not make such a racket, if the smell of oil and smoke did not poison you, if you were not in danger of being blown sky high or kicked off the rails, then this new mode of travel would not be so bad.”

Souderton’s first history was written in 1886 by William Hemsing – before there was even a borough!

The first telephone appeared in Telford in 1887, when a small switchboard was located in the general store of J. Howard Gerhart, on Main Street, and served six subscribers.

A word on the Souderton Independent

Architectural Overview of Souderton and Telford