On September 21, 1863, at the height of the American Civil War, and the feast of Saint Matthew, the Rev. Richard Kinahan was named the third pastor of our parish. He was the longest-serving pastor in the parish’s history, retiring in his 42nd year as pastor in 1905. Born in Ballyroberts, Parish of Danesfort, County… Read More »Ad Aspera Per Astra: Father Kinahan’s Observatory
If you walk or drive through the St. Matthew’s Parish cemetery in Conshohocken, you may notice a memorial with the last name of Knecht. It fronts Butler Pike in the first row of St. Joseph’s section (right side of the cemetery). Buried in this lot are the remains of long and devoted members of St.… Read More »The Knecht Family
In 1950, an increase in traffic was inevitable in Norristown. A growing population and a proposed expressway into Philadelphia would add to the automobile traffic already plaguing the borough. Harry Butera was elected chairman of a committee responsible for surveying Norristown for “unsightly conditions.” In May of that year, the “Saw Mill Run Civic Association”… Read More »Saw Mill Run Flood Control
In 2025 the Historical Society acquired two diaries of James Crozier from 1864 and 1865. A Norristown native, Crozier and his family are buried in the Montgomery Cemetery. Intern Alex Arehart has been transcribing the diaries–really datebooks in an almanac style–and offers this brief report on his semester’s work. Spellings in the original have been… Read More »Clear and Pleasant: The Civil War Diaries of James Crozier
And so, we come to the end of our year of blog posts dedicated to the founders of the Historical Society of Montgomery County. We have shared with you the lives of these 26 individuals leading up to and a bit past the founding of HSMC. These men and women were lawyers, politicians, nurses and soldiers on the battlefield,… Read More »Centennial celebrations in the time of the founders
In the 1970s, a blind horse named Dick found itself at the Montgomery County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ (SPCA) newly constructed facility in the Perkiomen area of the county. Dick was a cruelty case. At his new home, he found a new friend, a pony, who would be his eyes for the rest of their lives… Read More »Montgomery County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)
While researching the founders of the Historical Society of Montgomery County, we found some fascinating stories that did not fit nicely under any of our previous headers. We thought that we would share them with you here. Isaac Roberts versus corrupt banks Robert Iredell and anti-masonry beliefs
The Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge is known for its impressive stone façade, intricately carved woodwork, stunning stained-glass windows, and incredibly detailed limestone bas-relief sculptures. The visual richness of the space fills one with a sense of awe and wonder at how our own community has built something so heavenly. One artist stands out:… Read More »Martha Maulsby Hovenden and the bas-relief sculptures at the Washington Memorial Chapel
Walking hand in hand with the temperance movement, something we covered in a previous blog post about the founders, was the abolition movement. Abolitionists believed in freedom for all and the abolishment of slavery. While we cannot confirm if all of our founders believed in the movement, we can confirm that a handful were outspoken… Read More »Freedom as Principle: Founders in the Abolition Movement
Martha Maulsby Hovenden (b.1884 d.1941) for a very long time was simply known as Thomas Hovenden’s daughter. Based on collected research and visits to historic sites where she lived and worked, this article sheds light on Martha for her work, and not solely for being the child of well-known parents. Her father, Thomas Hovenden, was… Read More »The unknown treasure of Montgomery County: Martha Maulsby Hovenden