Editing Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania (section)

==History==
Whitpain is one of the oldest townships in Montgomery County. Richard Whitpaine, a London butcher, purchased a {{convert|4500|acre|adj=on}} tract of land as part of [[William Penn]]’s "Holy Experiment". His 16-year-old son, Zechariah, travelled to Pennsylvania on the ship ''Welcome'' with Penn in 1682 to settle his father's properties and escape persecution of his [[Quaker]] beliefs. By 1685, Zechariah had established a plantation house along [[Wissahickon Creek]] near Mount Pleasant, with his bride Sarah Songhurst, whom he had met on the ''Welcome''.

In Holme's Map of 1681, Whitpain Township is called "Whitpain's Creek". Whitpain Township has been an independent township since 1701, as it appears as "Whitpain's Township" in the survey of all the townships in the Commonwealth ordered by William Penn. The borders of Whitpain Township changed dramatically in 1733, when [[Worcester Township, Pennsylvania|Worcester Township]] was created, taking away a significant portion of its area. For a brief period in 1762, Whitpain and [[Plymouth Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania|Plymouth Township]], by act of the Assembly, became one district with one supervisor from each township. Dissatisfaction by the populace of both townships led the Assembly to repeal the act in 1763.

By 1734, Whitpain Township had 24 landowners. It maintained steady growth for more than two centuries, expanding from 771 people in 1800 to 3,063 people in 1950. In recent years, the township has experienced rapid growth. Today, Whitpain Township is home to over 18,000 residents.

Early settlers to Whitpain Township were farmers. Industry came to the region in 1727, when Jacob Yost began a [[weaving]] enterprise in Centre Square. Charles Mather built an additional mill in 1804. Although a rural farming community for decades, the growth of recent years has included business development, making Whitpain Township home to several of the Philadelphia region's largest corporations, including [[Aetna|Aetna US Healthcare]] and [[Unisys]].

Although today Whitpain Township is home to residents of many religions and nationalities, its earliest settlers were [[Protestant]] and [[Quaker]]. Prior to the Revolutionary War, the township had two churches: Boehm's Reformed Church (circa 1740), and St. John's Lutheran Church (circa 1769).

Whitpain Township earned a place in history during the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], when [[George Washington]] and many of his generals spent time in the township. [[Dawesfield]], a home on Lewis Lane, is considered the most significant historic site in the township because it was Washington's headquarters from October 21 to November 2, 1777. Dawesfield was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1991.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

===Communities within Whitpain Township===
<!-- Official state maps and road signs confirm that it is indeed "Center" Square, despite some local businesses and the fire department using the ye olde British spelling -->
Today, Whitpain Township is a composite of several small communities established before and after the Revolutionary War. They include West Ambler, Center Square, [[Blue Bell, Pennsylvania|Blue Bell]], Broad Axe, Custer, Franklinville, Washington Square and Belfry.

Most of Whitpain Township is covered by the [[Blue Bell, Pennsylvania|Blue Bell]], [[Pennsylvania]] ZIP code. In recent years the name "Blue Bell" has become largely synonymous with much of the township, eclipsing many of the older community designations.