The History of Swarthmore, PA

Enjoy the following article on the history of the community brought to you by the personal injury attorneys in Swarthmore, PA, at Schuster Law.

Swarthmore

The borough of Swarthmore is located in Delaware County in the state of Pennsylvania. The 896-acre borough is to the east of Wallingford and to the west of Rutledge. The Township of Ridley and Swarthmorewood are communities located to the south of the neighborhood, while Springfield and Rose Tree are to the north. Crum Creek and Crum Woods create the western border. Fairview Road and Michigan Avenue form the southern border.

History

The area was called Westdale after one of the early residents, Benjamin West. West was an American artist known for his famous historical paintings, such as:

• The Death of Nelson
• The Death of General Wolfe
• Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky

The area was renamed following the establishment of the Swarthmore College in 1864. The borough was initially part of the Springfield Township and was incorporated as a borough in 1893.

Historical Landmarks

The town has many historical landmarks, including the Ogden House, located on Cedar Lane. The stone house was built in 1736 and stands three stories high. Three sides were constructed in dressed stone, while the fourth side was constructed using rubble stones. It is adorned with a double pitched roof and has two stone chimneys.

On the campus of the college is the historical home referred to as the Benjamin West Birthplace. The house was built around 1724 and, in 1738, served as the artist's birthplace. Today the building is the visitor information center for the borough.

Another historical site with the community is located in Crum Woods near Crum Creek. Crumhenge, as it has become named, is an arrangement of several massive boulders within the meadows in Crum Woods. Although the original construction was disassembled to prevent damage to the stones, new arrangements have been laid for the students to use as a campfire setting.

Neighborhood

Within the Crum Woods are an outdoor amphitheater and many walking trails. The college's Arboretum manages the land and has added many gardens such as the holly and rhododendron collections. The area is home to several parks in addition to the 200-acre Crum Woods. Some of these include:

• Thatcher Park - located on Rutgers Avenue
• Paulson Park - located on Strath Haven Avenue
• Umoja Park - located on Yale Avenue

Demographics

In 2010 the area was home to 6,194 residents, which made up 1,963 households and 1,327 families. This was a slight increase of 0.4% from 2000. The racial makeup of the community was the following:

• 82.5% white 
• 5.0% African American
• 4.9% Hispanic or Latino
• 0.3% Native American
• 7.7% Asian
• 0.1% Pacific Islander
• 0.7% other races
• 3.8% two or more races

The annual income for the households in the neighborhood was $101,686 in 2015, and for a family was $144,570. Men averaged an income of $71,750 versus women's average of $51,117. The breakdown of occupations was the following:

• 18.28% teaching roles
• 10.23% management positions
• 7.98% business and financial occupations

Keep reading: A Historical Look at Wallingford, PA

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Media, PA 19063, USA
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