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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Upper Moreland Township near Willow Grove in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

The Fountain House Inn, 1717

 
 
The Fountain House Inn, 1717 Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 3, 2009
1. The Fountain House Inn, 1717 Marker
Inscription. The Fountain House Inn, which took its name from the ample supply of water flowing from its nearby spring, was built in 1717 at this location. The Inn's site was strategic to the distance a team of horses could travel in a day. Exactly fourteen miles from Philadelphia, the Inn provided food and rest for weary travelers and their teams.

By the standards of the time, it was considered a huge structure. Originally it had eight rooms to accommodate travelers, but was later enlarged to eighteen rooms, each with solid oak floors and a fireplace. The Inn served good meals for twenty-five cents, had a barroom, and the town's first barber shop.

In 1848 the Inn was known as the Willow Grove Hotel and in 1851, the J. Luken's Hotel. In 1898, the hotel license was transferred from John T. Wood to John McEvoy. The Inn became the summer residence of the McEvoy family until the parents died, and then became the permanent home of the McEvoy children.

Among the visitors to the Inn was the famous composer and orchestra leader, Victor Herbert, who composed the song “They Were Irish” for the McEvoy family. The Fountain House Inn, after more than 250 years in Willow Grove, was demolished in 1961.
 
Erected by Upper Moreland Historical Association.
 
Topics. This historical marker
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is listed in these topic lists: Colonial EraCommunicationsEntertainmentIndustry & CommerceSettlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1717.
 
Location. 40° 8.561′ N, 75° 6.798′ W. Marker is near Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, in Montgomery County. It is in Upper Moreland Township. Marker is on Old York Road (Pennsylvania Route 611), on the right when traveling north. Marker is opposite 60 Old York Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Willow Grove PA 19090, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Willow Grove United Methodist Church, 1889 (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Historic Willow Grove (approx. 0.2 miles away); Memorial Hall, 1925 (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Red Lion Inn, 1776 (approx. ¼ mile away); The Manor House, ca. 1719 (approx. ¼ mile away); Train Crash Claims 26 Lives (approx. 1.9 miles away); Abington District World War I Memorial (approx. 2 miles away); Old Abington Church and Graveyard (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Willow Grove.
 
The Fountain House Inn, 1717 Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 3, 2009
2. The Fountain House Inn, 1717 Marker
To right of tree and railroad crossing sign; looking north.
The Fountain House Inn Drawing on Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 3, 2009
3. The Fountain House Inn Drawing on Marker
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,272 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on September 10, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

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Mar. 19, 2024