A Day in Schwenksville (Part 1)

A short drive west of my house is the town of Schwenksville, PA.

The town sits at the confluence of the Perkiomen Creek and Mine Run, was home to what might have been the oldest copper mine in the United States. It is believed that efforts to mine copper in this area were begun as early as 1695.

George Schwenk, a German immigrant who arrived from Holland with his parents and brother in 1741, is credited with founding the town of Schwenksville in 1756.

The Revolutionary War halted copper mining operations and brought to the Schwenksville area, General George Washington and approximately 10,000 men, who camped there before and after the battle of Germantown on October 4, 1777. Many soldiers died of battle wounds here and over 250 of them are buried in the town cemetery.

It wasn't until about 1850 that Schwenksville began to develop into something more than a sleepy little farming village. In 1846, the Perkiomen and Sumneytown Turnpike was extended through the village and reached Green Lane. It was now, "only a three day trip" to go to Philadelphia and back by horse-drawn coach.

More importantly, in 1869 the Perkiomen Railroad reached Schwenksville. It was with the advent of the railroad the community experienced its first growth spurt. Because of this convenient means of transporting goods to Philadelphia or Allentown, businessmen found Schwenksville an attractive location and built their homes there.


Apparently any house built during the Victorian era, which spanned the period of Queen Victoria's reign from June, 1837 to January, 1901, is considered "Victorian". Many of beautiful homes found on Schwenksville's Main Street are of the "Victorian era".


- A beautiful home on Main Street -

- Another home on Main Street - Twin -

- The William Bromer House - c. 1890 -
Albert Bromer started a small clothing manufacturing business in his home with one employee in 1864. He and his wife Catherine were the parents of 11 children, three of whom remained in Schwenksville - Jacob, Elizabeth (the wife of Irvin Schwenk), and William, who took over his father's business in 1889.


- Industrial Hall - 1984 -
In order to house his growing business, Albert Bromer built Industrial Hall in 1874. On the ground floor of this building, clothing was cut and was distributed by wagon to the homes of the women who "sewed for Bromer".


Industrial Hall's the second floor boasted a large meeting room. The third floor of this building was used as a meeting place for the Improved Order of Red Men (founded in 1765) and the Brotherhood of the Union.

At William Bromer's retirement in 1907, the business employed about 600 people with an output of 8,000 garments per week.


In 1874 the Schwenksville Fire Company was organized, and with money raised from community carnivals, a shallow-well, hand-drawn pumper was purchased and housed in what is now the Borough Hall Building following its completion in 1880.

The fire company received it's charter and was incorporated May 22, 1907. It then moved into the first floor of the Industrial Hall building.


In 1979, Schwenksville Fire Company, after over a hundred years of residency, outgrew the Industrial Hall building and moved into today's station.