Upper Moreland Township near Willow Grove in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Fountain House Inn, 1717

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 Era • Communications • Entertainment • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & 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. It 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.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania and in Greater Philadelphia.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

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.

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 Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,872 times since then and 136 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 10, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.