Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Cheltenham was established in 1682 as part of Philadelphia County by 15 Quakers from Cheltenham, including Richard Wall and Tobias Leech, who purchased 4,070 acres (16.5 km²) of land from William Penn.[4][5] Upon creation of Montgomery County in 1784, Cheltenham became the smallest township in the new county.

The following is the list of the 15 original founders of Cheltenham Township[6]

From early in its history, Cheltenham was fueled by the development of various mills along Tookany Creek. Communities and villages grew around these mills and formed what is now modern Cheltenham neighborhoods. The first gristmill was built by Richard Dungworth in 1690. After changing ownership several times, the Rowland family eventually made the mill the second largest producer of shovels in the United States. The site was demolished in 1929.[7]

The USCT (United States Colored Troops) 3rd Regiment were the first to be trained at Camp William Penn. It is tradition that soldiers have a grand parade before leaving for war, but Philadelphia was partially a racist community at that time and the government believed that a parade might cause a riot, so it was cancelled. The leader of the Camp (Colonel Louis Wagner) was furious and made sure the next regiment to come through would have a parade.{{Citation needed|date = September 2016

Cheltenham Township contains no incorporated areas. Its districts include the communities of Glenside, Laverock, Edge Hill, Wyncote, Cedarbrook, Chelten Hills, La Mott, Elkins Park, Melrose Park, and Cheltenham Village.

Lynnewood Hall, the home of Peter A.B. Widener, designed by Horace Trumbauer

From the late 19th to early 20th century, Cheltenham established itself as one of the most prominent communities in the Philadelphia area. Railroad tycoon Jay Cooke was one of the first to build his mansion in Cheltenham. His 200-acre estate was eventually converted to a school in 1883 and was later demolished. John Wanamaker built his mansion Lindenhurst, which was destroyed by a fire in 1907. His second Lindenhurst was destroyed by another fire in 1944. Henry Breyer, Jr. eventually bought the land from Wanamaker. Other famous mansions built include Abraham Barker's "Lyndon," Cyrus H. K. Curtis' "Curtis Hall," George Horace Lorimer's "Belgrame," and John B. Stetson's "Idro." Perhaps the most famous mansions that still stand to this day are the prominent Widener family mansion Lynnewood Hall, the Elkins Estate which was home to William Elkins, and Grey Towers Castle which was home to William Welsh Harrison. The latter is a National Historic Landmark and was designed by famed architect Horace Trumbauer, who designed many buildings and homes in Cheltenham.[8]

Cheltenham's housing stock is very diverse with rowhouses and townhouses along Cheltenham Avenue and old historic neighborhoods as well.

H-Mart on Cheltenham Avenue. Cheltenham, along with Upper Darby Township and West Philadelphia, are the areas around Philadelphia that have significant Korean populations.

As the Gilded Age ended and the depression hit the country, many of the estates and mansions were destroyed and made way for the building of houses in their place. Many of the communities that were formed in the early stages of Cheltenham remained, and still exist to this day. As the 20th century progressed, many people moved out of the city and into the first community over the city line, Cheltenham. One of the major groups to come to Cheltenham was Koreans. The original Koreatown was located in the Olney section of Philadelphia, but eventually was moved north to Logan. Large pockets of Koreans were eventually established in Cheltenham, and also in Upper Darby Township and West Philadelphia.[9] Many other races and ethnicities migrated to Cheltenham to make it one of the most diverse municipalities in the Delaware Valley. By the 2000 Census, Cheltenham was one of only two (the other being Norristown) municipalities in Montgomery County that was considered "diverse" (20–60% of the population is non-white).[10] With the population increase, the township's identity changed from being a community of prominent Philadelphians and their mansions to several distinct communities consisting of densely populated rowhouses, apartments, and townhouses that overflowed from neighboring North Philadelphia (especially in La Mott and parts of Cheltenham Village), but also maintaining some of the historic neighborhoods of the past in Wyncote, Elkins Park, and Melrose Park.

Cheltenham, along with the other earliest communities in the Philadelphia area such as Upper Darby Township, Haverford, Lower Merion, and Jenkintown have retained their distinct identities while being surrounded by suburbia over the middle to late part of the twentieth century. Cheltenham and Lower Merion are of the few townships in Montgomery County who had a large population prior to the postwar population boom and thus whose majority of houses, communities, and streets have remained virtually unchanged since the early 20th century. Cheltenham has 13 listings on the National Register of Historic Places, the most of any municipality in Montgomery County. Cheltenham became a township of the first class in 1900. In 1976, it passed a home rule charter that took effect in 1977.

There are many books about Cheltenham Township's history.

• A History of Cheltenham Township by Elaine Rothschild
• Images of America Cheltenham Township by Old York Road Historical Society
• Remembering Cheltenham Township by Donald Scott Sr.
• Making Marathon: A History of Early Wyncote by Thomas J. Wieckowski

Cheltenham was the former home of Cradle of Liberty Council Breyer Training Area. Henry W. Breyer, Jr. used property formerly owned by Cheltenham resident John Wanamaker. It closed in 1990 and is now the home of Salus University.

Cheltenham has been honored with many distinctions over its long history. It was named a Preserve America community, a US Government program established to preserve historic communities throughout the United States.[11] It is also a Tree City USA member, a program dedicated to forestry management. Most recently in 2013, Cheltenham was named a "Classic Town of Greater Philadelphia," for being "one of the most diverse, unique, and livable communities in our region" and "truly at the center of it all."[12]

The seal of Cheltenham was adopted from the seal of the namesake and sister city, Cheltenham, England. It appears on all formal documents, resolutions, proclamations, and all legal records or documents. The pigeon on top of a blue sphere represents the founding of the fountain spa which made Cheltenham famous. They are placed above a wreath of Oak leaves. The two books represent Education, in particular, the Pates Grammar School and the Cheltenham College. The silver cross in the middle represents religion. The two pigeons represent the flock that would gather at the spas. Finally, the Oak tree represents the many Oak trees that line the streets of Cheltenham and promenades.[13]

Edge Hill, Laverock, and Cedarbrook's exact populations and land area are uncertain.

The home of Cyrus H. K. Curtis, longtime Cheltenham resident

The following is a table of the current commissioners of Cheltenham Township along with their Wards and the areas of the Township they serve.

Cheltenham is a major thoroughfare for SEPTA Regional Rail. All trains going north of Center City (with the exception of the Trenton Line) pass through Cheltenham. This includes the Airport Line, Lansdale/Doylestown Line, West Trenton Line, Warminster Line and the Fox Chase Line. Following Cheltenham, many of the lines split to their respective destinations, which makes Cheltenham stations some of the busiest in Montgomery County. The stations carry the names of the neighborhoods in which they are located: Elkins Park, Glenside, and Melrose Park. Jenkintown-Wyncote and Cheltenham straddle the township's border.

Cheltenham is served by many SEPTA City Division buses. Many of the buses originate at the Cheltenham-Ogontz Bus Loop, which is located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Ogontz Avenue (Pennsylvania Route 309) and Cheltenham Avenue. The loop is across the street from the Cheltenham Square Mall, which attracts many shoppers from North Philadelphia. Several other buses run throughout other major streets in the township, as well as residential streets. The following routes are in Cheltenham:

• 6 – connects Cheltenham-Ogontz with Olney Transportation Center via Broad Street.
• 16 – connects Cheltenham-Ogontz with Center City at 15th and Market (Suburban Station) via Broad Street.
• 18 – third busiest bus route in the SEPTA system,[22] connects Cedarbrook Shopping Center with Fox Chase via Olney.
• 22 – connects Willow Grove and Warminster to Olney Transportation Center via Easton Road.
• 24 – connects Rockledge and Southampton with Frankford Transportation Center via Huntingdon Pike.
• 28 – connects Fern Rock Transportation Center with Torresdale-Cottman via Rhawn Street.
• 55 – connects Willow Grove and Doylestown with Olney Transportation Center via Easton and Old York Road.
• 57 – connects Whitman Plaza with Rising Sun/Olney or Fern Rock via 3rd & 4th Street.
• 70 – connects Fern Rock with Frankford-Gregg via Cottman Avenue
• 77 – connects Chestnut Hill with Roosevelt Boulevard via Township Line Road
• 80 – express connect between Horsham and Olney Transportation Center via Limekiln Pike.
• H – connects Cheltenham-Ogontz with Broad-Erie via West Mount Airy
• XH – connects Cheltenham-Ogontz with Broad-Erie via Germantown.

Cheltenham ranked in the top 3 municipalities in Montgomery County for percentage of population that uses Bus/Trolley and Regional Rail.[23]

In addition, Cheltenham Township partners with the Montgomery County-sponsored Suburban Transit Network, Inc. (TransNet) to subsidize free transportation for residents ages 65 and older anywhere in the Township on Mondays through Fridays from 9 am to 3:30 pm.

As of 2016 Taiwanese airline EVA Air provides a private bus service to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City for customers based in the Philadelphia area. It stops in Cheltenham.[24]

There are several major roads in Cheltenham Township. Cheltenham Avenue is a major roadway and is an easy access point to many of the other roadways like Pennsylvania Route 611 and Pennsylvania Route 309. It is also the border between Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Cheltenham Avenue ends on the westside at Paper Mill Road in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania which is part of Springfield Township. Pennsylvania Route 73 is one of the major roadways in Cheltenham Township, known as 'Church Road' and 'Township Line Road' because it is the border line between Cheltenham and Abington Townships. Pennsylvania Route 309 starts in Cheltenham Township and serves as a major highway. It goes through multiple counties and ends up in PA 29 in Monroe Township in Wyoming County. Pennsylvania Route 152 starts in Cheltenham Township and is known as 'Limekiln Pike.' It ends on the north end of Pennsylvania Route 309 in Telford. Pennsylvania Route 611 starts in Philadelphia and runs through Cheltenham Township as Old York Road. It is the main access road to Willow Grove in Abington and Upper Moreland Townships.

Many of the roads in Philadelphia continue into Cheltenham such as Old York Road, Willow Grove Avenue, Limekiln Pike, Ogontz Avenue, Washington Avenue, 12th Street, Oak Lane, Oak Lane Road, 2nd Street, Hasbrook Avenue, Cottman Avenue, Central Avenue, Ryers Avenue and Church Road.

Cheltenham was one of several communities in Pennsylvania to make the United States Main Street Program. Locations receiving this honor were:

• Glenside – Easton Road from Arcadia University north to Mt. Carmel Avenue, and Glenside Avenue between Limekiln Pike and Keswick Avenue, and Rices Mill Road and Glenside Avenue.
• Cheltenham Village – Central and Ryers Avenues between Cottman Avenue and Old Soldiers Road, and Cottman Avenue between Hasbrook Avenue and the Church Road vicinity.
• East Cheltenham Avenue – East Cheltenham Avenue from the SEPTA train tracks to Bell Mawr Road.
• Elkins Park East – High School Road and Montgomery Avenue area.
• Elkins Park West – Old York Road between Township Line Road and Chelten Hills Drive, and Church Road between Brookside Road and the train tracks.

The Cheltenham Township Fire Department consists of 5 all volunteer fire companies.

• Glenside Fire Company
• La Mott Fire Company
• Elkins Park Fire Company
• Cheltenham Hook & Ladder Company
• Ogontz Fire Company

The Cheltenham Police Department was founded in 1903. In 2008, the department responded to over 25,000 calls. With 73 full-time sworn officers in 2016, the department is the third largest in Montgomery County.[25]

In 2016, a member of canine unit, Odie, was the top-ranked explosives detection dog in the United States.[26]

Cheltenham Township has four libraries which are the East Cheltenham Free Library, Elkins Park Free Library, La Mott Free Library, and the Glenside Free library.

• Camp William Penn

• Lynnewood Hall
• Elkins Estate
• Holy Sepulchre Cemetery