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  1. May 9, 2024

    History with Mike: Philadelphia — home of the heist?

    The following article was contributed by local historian Michael Leibrandt of Abington Township. To read all of our “History with Mike” contributions, you can click here. Forty-seven years ago,  amid the December shopping season of 1977,  a Brinks security officer stepped onto an escalator at…

  2. December 31, 2023

    History with Mike: Abington family’s discovery and re-burial of four Revolutionary War soldiers

    During the Civil War in 1855, Mr. Russell Smith purchased land at Edgehill Heights, which is not far from today’s North Penn VFW 676 of Glenside.   According to local historian Mike Leibrandt, one day in 1861 Russell’s daughter Mary was playing in the nearby woods…

  3. October 12, 2023

    History with Mike: A brief history of the Lenni-Lenape in Abington Township

    In honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, October 9, local historian Mike Leibrandt has shared a number of sources which discuss the land that comprises Abington today as purchased from the native Lenni-Lenape by William Penn during the 1680s. According to LenapeNation.com, the Lenape people are the original inhabitants of eastern Pennsylvania, southern New…

  4. October 8, 2023

    History with Mike: The Mooreland Manor House, first residence ever built in Willow Grove

    The Manor House of Willow, once located at 117 Park Avenue, was originally constructed in 1706, though some historians disagree on the exact year. According to Upper Moreland Historical Association president emeritus Joe Thomas, it was the first house in Willow Grove.It was built by Jacob Dubree and his son…

  5. September 13, 2023

    History with Mike: The historic inns of Willow Grove and Huntingdon Valley

    According to local historian Mike Leibrandt, Willow Grove and Huntingdon Valley were once home to several historic inns: the Lady Washington Inn, the Red Lion Inn, the Fountain House Inn, and the Mineral Springs Inn.The Lady Washington Inn of Huntingdon ValleyThe first section of the Lady Washington Inn was built in…

  6. September 3, 2023

    History with Mike: The Jenkintown-Wyncote Train Station’s evolution, iconic buildings, and revolving door of restaurants

    The Jenkintown-Wyncote Train Station at 2 Greenwood Avenue is home to several iconic buildings designed by renowned architect Horace Trumbauer, multiple transient restaurants, a National Register of Historic Places designation, and forthcoming ADA-compliant platforms and a Pedestrian Tower. Built in 1872, Jenkintown Station was originally the home of the…

  7. August 31, 2023

    History with Mike: Abington’s earliest schools, including Friends Meeting (1702), first schoolhouse (1822), first public high school (1888), and more

    According to local historian Mike Leibrandt, the original Abington Township High School was a five-acre complex of approximately four educational buildings. The first structure was built in 1888 and stood at 1801 Susquehanna Road, across from the former Abington YMCA.The complex was the Township’s first purpose-built school building and served…

  8. August 28, 2023

    History with Mike: The Abington Antique Shop and its famous white horse

    The former Abington Antique Shop’s well-known white horse has been standing on Old York Road in Abington for nearly 90 years.According to Carrie Keegan, longtime owner of In Bloom Flowers & Gifts, Jefferson Abington Hospital purchased the building in 2019 but has allowed the horse to stay. “It’s vacant for…

  9. August 20, 2023

    History with Mike: Abington’s manse house at the corner of York and Old Orchard roads

    If you’ve ever peered out the back window of the Abington Free Library at 1030 Old York Road and wondered about that old-looking house with the colonial exterior, you were looking at the original manse of Abington Presbyterian Church. To clarify, a manse is a house occupied by a minister…

  10. August 17, 2023

    History with Mike: The origins of Moreland Township, the Square and Compass tavern of Abington, and the Red Lion Inn of Willow Grove

    According to historian Edward Momoralla, Willow Grove began as part of a land grant from King Charles II to William Penn in 1681. A 9.8-acre tract was sold by Penn to physician Nicholas More, which is how the land became known as the Manor of Moreland, and later, Moreland Township.For…
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