|
This area was known as "Kneedler's,"
as seen on this section of a map from 1877. Though the
map only details Kneedler STATION, the area was indeed
known as Kneedler's, named
after the Kneedler Hotel.
The hotel was built by John Beaver around 1758. After
his death in 1762, Jacob Heisler married his widow and
apparently got the hotel and quite a bit of land as part
of the deal. He lived here until his death in 1821. It
was purchased by Henry Kneedler in 1840. 58 years later,
in 1898, it was sold to Arnold Becker.
The place where Allentown Road met the Sumneytown Pike
in 1768 may have been determined by the location of the hotel, the
newly built road going past the hotel just before meeting the
pike. (It is interesting to note that Allentown wasn't
the official name of that town until 1838. Prior to that
it was named Northhamptontown, though everyone called it
"Allen's town" after the founder, William Allen.)Kneedler's Station opened here in 1875
as a stop on the Stony Creek RR, but unlike Luken's Station, where the village of West
Point seemed to spring up overnight, not much of
interest ever occurred at Kneedler's. According to
this
map, Henry Kneedler owned 135 acres of land and
two buildings on either side of the pike, in addition to
the hotel. Perhaps it was Kneedler himself who stifled
development of the area. In 1912
the tracks for the Lehigh Valley Trolley came through,
with a station here known as Kneedler's, though it's
actual name was "Wales Junction."
|
|
|
|
Allentown road in 1877 and after it was moved in
1914. |
Notice on the map there was once a Baptist Church on
Allentown Road (to the left of the word "Kneedler"). This was the Gwynedd Baptist Church, built in 1860.
It was demolished in 1878 after a larger church was
built in North Wales. The cemetery to this church
exists today adjacent to Green Lawn Cemetery.
More
important, the train tracks at Kneedler's seem to be
drawn in the wrong place, and cross Allentown Road after
passing the church. The
map is, in fact, correct. Allentown Road was moved
sometime around 1914 so the train and trolley tracks
would no longer cross it. Green Lawn Cemetery was paid
$500 in "damages" for the use of their land for the
new roadway. Arnold Becker was granted $600.
Looking at the right-hand map above, the arrow points to
a building that appears to be in the exact location as
today's Park Place Diner on Sumneytown Pike. This will
give you some idea of where the hotel was located. If
the map is correct, Kneedler's Hotel was located at what
is now the diner's parking lot.
Kneedler's Hotel and 28 acres was purchased by Arnold
Becker, of North Wales, in 1898. A "public
house" (a taproom or saloon where food was served) and hotel was then erected by
Becker. It was named the "Gwynedd Hotel".
(Note: one account states that Becker demolished the
Kneedler hotel in 1903 to build the Gwynedd Hotel, but
it seems he only added onto the structure and the
original building still stood.)
In the words of historian Edward Matthews, "Owing to some violation of the license law during 1909,
the license was withdrawn from Becker and the old hotel
ceased to be a public house early in 1910 after an
existence as such, for about a century and a half."
In 1911 Arnold Becker sold the hotel buildings and 20
acres to his son, Abram.
Passenger service ended on the Stony Creek Line in 1936.
Trolley service ended in September of 1951. The trolley
tracks were immediately removed so that the court could
not force the bankrupt company back into business.
|
|
Allentown Road
and Sumneytown Pike after 2010. Probable
location of Kneedler's Hotel is the red square.
|
The trolley at Wales
Junction (Kneedler's) is crossing over
Sumneytown Pike.
The white building used
as the station is now a tool shed at Green Lawn
Cemetery.
|
|
|
|
| The Liberty Bell trolley is crossing
Sumneytown Pike right next to the trestle for the Stony
Creek railroad, though you can't see it in this picture.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Here's a view from Sumneytown Pike.
Notice on the left is the trestle for the Stony Creek
RR. Today there is no
physical evidence that this trolley bridge, the berm, the steps
or the trolley tracks ever existed.
Along with the hotel, train station and trolley stop, the area has
also lost its name. The Genuardi's supermarket, located
across the street from where this photograph was taken,
was known as "West Point Plaza" till it was sold in
2010. A more appropriate name would have been "Kneedler
Plaza." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
There is one tribute left of the
Kneedler hotel and its last owners, Arnold and Abram
Becker. In 1954 - 1955 the land was split up into 50
tracts, and 50 houses were built. The names of the
streets are Kneedler and Becker.
MAP
Arnold Becker and his son Abram, and
their wives Mary and Jennie, are all buried adjacent to
the hotel property in Greenlawn cemetery. |
|
|
|
|
|
Photo Credits: Dick Shearer, John P. Almeida, Geoff
Patton and E. Edwards. |
|
|
