Penfield

PENFIELD

Clifford Burke Harmon

Original Settlements: Penn's Lease and Release of 3,000 acres

To orient the map to today the dog leg road above the name Arthur Buse is the present Manoa Road. The irregular road below John Lewis is Mill Road.

1902

The 1902 map indicates the names of the farmsteads that would soon be sold to the Penfield Downs development. The Clinton Mills are still in operation. Nitre Hall is noted as a woolen mill.

1907

In 1907 The Philadelphia and Western, the "P&W" began service from 69th Street to Norristown. Penfield would a selling point for those who would like an easy commute to the city.

1909

The 1909 map shows the Penfield Station but there are no streets yet laid out. Brookline appears above and Llanerch in the lower left.

Penfield

June 19, 1909, perhaps one of the first advertisement for Penfield. There are no homes. The offer is for the Lathrop Farm with space for ten homes.

The Lathrop Farm (No census records have been found.)

1910

The farm did not sell. By the next year it was up for auction.

This 1910 advertisement shows only one home in Penfield. The others are Beechwood and Ardmore. The Lathrop farm is still available.
(Does anyone know where the Penfield house may be?)

This 1910 advertisement tells of the convenience of Penfield and its proximity to the city. There are no built homes mentioned, only lots.

1911

In 1911 we find another advertisement with a picture of a house. (If you know the location of this house, please advise. harfordhall@gmail.com)

1915

In 1915 there still no homes, only lots.

This 1915 advertisement, while showing a house, is still only selling lots. The notation that the development is "highly restricted" suggests a very different world. "Restricted" at this time may very well have meant "not available to Catholics" who were already living in the St. Denis parish.

1917

1917 seems to be the next time we find advertisements of Penfield. There is still no mention of houses. World War I offers a different incentive to buy.

1920

The 1920 Map of Main Line Atlas Overbrook to Paoli shows the Penfield layout.

1930's

The 1930's sees a significant advance in the promotion of Penfield. Houses now figure in the advertisements. The trend is for a simple colonial revival. These homes contrast with the expansive Tudor style homes at the lower end of Manoa Road that may date from an earlier period. These houses are supposed to be at Manoa and Powder Mill.

Penfield Downs

July 1, 1866 – June 25, 1945) Clifford B. Harmon was a wealthy real estate developer and aviator. He founded the International League of Aviators. (Ligue Internationale des Aviateurs) and was the sponsor of the Harmon Trophy. Harmon's real estate success came from developing suburban New York villages.(Wikipedia)