The History of Springfield, PA

In this article, the Springfield, PA personal injury attorneys at Schuster Law discuss the history of the lovely little town of Springfield, PA.

Springfield, which is actually a township, sits about 10 miles outside of the city of Philadelphia and has a population of about 25,000 people.

Springfield Before The American Revolution

Like the rest of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and other surrounding states, the land that is now Springfield, PA were once inhabited by the Lenape, a Native American tribe that was semi-nomadic. The tribe, which is divided into clans, would set up a village in an area and live there for an extended period to time until the clan decided that the land and wildlife were "exhausted". Then the village would be moved to a new spot to allow nature to restore what had been lost.

Then in the 1600s, a group of Quakers arrived with William Penn who had been granted the land by the King Of England who made the deal in order to pay debts owed to Penn's father.

The initial settlement was first called Amosland and in 1687, the settlers began to lay the first road, a road that is now called Springfield Road. Following the completion of Springfield Road, construction on Baltimore Pike began - the same Baltimore Pike that exists today. A meetinghouse was built in 1701 which later burned down. The meetinghouse which replaced it still stands today!

In the first one hundred years after settlement, Springfield grew to a population of about 300.

Industrialized Springfield

In the 1800s, the many creeks in the local area resulted in the building of numerous mills in Springfield and the population exploded. Later, after the invention of the automobile, a portion of the Baltimore Pike became known as "The Golden Mile" due to the number of car dealerships that exist in that spot. Those car dealerships still exist today.

The area, which was once farmland, is now suburban and full of single-family homes and townhomes. Residents can shop at the local mall, Springfield Mall, which is home to a number of popular stores.

The Springfield personal injury lawyers at Schuster Law hope that you've enjoyed this short history of Springfield, PA. If you're interested in learning more about the Springfield area, read our post on auto body shops in Springfield.