Skippack, Pennsylvania

In 1683, thirteen families from the lower Rhine River arrived at Philadelphia aboard the Concord, on October 6, 1683. These families were primarily linen weavers, but also knew how to farm too. These first German immigrants gave up the homeland of Germany because of religious persecution they experienced as Mennonite and Quakers from the Catholic and Reformed Churches. Upon arriving at Philadelphia, the families were greeted by the representative of the Frankfort Land Company, a highly educated German lawyer, Franz Daniel Pastorius, charged with the authority to make land transactions with the thirteen families. After inspecting different areas of the vicinity of Philadelphia, the families settled on the land that was to become the villages of Germantown, Summerhousen, Crefeld, and Germantownship.

Within approximately twenty years German farmers in the Electorate of the Palatinate began to immigrate to Philadelphia in such numbers that Benjamin Franklin wrote an editorial fearing that Philadelphia would become a German-speaking colony. As the Germantown area became settled, there was a departure of some of the original families of Germantown to an area twenty miles west of Philadelphia further up the Schuylkill, purchasing land from the father in-law of Herman op Den graefe, (an original settler of Germantown) that earlier purchased approximately seven thousand acres. These German Mennonites brought the linen making business to the community, along with their farming skills to the vicinity of Perkiomen Creek and Skippack Creek to a point where travel by boat became impossible because of shallow water. This point is where Skippack Creek crosses Skippack Pike in Skippack Township. The origin of the name "Skippack" came from early German settlers, they originally spelled it Schippach, named after a town of the same name in the Bayern region of Germany South East of Frankfurt.

Skippack Township was originally named "Van Bebber's Township" after Matthias Van Bebber, to whom the original land patent was issued in 1702 by William Penn. The name later changed to "Skippack and Perkiomen Township" until the township was split into two townships. Skippack Township is home to one of the oldest homes still standing in the area, the Indenhofen (De Haven) Farmstead, built in circa 1720. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, as the Warren Z. Cole House.[1] Originally, the Indenhofen Farm consisted of 440 acres (1.8 km²).

In 1795, Jacob Reiff bought a property at Store Road and Skippack Pike and opened a general merchandise store. In 1800, the store was sold to Jacob Sorver, who ran it until 1854. A post office was established in 1827 with weekly mail delivery by the Kutztown stagecoach.

The Souderton, Skippack & Fairview Electric Railway Co. was formed in 1901 to provide trolley service from Norristown, through Trooper and Worcester to Souderton. Trolley service to Skippack began in 1908. Harleysville was reached in 1912; the line to Souderton was never completed. The railway was renamed the Montgomery County Rapid Transit Company and later the Montgomery Transit Company. In 1923, its name was changed once again to the Skippack & Perkiomen Transit Company. The "Wogglebug" trolleys ran on the south shoulder of Skippack Pike through the village (a sidewalk was on the north side). Buses replaced the trolleys in 1925. In 1940 the bus service ended.

Skippack is located at 40°13′37″N 75°23′56″W (40.227014, -75.398889).[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²), of which 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) is land and 0.39% is water.

Skippack is a historic shopping village which lies within the boundaries of Skippack Township. Once termed Skippackville, the village served residents of Skippack with a post office, fire house, printing house, shirt factory, furniture maker, blacksmith, liquor store, a hat store and several inns including the Valley House now called "Justin's Carriage House". The village has recently seen an influx of unique restaurants and boutiques.

Creamery Village is located within Skippack Township and is partially within the CDP of Skippack. Creamery has its own post office for residents in the adjoining area. The original general store is still standing but today functions as one of the many "antique" dealers in Montgomery County. (The store was torn down in the spring of 2015 due to a fire in the winter of 2013)

As of the 2010 census, the CDP was 89.6% Non-Hispanic White, 2.0% Black or African American, 5.1% Asian, 0.9% were Some Other Race, and 1.2% were two or more races. 2.2% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.[3]

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 2,889 people, 1,109 households, and 829 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,134.0 people per square mile (437.4/km²). There were 1,152 housing units at an average density of 452.2/sq mi (174.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.71% White, 1.00% African American, 0.45% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.32% of the population.

There were 1,109 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 38.8% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $66,486, and the median income for a family was $73,871. Males had a median income of $51,315 versus $40,179 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $31,185. None of the families and 1.1% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

The primary industry of Skippack village is tourism. During the week and on weekends the streets of Skippack are crowded with local residents and tourists visiting the many unique shops and restaurants, antique shops, art galleries, or just strolling along the village sidewalks. The town also offers year-round events and free concerts. A community theater, Playcrafters of Skippack, features productions year round. Here's an updated Skippack Events listing.

Local merchants and restaurants throughout Skippack have joined forces to create Skippack First Fridays to encourage the public to re-discover the Village of Skippack and its hidden gems. The event is held every First Friday for the months of April through October from 5-9 p.m., as well as at various locations throughout the year. Activities include live music, exhibiting artists and entertainment for the whole family.

• Philip S. Markley - Pennsylvania State Senator for the 7th district from 1820 to 1823. U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district from 1823 to 1827. Attorney General of Pennsylvania from 1829 to 1830

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Skippack, Pennsylvania.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Skippack Village.

• Skippack Township official site
• Skippack Village Online, by the Merchants of Skippack Association
• Skippack Village Restaurants
• Skippack First Friday
• Skippack Historical Society
• Skippack Recreation Association
• I Love Skippack blog about Skippack shops, restaurants, and events
• Skippack Events updated events listing
• Best of Skippack, information on concerts and events, services, restaurants, and shopping
• Skippack Volunteer Fire Company