The first road that was laid out in the area was Mount Pleasant Avenue. The road was confirmed in 1730 by the court as a public road that could be used for William Hamer to reach his fulling and grist mills.
The southeastern corner of Whitpain Township was originally owned by Cadwallder Morris for 200 acres in 1734. Around the second half of the 18th century, Jonathan Taylor purchased 186 acres of land. He then divided his land for his children, including Isaac Taylor who inherited the central part of the land of 100 acres. During the Revolutionary War, Isaac was known to be one of the tories/loyalists whose home was evicted for supporting the British crown. His home at the corner of Mount Pleasant Avenue and Morris Road is still standing.
There was a mill built by the Wissahickon Creek that was owned by Thomas Thompson and his son John for many years from 1838 to 1884.
From 1849 to 1855, a school was operated in the home of Albert Thomas. There was another school that was named Mount Pleasant School along Lewis Lane, but it was renamed to the Shady Grove School later in the 19th century.
The home across from the former Isaac Taylor home was built later in the 19th century by John C. Mercer whose home was transformed into a home for disabled clergymen. This was his wife Ann Jane Mercer's wish in her will before she died.
Mount Pleasant Baptist Church
It was unknown when the street name Mount Pleasant Avenue was named, but it's a possibility the road was named after the church that stands along Morris Road.
The first Baptist sermon was preached in Springhouse in 1828 by Reverend John S. Jenkins. It was thought that the rise in interest of preaching Baptist sermons was from visiting clergymen like John S. Jenkins. Along with Jenkins there were other clergymen with him: Thomas Robinson and Horatio G. Jones. The three clergymen successfully baptized four people while being in the area for two days.
Fun Fact #1: The Wissahickon Creek was used to baptize people.
In 1832, a Sabbath school was formed and residents' homes were used to hold meetings. Jacob and Ann Conard offered to use their home for worship after becoming interested in the meetings. With the popularity of these meetings held at private homes, there was a need to establish a church. The Conard couple were considered the founders of the church.
On April 20, 1834, 15 members in Whitpain and Lower Providence came together at the home of Phillip Mathias. One month later, the organization was publicly recognized as an independent church. As a result, a lot was purchased and the Mount Pleasant Church was built. It was later remolded in 1866.
Bibliography
Bean, Theodore Weber. History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Volume 2. (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1884): 1169-1170.
"Google Maps Area Calculator Tool." DaftLogic. Accessed January 2, 2022. https://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-area-calculator-tool.htm.
Hough, Mary P. H. "Early history of Ambler 1682-1888." A Celebration of Women Writers. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/hough/ambler/ambler.html.
"Interesting History. Records of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church of Ambler." Ambler Gazette. June 6, 1901. Page 2. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/wivp-gazett/id/2126/rec/2.
"Local History. Region of Country to the West of Ambler--Isaac Taylor, the Tory--Michael Walker--The Weidner Farm." Ambler Gazette. April 26, 1900. Page 7. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/wivp-gazett/id/3000/rec/1.
McKenna, John J. "A Brief History of the Wissahickon School District." The 1984 Bicentennial Book of Montgomery County History (1980): 8.
Morris, William E, and Smith & Wistar. Map of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: from original surveys. [Philadelphia: Smith & Wistar, 1849] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2012590207/.
"Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Cemetery." Find a Grave. Accessed January 2, 2022. https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2251462/mount-pleasant-baptist-church-cemetery/photo.
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