Nether Providence Township, Pennsylvania

Nether Providence Township is located in central Delaware County at 39°53′40″N 75°22′25″W (39.894612, -75.373705).[5] It is bordered to the north by the borough of Media, the county seat. Other neighboring municipalities are Upper Providence Township to the north; Springfield Township, the borough of Swarthmore, and Ridley Township to the east; the city of Chester to the south; and the boroughs of Brookhaven and Rose Valley to the west.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12.2 km²), of which 0.01 square miles (0.02 km²), or 0.17%, is water.[4] Crum Creek forms the eastern boundary of the township, and Ridley Creek forms the western and southern border. Nether Providence's commercial area or downtown is located on Providence Road between the bridge over SEPTA's Media/Wawa line and Wallingford Avenue.

The first recorded inhabitants of Nether Providence Township were Native Americans of the Lenape tribe, who lived in the area for about five hundred years, but by 1740 few remained. On August 14, 1682, two months before William Penn's landing in Chester, John Sharpless came to the area. Penn had given Sharpless a thousand-acre (4-km²) tract, and he settled near Ridley Creek.

1687HolmeMapProvRoad

"Avondale," Thomas Leiper Estate

West Lawn, listed on the NRHP

By the time Penn arrived, there were several small settlements in the area, which became known as Providence Township. Providence Township comprised today's Nether Providence, Rose Valley, Media, and Upper Providence. On October 17, 1683, the residents of Providence Township petitioned the Court of Chester County, of which they were then a part, to establish a road from Providence to Chester. The court approved the creation of Providence Great Road (now Route 252).[6]

Nether Providence went through four distinct phases from farming, to manufacturing, to resort, and finally, to residential community. By 1729, the area was producing sufficient crops to allow exporting to New England, Canada, and Europe.

Fourteen major mill complexes were built in Nether Providence, six on Crum Creek and eight on Ridley Creek. The first, a cotton mill along Crum Creek, was started by Thomas Allen in 1763. He named his mill for his hometown, Wallingford, England. The mills played an essential part in the growth of Nether Providence. Millhands lived in the self-contained villages that grew up around the mills.

After the Civil War, wealthy Philadelphians built summer residences and vacation resorts in the area.

The first railway was the Leiper Railroad, a horse-drawn quarry rail line, constructed in 1809–1810 and used to haul cut stone until about 1828. That early rail line was superseded by the Leiper Canal.[7] The first steam-locomotive train came through in 1854; it used a single track with a sidetrack at Wallingford. The first post office in Nether Providence was established at Hinkson's Corner in 1873. Trolleys also contributed to the area's development. The first independent trolley was the Chester and Media Electric Railway, chartered in 1892. The last trolley through the township closed in 1938. The Nether Providence Police Department was established in 1935, and automobile parking was regulated in 1947 and speed in 1949.

Three sites within the township, Wolley Stille, the Thomas Leiper Estate, and Westlawn are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

As of Census 2010, the racial makeup of the township was 85.6% White, 7.0% African American, 0.1% Native American, 5.2% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population .

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 13,456 people, 5,007 households, and 3,755 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,857.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,103.4/km²). There were 5,125 housing units at an average density of 1,088.4 per square mile (420.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 90.08% White, 6.12% African American, 0.10% Native American, 2.34% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,007 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the township the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $68,059, and the median income for a family was $78,491. Males had a median income of $72,370 versus $49,048 for females. The per capita income for the township was $32,946. About 3.1% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.

The first area school started in 1810. Nether Providence Township currently lies within the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, created by a merger between the Nether Providence and Swarthmore-Rutledge School Districts in 1983. Public school students within the township attend either Nether Providence Elementary School, Swarthmore-Rutledge School or Wallingford Elementary School for grades K-5, depending on where they live. Strath Haven Middle School serves students in grades 6–8, and Strath Haven High School serves students in grades 9-12.

The township's only parochial school is the Mother of Providence Regional Catholic School, located in the southern part of the township, in Wallingford. It formed in 2012 from a merger of St. John Chrysostom in Wallingford and Nativity BVM School in Media.[11] Originally Nativity BVM was to be the location of the merged school, but St. John Chrystosom appealed and the archdiocese changed its decision.[12] Notre Dame Catholic Girls High School was formerly in Moylan. In 1981 it closed.[13]

The township is also serviced by the Helen Kate Furness Free Library.

I-476 "Blue Route" northbound in Nether Providence Township

As of 2018, there were 62.89 miles (101.21 km) of public roads in Nether Providence Township, of which 17.45 miles (28.08 km) were maintained by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 45.44 miles (73.13 km) were maintained by the township.[14]

Interstate 476 runs up the east side of the township near Crum Creek, with access from Exit 3 (Baltimore Pike). Pennsylvania Route 252 follows Providence Road along a northwest-southeast alignment through the center of the township, while Pennsylvania Route 320 follows a southwest-northeast alignment through the southeastern corner of the township.

The township is served by SEPTA public transportation. Train stations in the township along SEPTA Regional Rail's Media/Wawa Line include:[15] Moylan–Rose Valley,[16] and Wallingford.[17] SEPTA's Route 101 trolley line passes through the township along its route between Media and the 69th Street Transportation Center. SEPTA provides Suburban Bus service to Nether Providence Township along Route 109, which runs between the Chester Transportation Center and the 69th Street Transportation Center, Route 110, which runs between Penn State Brandywine and the 69th Street Transportation Center, and Route 118, which runs between the Chester Transportation Center and Newtown Square.[18]

Wallingford Presbyterian on an old postcard

The Greater Philadelphia Baptist Church, formerly Zion AME

The former Leiper Presbyterian Church

Several religious congregations serve Nether Providence.

Major communities in Nether Providence are Garden City, South Media and Wallingford. The South Media Fire Company was organized in 1922 and Garden City Fire Company in 1944. Ambulance service is provided by the Media Fire Company and Parkside Fire Company. The Moylan community near Rose Valley is also within Nether Providence Township, as are the Bowling Green, Park Ridge, Pine Ridge, and Wesley Manor communities located north of Baltimore Pike.

Moylan

The house of Anna Howard Shaw in Moylan

Moylan-Rose Valley SEPTA station

Moylan is an unincorporated community, founded on the land and tax reform principles of Henry George,[20] located partially in Nether Providence township and partially in Rose Valley Borough. It is home to the Moylan – Rose Valley commuter train station on the Media/Wawa Line, which is located on Manchester Avenue. To the north Moylan borders the township of Upper Providence and the unincorporated community of South Media. The southern boundary is sometimes disputed, but it is approximately Rose Valley Road.

• Horace Howard Furness
• William Henry Furness III
• Horace H. F. Jayne
• Thomas Leiper

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nether Providence Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

• Nether Providence Township official website
• Nether Providence Historical Society