Dresher, Pennsylvania
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Dresher (previously Dreshertown) is a community in
Upper Dublin Township Upper Dublin Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,665 at the 2020 census. Until the 1950s, Upper Dublin was mostly farmland and open space, but transitioned to a residential suburb dur ...
, Montgomery County,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. The population was 5,610 at the 2000 census. Because Dresher is neither an incorporated area nor a
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
, all statistics are for the ZIP Code 19025, with which the community is coterminous.


History

Dreshertown developed around a sawmill and gristmill built by John Kirk sometime before 1750. George Dresher bought the mill about 1780 and the family owned it for 54 years. The Dreshers began a small burial ground next to their residence. The Dreshertown Cemetery is mostly descendants of Christopher Dresher, an early
Schwenkfelder The Schwenkfelder Church () is a small American Christian body rooted in the 16th-century Protestant Reformation teachings of Caspar Schwenkfeld von Ossig (1489–1561). They originated in southern Germany and were among the first to bring saf ...
immigrant. The family left
Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
, a province in the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
kingdom of
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
, in 1726 to escape religious persecution as Schwenkfelders. They first landed in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, and in 1734, left
Plymouth, England Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
, and arrived in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
with their children, Christopher and Anna, on the St. Andrews, one of three ships carrying Schwenkfelders, Bean's 1884 ''History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania'' describes Dreshertown as follows: "Dreshertown is situated at the intersection of the Limekiln turnpike with the Susquehanna Street road, and equidistant from Fitzwatertown and Jarrettown. As these two highways are ancient, they must denote an early settlement. It contains a store, grist-mill and eleven houses. A post-office was established here in 1832..." An old blacksmith shop stood at the corner of Dresher Road and Limekiln Pike. Francis Houpt ran a general store beginning in 1871 at the village center: the triangle formed by Peg Street, Susquehanna Road and Limekiln Pike. In the 1880s, the McCormick Brothers were wheelwrights and blacksmiths at a shop at this intersection that was owned first by Michael Carolan (1844-1906), an Irish immigrant born near Kells,
County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...
, who came, at age three, with his family to New York aboard the ''Patrick Henry.'' The
Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...
built a line through Dreshertown in 1888 and a station stood where Susquehanna Road and Limekiln Pike cross.


Geography

According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the community has a total area of , all land. The headwaters for Sandy Run, a tributary of
Wissahickon Creek Wissahickon Creek is a tributary of the Schuylkill River in Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties, Pennsylvania. Wissahickon Creek rises in Montgomery County, runs approximately passing through and dividing Northwest Philadelphia before emp ...
are located in Dresher. Dresher is located north of
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
and is adjacent to the
Pennsylvania Turnpike The Pennsylvania Turnpike, sometimes shortened to Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike, is a controlled-access toll road which is operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in Pennsylvania. It runs for across the southern part of the st ...
(Interstate 276).


Demographics

At the 2000 census, there were 5,610 people, 1,765 households, and 1,538 families in the community. The population density was 1,734.04/sq mi. There were 1,830 housing units at an average density of 564.67/sq mi. The racial make-up was 89.9% White, 1.0% African American, 0.7% Native American, 6.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population. Out of the 1,765 households, 47.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.4% were married couples living together, 2.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.9% were non-families. 12.0% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 3.31. The age distribution was 30.1% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% 65 or older. The median age was 39.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 96 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93 males. The median household income was $99,231 and the median family income was $107,236. Males had a median income of $82,897 versus $35,316 for females. The per capita income for the community was $38,865. 2.1% of the population and 2.1% of families were below the poverty line.


Notable people

*
Zach Pfeffer Zachary "Zach" Pfeffer (born January 6, 1995) is an American former professional soccer player. In 2010 at the age of 15 he became the fourth-youngest player ever to sign a Major League Soccer contract. He retired from soccer in 2016 at 21 years ...
, American soccer player *
Josh Shapiro Joshua David Shapiro (born June 20, 1973) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the 48th governor of Pennsylvania since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was the attorney general of Pen ...
, Governor of Pennsylvania


References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Pennsylvania Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania