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“Willow Grove” had it’s beginnings as part of a land grant from King Charles II of England to William Penn in 1681, as payback for a debt owed to Admiral William Penn, his father. This was the same land grant that brought us Pennsylvania. William granted a warrant for 9.815 acres north of the city of Philadelphia to Nicholas More, a local physician. This land became known as the Manor of Moreland (later becoming Moreland Township).
Roughly one day’s ride by carriage from Philadelphia, and soon developed into a prospering colonial crossroads, with inns, stables, blacksmiths, and wheelwrights. In 1711, the Old York Road was laid out from Philadelphia to New Hope where the Delaware River was crossed by Ferry. Although this is the date used for the founding of the village, the name “Willow Grove” was not associated with this village until 1792 when mapmaker Reading Howell marked the village due to the high number of willow trees in the area. Prior to that, the area was called Round Meadow, named after the tributary of the Pennypack Creek which ran through the village and under the Old York Road at the center of town.
