A Brief History of the Montgomery Township Historical Society

The Montgomery Township Historical Society (MTHS) was incorporated on March 7, 1988. At the time, the officers of the Board of Directors were June Tiers, Pamela Retseck, Kathy Ann Swope, Frank DiMaria, Ann Molewski, Jesse James Hurd III and Alison Hunt-Thompson. Sue Gordon and Roy Rodriguez joined the board in 1989. The catalyst for forming the Society was the 275th Anniversary of Montgomery Township in 1989. The Society, in concert with Montgomery Township staged an anniversary celebration at Windlestrae Park.

The purpose of MTHS is to bring together those people interested in history and especially the history of Montgomery Township in Montgomery County, PA. Understanding the history of our community is basic to our democratic way of life, gives a better understanding of our state and nation and promotes a better appreciation of our American heritage. Our mission is to educate people about, and encourage the enthusiastic appreciation of the history and heritage of the North Penn Area, in particular Montgomery Township; to promote conservation and preservation of private and public buildings and resources; and to advocate for the use of those resources so as to maintain or enrich the cultural landscape of our community.

Throughout its history, MTHS has published newsletters, conducted general meetings, free and open to the public, with guest speakers on topics pertaining to the history of the Township and its environs. In 1993, MTHS put together a survey of old structures in the Township and has attempted to document them as much as possible. MTHS has been instrumental in saving the Selzer House from destruction by working with a developer, David Cutler, to successfully market the old house. Through the Historic Preservation Overlay District zoning, authored by one of our members, Roy Rodriguez, the Township has been able to save several of the older homes from destruction. MTHS acquired the Knapp House from David Cutler (at the insistence of the Knapp Family) in 2003. We have been refurbishing the house and will eventually use it as our headquarters. We anticipate using the house as a museum to display not only the house itself, but some of the many artifacts members have collected over the years.