Atlas of Lower Merion, 1896

Cynwyd Heritage Trail Time Line

The earliest inhabitants of modern day Lower Merion Township were the Lenape. These Native Americans were part of the Algonquin Nation who arrived about 12,000 years ago. By the mid-1700s, most of the Lenape had moved westward.

1682: The first European settlers came from Bala, Wales and Cynwyd, Wales.

1834: The Philadelphia and Columbia Railway, the Main Line of the Public Works of the State of Pennsylvania ran through Bala Cynwyd.

1850: Service on the The Philadelphia and Columbia Railway was discontinued.

1851: Clegg's Cotton and Textile Mill opened; it was water powdered that utilized Vine Creek. N.B. Ashland Paper Mill and the Belmont Woolen Mill were near by and  utilized Gulley Run for their waterpower.

 

1853: Pencoyd Iron Works opened with the manufacture of railroad axles. 

1859: Pencoyd Iron Works expands into the manufacture of iron and steel bridges.

1869: West Laurel Hill Cemetery established, originally 197 acres.

1884: The Pennsylvania Railroad opened the Schuylkill Valley Division. In Lower Merion there were four stations, their dates of service       are:

          1884 to date: The Bala Station

          1884 to 1899: The West Laurel Hill Station

          1890 to date: The Cynwyd Station

          1899 to 1986: The Barmouth Station

          1884: The “S” Bridge constructed; 1917 replaced with the Manayunk Bridge

1891: Pencoyd Branch with a Switch Back of the Schuylkill Valley Division opened and operated into the Pencoyd Iron Works.

1893: Westminster Cemetery incorporated, originally 92 acres.

1900: Pencoyd Iron Works merged with the American Bridge Company, a major component of the United States Steel Corporation.

1913: Clegg’s Cotton and Textile Mill ceased operation. The trestle over Clegg's pond was replaced by fill in the 1913-1917 period. 

1913: The Cynwyd Club built a clubhouse and tennis courts later adding squash  courts, bowling alleys, and a dining room.

1937: Cynwyd Park created with help from the Works Progress Administration (WPA Project)

1930: Schuylkill Valley Division from Philadelphia to Norristown was electrified.

1944: Pencoyd Iron Works was liquidated. A portion of the old plant was then occupied

          by Connelly Containers, Inc. as a corrugated carton factory.

Early 1950’s: The Schuylkill Expressway built.

1960’s: Schuylkill Valley Division passenger service was limited to Manayunk with limited freight service to Pottsville.

1980: Freight service along the Schuylkill Valley Division had stopped, and by 1981 the  Pennsylvania Railroad roadbed beyond                         Shawmont to Valley Forge became a bike trail.

1986: The Manayunk Bridge was closed and passenger service was discontinued beyond Cynwyd Station.

2007: SEPTA leased to the Township of Lower Merion the right-of-way from the Cynwyd Station to the Manayunk Bridge with the expectation of constructing a bike and walking trail (Cynwyd Heritage Trail).

2008: Cynwyd Heritage Trail, a Rails to Trails Park

The old Penn Station Commuter lIne, before being decommissioned in 1986.

SEPTA map circa early 1980s

Only the Cynwyd, Wynnewood, and Merion stations survive.