A Brief History of Fort Washington, Pennsylvania (From Farmland to Suburb)

Revolutionary War historians know Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, as the site where George Washington successfully repelled the British before moving on to Valley Forge. The Fort Washington of that day featured a landscape dominated by farmland, but the beauty of the area and its proximity to burgeoning Philadelphia ensured that it would not remain rural for long.

Less than a hundred years after the crack of Patriot muskets reverberated through Fort Washington, the area grew into a thriving summer resort, and was well on its way to becoming an early Philadelphia suburb. As a playground for elite Philadelphians before the end of the nineteenth century, Fort Washington became the location for lavish summer homes and year-round estates. The popularity of the area continued to increase, and soon a thriving middle class developed, changing the face of Fort Washington and producing dozens of grand Victorian homes that survive to this day.

A Brief History of Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: From Farmland to Suburb, by local historians Lewis and Trudy Keen tells the story of Fort Washington that few know. Drawing on a wealth of original documents, this look at Fort Washington’s colorful past provides an accessible account of the people, events, homes and businesses that have made this area of Pennsylvania a prosperous and vibrant community.