Editing Horsham Township, Pennsylvania (section)

==History==
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2022}}[[File:Graeme Park Barn MontCo Planning Comm.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Barn at [[Graeme Park]]]]
Horsham Township is named after the market town of [[Horsham]] in  [[West Sussex]], England. Horsham is one of several townships in Montgomery County whose name and size were determined by master survey lines drawn by [[William Penn]]'s engineers as they first plotted this part of the colony for sale and settlement. Parallel lines, projected at intervals of a mile and a half and extending in a northwesterly direction from settlements along the Delaware, served not only as base lines for measurement of individual land grants but also as courses for future highways. County Line Road, Horsham Road, and Welsh Road are examples of highways so laid out. The effect of these survey lines upon the development pattern of Eastern Montgomery County is very much in evidence today.

In 1684, the entire township of {{convert|17|sqmi|km2}} was made available to individual purchasers. [[Samuel Carpenter]], from the town of Horsham in Sussex, England, after which the township is named, purchased {{convert|5000|acre|km2}}, {{convert|4200|acre|km2}} within the present boundaries of the township. In 1709, Carpenter, then Treasurer of Pennsylvania, began to sell tracts of land to migrating [[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]]. In 1717, Horsham Township was established as a municipal entity by a vote of the people.

In 1718, [[William Keith (Colonial Governor)|Sir William Keith]], then provincial governor of Pennsylvania, acquired {{convert|1200|acre|km2}} of Carpenter's land on which he erected a house in keeping with the dignity of his office. The development of Keith's "plantation" proved to be a step in establishing closer ties between Horsham and neighboring communities, particularly those of [[Hatboro, Pennsylvania|Hatboro]] and [[Willow Grove, Pennsylvania|Willow Grove]]. He was responsible for the construction of the present Easton Road ([[Pennsylvania Route 611|PA Highway 611]]) from the old York Road junction at Willow Grove to his mansion on County Line Road in 1722.

The first significant settlement in the Township centered around the junction of Horsham and Easton Roads and was known as Horshamington. Keith's extension of Easton Road prompted the establishment of the Horsham Friends Meeting House.

The township's early social and economic life revolved around this Meeting House. In a similar way, Prospectville, originally known as Cashtown, was established at the junction of two roads, Limekiln Pike and Horsham Road. This portion of Limekiln Pike was an extension of the original segment established in 1693 to provide a thoroughfare between Old York Road and the limekilns of Thomas Fitzwater in Upper Dublin Township. Prospectville, on a high elevation point within the township, offering a resting spot with a tavern for those traveling along either Limekiln Pike or Horsham Road. Here lived several generations of the Simpson family, one of whom was the mother of [[Ulysses S. Grant]], the 18th president of the United States.

The hamlet of Davis Grove grew at the intersection of Keith's Road (now called Governors Road) and Privet Road and was once a focal point of community life. It was here the residents of the township came to vote, discuss politics, and attend community meetings. The "Golden Ball Inn", which at one time was used to house guests of Governor Keith, enjoyed much Revolutionary splendor. The two roads were formerly through links. Keith's Road extended from Easton Road to Keith Valley Road and Privet Road, from Horsham Road to Easton Road. Expansion of the Willow Grove Naval Air Station caused the closing of these roads and the absorption of the hamlet. Today, there are virtually no remaining signs of the original settlement.

Through most of the early and the middle 19th century, Horsham's population grew slowly. Its character was not altered in any significant way until about 1872, when the North Pennsylvania Railroad extended a rail line from Glenside to New Hope and established a station in the nearby community of Hatboro, 2.75 miles (4.4&nbsp;km) east of the nucleus of Horshamville. Horsham-Hatboro-Byberry Road provided easy access to Hatboro's station and, as a result, residential development began along the road, virtually linking the two communities together. By 1890, the township's population had reached 1,300.

In 1896, the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company's northern extension of the Philadelphia-Willow Grove trolley service was extended to along Easton Road from the [[Willow Grove Amusement Park]] at Easton and Welsh Roads. This provided various connections to other trolley lines.

In 1926, aviation pioneer Harold F. Pitcairn, purchased a large section of farmland on the west side of Doylestown Pike (now Route 611) and constructed a hangar and a grass airstrip. From 1926 to 1942 Pitcairn used the airfield for numerous air shows and to design, construct and test a number of aircraft, including the [[Mailwing]] which was used by the [[United States Postal Service]] to carry the overnight mail between New York and Atlanta.

In 1942, the [[United States Navy]] purchased what eventually became the [[Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove|Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS-JRB) Willow Grove]] which contributed to national defense for over six decades, beginning with a small group of Naval Aviators, maintenance personnel, and biplanes and evolving into a home for aircraft and personnel from every branch of the United States Armed Forces.

The Township saw significant development post WWII, beginning along Easton Road and County Line Road. This trend continued into surrounding communities. Until the late 20th century, the northwestern end of the township was still mostly rural.

In 2005, NAS-JRB Willow Grove was selected for closure by BRAC 2005 law. In late 2006, the Horsham Township Authority for NAS-JRB Willow Grove (HLRA) was selected as the Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA), and was charged with preparing the required reuse planning documents. In 2011, NAS-JRB Willow Grove was officially closed, 68 years after the base and its hangars were built.

The Navy and Marine Corps squadrons/units moved to [[McGuire Air Force Base]] in 2011. The [[111th Attack Wing]] of the [[Pennsylvania Air National Guard]] remains at their present site along with Army Reserve and Army National Guard units on the former U.S. Air Force Reserve Center facility. The [[United States Army Reserve]], Pennsylvania Air National Guard, and [[Pennsylvania Army National Guard]] units are located on the approximately 200-acre base that is located near the intersection of County Line and Easton Roads. The name of the installation is [[Biddle Air National Guard Base]].

On April 27, 2012, the Horsham Township Authority for NAS-JRB (HLRA) submitted the NAS-JRB Willow Grove Redevelopment Plan and Homeless Assistance Submission to the [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development]] (HUD) and [[United States Navy]]. The plan includes many developments popular with area residents including small nature and conservation parks, an aviation museum, and town center; but also includes some highly unpopular{{citation needed|date=October 2013}} developments such as a conference center and hotel on the site. Once the land is transferred, the surplus property will comprise about 8% of the Township's total land area. The NAS-JRB Willow Grove Redevelopment Plan details the existing conditions, issues and opportunities, and recommendations that will guide the Horsham Township Authority for NAS-JRB Willow Grove in the redevelopment process.