Exploring The Origins Of Limerick, Royersford, And Spring City

This short blurb on the origin of Limerick, Royersford, and Spring City was written by a previous Patch Editor and published in 2010 when the Limerick-Royersford-Spring City Patch page launched.

LIMERICK, PA - The Limerick, Royersford, Spring City area—often referred to as “Spring-Ford” by locals—is home to both nuclear power and, occasionally, star power in the form of Hollywood movie shoots.

The Limerick Generating Station, whose colossal cooling towers are frequently used as the face of nuclear power in national media, looms over Limerick Township, and the town of Royersford was used for scenes in the sci-fi classic The Blob and in the Peter Jackson film, The Lovely Bones.

The area is one of the fastest growing in Pennsylvania. Monopoly players, please note: the former Reading Railroad travels through Royersford and Limerick.

Early in the 19th century, two brothers Royer purchased land on opposite sides of the Schuylkill River, which separates Chester and Montgomery counties.

They later built a crude bridge across the river in order to share resources, and “Royer’s Ford” was born.

The community that sprang up around Benjamin Royer’s land on the Chester County side became known first as “Pumptown,” in acknowledgement of a public water pump, but was later renamed to “Spring City.” David Royer’s land on the Montgomery County side of the river retains the original name, since simplified to Royersford.

Limerick takes its name from Limerick, Ireland, from whence settler William Evans brought his family in 1698. Previously known as Manatawney, its boundaries included Royersford until the latter community broke away and incorporated separately in 1879.