Jenkintown's 150 Years Showcased During Event Saturday

JENKINTOWN, PA —Jenkintown's 150 years will be on full display Saturday as an author shares the borough's history during a presentation on Saturday.

Local historian and author Marion K. Rosenbaum will be at the Hiway Theater at 10:30 a.m. Saturday to celebrate Jenkintown's Sesquicentennial with a special presentation chronicling the borough's growth during the last 150 years.

Featuring rare photos from a variety of sources, including the extensive collections of the Old York Road Historical Society and interesting insights into the rich history of the borough, this is a presentation Jenkintonians won't want to miss, the Jenkintown 150th organization said.

After the presentation, Rosenbaum will host a Q&A in the theater.

She will also be selling and signing copies of her new book, "Jenkintown from the Images of America Series" in the lobby after the show. This event is free for members of the nonprofit Hiway Theater. Get tickets today at hiwaytheater.org/specials

About the Author

Rosenbaum, a Jenkintown resident, graduated from Jenkintown High School (1964) and Beaver College (1968). She is a retired librarian, archivist, and genealogist with extensive experience researching history in local depositories in the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania areas.

She collaborated with the Old York Road Historical Society, which was founded in 1936 to preserve and promote the history of the communities along and adjacent to the Old York Road.

About the Book

Celebrating its 150th anniversary of incorporation, Jenkintown captures many familiar sites and organizations as well as those that helped define the area but no longer remain. Marion K. Rosenbaum and the Old York Historical Society utilize images from the historical society's collection to trace the rise of Jenkintown as a stop on the coaching lines to New York City along the Old York Road to a shopping, transportation, and cultural hub.

Originally part of Abington Township, Jenkintown became an independent municipality on Dec. 4, 1874, with its school district forming shortly thereafter. Jenkintown has also been the center for numerous social, civic, fraternal, patriotic, and religious organizations, commencing with the founding of the Abington Library Society (known today as the Jenkintown Library) in 1803.

The Old York Road Historical Society's collections contain more than 250,000 photographic images, of which a few were selected for this book, supplemented by photographs in private and institutional collections.