Perkasie, Pennsylvania

Both the town of Perkasie and Pocasie Creek derive their name from the Lenape Unami phrase Pèhpahkàsink/Poekskossing, which translates to "One who goes to the place to crack nuts". The Dutch/Swedish (before the British settlements) pronounced the word with an r and it stuck. There was doubtless a village on the site of the present town before William Penn’s Perkasie Manor was settled."[3] "The "Manor" of Perkasie was one of several in Bucks County and contained 11,462 acres (4,639 ha). Laid out and surveyed in 1708, it embraced most of Hilltown and Rockhill Township."[4]

On June 8, 1890, a disastrous fire began at the livery stable located at 7th and Chestnut Streets; twelve buildings were destroyed. Personal buckets and ladders were used to extinguish the fire. Less than a month later, on July 4, 1890, a committee appointed by Perkasie Borough Council met to form the Hope Fire Company. On September 8, 1890, the Hope Fire Company met at Groover's Hall (517 Chestnut Street) and adopted a constitution and by-laws; 32 members were present. At the same time, borough council turned over to the fire company a hand pumper purchased from Newtown Fire Association, and a hose cart purchased from Philadelphia with 800 feet (240 m) of hose. One month later, the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad presented the Fire Company with a tire for a steam locomotive driver wheel for use as a fire alarm. This was installed in a cupola of the Groover building (now in front of Silverdale Fire Company).

Between 1920 and 1950, a factory at 815 Chestnut Street produced millions of hand stitched major-league baseballs through a Hubbert/Spalding contract. The building was subsequently converted into the Senior Citizens Center, which has since moved to the neighboring borough of Silverdale. It is now scheduled to be converted to six two-bedroom condominiums by Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County to provide a new start for families in need. The organization plans to utilize green building techniques while preserving the building's historical exterior.

On June 26, 1988, about 15 percent of the town, including many historic buildings, were burned down in what became known as The Great Perkasie Fire. This massive fire was started by two 12-year-old boys who were playing with a lighter near the coal bins behind the Shelley & Sons lumberyard at Seventh and Market Streets. The fire was fought by about 300 firefighters who came from over 50 fire companies in three counties. Among the historic buildings lost were the American House and the Moyer-Kantner Funeral Home, both dating from 1870; the Herstine Building; and the J.G. Moyer building. The latter was photographed for the cover of the July 7, 1945 edition of The Saturday Evening Post, an artistic rendition of a Fourth of July parade by John Falter. Despite the size of the fire, no fatalities were reported.[5] Immediately after the fire, a group of concerned business owners, residents and borough officials formed a Downtown Restoration Task Force. The Task Force was given the name of the Perkasie Olde Towne Association. This group was the forerunner to the Perkasie Towne Improvement Association (PTIA). The PTIA along with Perkasie's local government were responsible for the three-phase town improvement plan that was completed over the next five intervening years. The PTIA's focus was to oversee the reconstruction of not only the area of the town center affected by the fire, but also other retail and residential areas in the central part of the borough. As a result of these efforts, streetscape enhancements of decorative street lights, underground utilities, new sidewalks with decorative brick borders were built and new benches, trash receptacles and street trees were placed throughout the focus area.

The South Perkasie Covered Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[6] The Pearl S. Buck House at Green Hills Farm, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is located near Perkasie in Hilltown Twp.

From 1901 to 1951, Perkasie was an important stop on the hourly running Lehigh Valley Transit Company's electric interurban trolley line from Allentown through Quakertown to Perkasie, then south to Sellersville, Souderton, Lansdale, Norristown, and Philadelphia. During World War II, as the result of gasoline rationing with auto use restricted, it transported a very large number of passengers. After the war, the railway's business collapsed, and it ceased service in 1951. The LVT former station sits on 4th Street, just south of the LVT tunnel (with a trolley mural on one wall) which passed under the former Reading Railroad's line to Bethlehem.[7]

PA 152 southbound in Perkasie

As of 2015 there were 32.39 miles (52.13 km) of public roads in Perkasie, of which 6.36 miles (10.24 km) were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 26.03 miles (41.89 km) were maintained by the borough.[12]

PA 152 runs through the southern portion of Perkasie, while PA 563 runs along the northwestern edge of the borough. PA 313 passes to the east, PA 113 passes to the south and PA 309 passes to the west. The nearest Interstate Highways are I-476, I-276 and I-78.

The borough's nearest airport is Pennridge Airport, a public general aviation airport with one 4,200-foot (1,300 m)-long runway. It is just north of the center of town, on the other side of the East Rockhill Township border.

There is currently no public transportation in Perkasie.[13] Perkasie was once served by the Reading Railroad's North Penn Division, also known as the Bethlehem Branch, which was once part of the North Pennsylvania Railroad. The line is now owned by SEPTA, which ended passenger service in the early 1980s. The last SEPTA-operated Bethlehem Line Philadelphia-bound passenger train passed through Perkasie on July 29, 1981. Conrail subsequently continued freight operations out of Lansdale up to Quakertown until the mid 90s. The East Penn Railroad, formally known as East Penn Railway (EPRY), leased a portion of the railroad from SEPTA, saving the line from abandonment from Telford through to Quakertown. SEPTA recently issued a formal proposal to perform maintenance on the line and restore passenger service, either installing catenary for electric trains, or using diesel trains connecting to the Lansdale/Doylestown Line in Lansdale. The project would take at least five years.

As of late 2009, unmarked freight cars, particularly covered hoppers, are stored along the southbound track in Perkasie between Market Street and Park Avenue, from Park Avenue to the Old Bethlehem Pike Bridge, and so on to Meetinghouse Road in Telford. East Penn through Perkasie with ex-Conrail B23-7 3153 runs about two to three times a week, passing through Perkasie to Telford, and again passing through Perkasie while returning to Quakertown. The trains usually run between 10:00am and 4:00pm during the week.

The Perkasie Borough Electric Department provides electricity to the borough. The electric department originated out of a need to improve street lighting, using a generator before a power plant was built in 1900. In 1947, with the growth in demand for electricity, the borough kept the electric distribution system but begin receiving electricity wholesale from Pennsylvania Power & Light (now PPL Corporation). A modern substation serving the borough's electric system was constructed in 1995. The Perkasie Borough Electric Department currently purchases its electricity wholesale from multiple sources.[14] The borough's Public Works department provides trash collection and recycling,[15] while natural gas service is provided by UGI Utilities.[16][17]