Whitpain Township's open land became a suburban developement during the second half of the 20th century, bringing in new families to live in and corporations to move to. The corporation that made Whitpain Township its new home was the UNIVAC Division of Sperry Rand.
Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation
It all began in the 1940s at the Moore School of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania when physicist John Mauchly and engineer J. Presper Eckert invented the ENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic digital computer.
Fun Fact #1 : The Moore School of Engineering was where the topic of computers were first taught to a group of students. It was called Moore School Lectures.
After spending their time at the Moore School, the duo started their computer business, the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation. Their first client was the United States Census Bureau.
They were given $300,000 to design and buy a new computer that would later become UNIVAC. Despite the legal actions and financial troubles faced, the US Census Bureau officially put into the service of UNIVAC I on March 31, 1951. It was dedicated on June 14, 1951. Ever since 46 computers were built for both the government and commercial uses.
Besides the US Census Bureau, UNIVAC computers were originally used by the US Air Force, US Army, Atomic Energy Commission, and others.
The Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation became the UNIVAC Division of Remington Rand.
UNIVAC Moves to Whitpain
Later on the company became the UNIVAC Division of Sperry Rand after Remington Rand merged with the Sperry Corporation.
Around the early 1960s, the company hired architects of the Ballinger Company to design their new building that would be located in Blue Bell, PA. This became the home of the Sperry UNIVAC World Headquarters.
On September 19, 1963, UNIVAC Washington Vice President Leland E. Johnson was invited to the Capital to demonstrate the computers designed and built by UNIVAC. Charles A. Hartmann represented the Blue Bell headquarters to test the UNIVAC 1004 card processor in front of Congress.
Today, Unisys currently runs the company.
The Conard Land
The former UNIVAC Headquarters stood on a big lot where the Conard family lived since the late 18th century. Before the Conard family arrived in Whitpain, it was originally 5,000 acres owned by George Palmer in 1682. Afterwards, the land got divided and shrunk to 417 acres under the ownership of Richard Morris.
In 1733, John Rees was given 150 acres of the land, sold by Richard Morris, where he built his home.
In 1777, the Society for the Relief of Widows and Children of Clergymen in the Communion of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America had a farm on the property for 20 years.
In 1795, Henry Conard (1763-1838) purchased the land from the Episcopal corporation with at least 100 acres. In 1828, he built his home. The land was passed on to his son Nathan Conard (1808-1872) with the home and 102 acres. It was Nathan who built a large, stone barn in 1858. After his death, his son John M. Conard (1848-1914) took over the family homestead.
The Conard family lived on this land for more than 135 years.
Bibliography
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Bellis, Mary. "The History of the UNIVAC Computer." ThoughtCo. Last modified March 5, 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-history-of-the-univac-computer-1992590.
"Brief Bio: John W. Mauchly." CrossCuttingConcerns (blog), August 14, 2014. https://crosscuttingconcerns.com/Brief-Bio-John-W-Mauchly.
Conrad, Henry C. Some Scraps of History Regarding Thones Kunders and his Children. Also, a List of the Descendants for Six Generations of his Youngest Son Henry Cunreds of Whitpain, 1683-1891. (Wilmington: Press of W. Costa, 1891): 29, 32, 41.
Franklin Survey Co. Atlas: Montgomery County 1935 Vol B, Plate 7, 1935.
"Local History Sketch. Interesting Local Matter Collected by 'E.M.' A Strip of Whitpain and Its Owners--The Detwiler, McCann and Conard Properties and their Owners--An Early Indian Resort--The Episcopal Corporation Farm." Ambler Gazette. June 8, 1905. Page 2. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_2216.
National Information Center, Part 1. (Washington: US Government Printing Office, 1963): 357, 678.
"Remington Univac." Philadelphia Architects and Buildings. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/pj_display.cfm/157915.
Scott, J. D. Montgomery County 1877, Whitpain, Rahn Sta., Grater's Ford, 1877.
Smith, J. L. Montgomery County 1893, Whitpain and Worcester Townships, Bethel Hill, Fairview, Cedar Hill, Washington Square, Broad Axe Left, 1893.
"Today's #TechTuesday Find Shows Employees Of The Sperry UNIVAC Division." Hagley Museum and Library. Last modified October 11, 2022. https://www.hagley.org/research/news/hagley-vault/todays-techtuesday-find-shows-employees-sperry-univac-division.
"UNIVAC Engineering Center." Computer History Museum. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102707292.
"Wedded. Myers--Conrad." Ambler Gazette. September 27, 1917. Page 1. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_8783.
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