Editing Ambler, Pennsylvania

{{short description|Borough in Pennsylvania, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
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'''Ambler''' is a [[borough (Pennsylvania)|borough]] in [[Montgomery County, Pennsylvania]], United States. It is located approximately 16 miles (26&nbsp;km) north of [[Center City, Philadelphia|Center City Philadelphia]].

==History==
===Lenape===
{{Further|Lenape}}
The historical territory of the [[Lenape]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American tribe]] was in the [[Delaware Valley]] in an area spanning  from [[Cape Henlopen]] in [[Delaware]], north to the lower [[Hudson Valley]] in southern New York. The area in the south, including present-day [[Philadelphia]] and nearby Ambler, was the home of [[Unami language|Unami-speaking]] Lenape.<ref name=Lenape>{{cite web|title=Introduction to the Lenni Lenape, or Delaware Indians|url=http://www.penntreatymuseum.org/americans.php|website=Penn Treaty Museum|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> The Lenape established a peace treaty with [[Quakers|Quaker]] [[William Penn]] in the 1680s.<ref name=Encyclopedia>{{cite web|last1=Newman|first1=Andrew|title=Treaty of Shackamaxon|url=http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/treaty-of-shackamaxon-2/|website=The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia|publisher=Rutgers University|date=2013|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>

===Harmer family===
[[File:Map of the original grant of land from William Penn to William Harmer, now Ambler, Pennsylvania.tif|thumb|The original grant of land from [[William Penn]] to William Harmer]]
William and George Harmer are listed among the [[Quakers]] who immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1682.<ref name=Myers>{{cite book|last1=Myers|first1=Albert Cook|title=Quaker arrivals at Philadelphia, 1682-1750; being a list of certificates of removal received at Philadelphia monthly meeting of Friends,|date=1902|publisher=Ferris & Leach|location=Philadelphia|pages=5–6|url=https://archive.org/stream/quakerarrivalsa00myergoog/#page/n18/mode/2up|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> In 1716, William and George Harmer purchased a 408-acre tract from William Penn, an area including most of what now is Ambler Borough.<ref name=SpacePlan>{{cite web|title=Ambler Open Space Plan|url=http://www.montcopa.org/DocumentCenter/View/2078|website=Montgomery County, PA|publisher=Ambler Borough|access-date=24 September 2015|archive-date=22 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222212340/http://www.montcopa.org/DocumentCenter/View/2078|url-status=dead}}</ref> They are credited as the first landholders to actually settle in the area.<ref name=Bean>{{cite book|last1=Bean|first1=Theodore Weber|title=History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania|date=1884|publisher=Everts & Peck|location=Philadelphia|pages=1092–1093|url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofmontgom00bean#page/1092/mode/2up}}</ref>  William Harmer built a [[gristmill]] powered by the [[Wissahickon Creek]], "the first commercial venture in the Ambler area".<ref name=HarmerHouse/> He also built a stone dwelling with casement windows and diamond shaped leaded glass, near what is now the intersection of Butler Pike and Morris Road. After his death in 1731, the house, mill, and property were sold to Morris Morris and his wife Susanna Heath Morris.<ref name=HarmerHouse>{{cite web|title=The History of the Harmer-Morris-Detwiler-Zabriskie House|url=https://www.angelfire.com/pa5/wvhs/zabriskiehouse.html|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>

===Wissahickon===
{{Main|Wissahickon, Philadelphia}}
Residents sought permission from [[The Crown]] to build roads in the area. The first road built in Ambler, now known as Mt. Pleasant Avenue, was developed in 1730. It went from Harmer's Mill to North Wales Road, which is now [[Bethlehem Pike]].<ref name=SpacePlan/> [[Butler Pike]] was created in 1739, and went through the town, which was known at that time as the [[Wissahickon, Philadelphia|Village of Wissahickon]], named after [[Wissahickon Creek]].<ref name=Quattrone/>{{rp|7}}

The area at the crossroads of Butler and Bethlehem Pike was roughly the village center. It was first known as [[Gilkison's Corner, Pennsylvania|Gilkey's Corner]], named for an inn which was built around 1778 and managed by Andrew Gilkinson (or Gilkeson). After 1878, the area was known as "Rose Valley".<ref name=Hough/>{{rp|32}}

As of 1790, Jonathan Thomas purchased half an acre of land from Gilkinson and sited a [[tannery]] at the intersection,<ref name=Hough>{{cite book|last1=Hough|first1=Mary Paul Hallowell|title=Early History of Ambler, 1682-1888|date=1936|publisher=Harry Hellar Kelly|location=Ambler, PA|url=http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/hough/ambler/ambler.html}}</ref> causing a nearby creek to be nicknamed "Tannery Run".<ref name=SpacePlan/> As of 1810, the tannery was sold by his son, David Thomas, to Joseph Rutter.<ref name=Hough/>  As the "Rose Valley Tannery", it is mentioned as being one of the oldest in the county.<ref name=Wiley/> It later became the property of Alvin Faust and the firm A. D. Faust Sons.<ref name=Hough/><ref name=Wiley>{{cite book|last1=Wiley|first1=Samuel T.|title=Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with an introductory historical sketch|date=1895|publisher=Biographical Publishing Company|location=Philadelphia|page=[https://archive.org/details/biographicalport00wile_2/page/n696 571]|url=https://archive.org/details/biographicalport00wile_2|access-date=25 September 2015}}</ref>

Between 1750 and 1850, industries developed throughout the watershed, using local waterways to provide power and carry away waste. The area supported nine mills, producing flour, timber, paper and cloth.<ref name=Quattrone>{{cite book|last1=Quattrone|first1=Frank D.|title=Ambler|date=2004|publisher=Arcadia|location=Portsmouth, NH|isbn=978-0738534831|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iX1Srw9aDBUC&pg=PA7}}</ref>{{rp|7}} They are identified by Dr. Mary Hough as Plumly Mill (first owned by William Harmer), Fulling Mill (owned by Andrew and Mary Ambler), Thomson's Mill, Reiff Mill, Wertsner Mill, Hague Mill, Burk Mill, a Silk Mill, and a Clover and Chopping and Saw Mill.<ref name=Hough/>{{rp|9–32}}  However, as steam power replaced water power in the 1870s and 1880s, the mills were unable to compete, and were abandoned.<ref name=Hough/>{{rp|27}}

=== Mary Johnson Ambler ===
{{main|Great Train Wreck of 1856}}
[[File:Mary Johnson Ambler 1805-1868.jpg|thumb|[[Mary Ambler]], who turned her Ambler home into an impromptu hospital following the [[The Great Train Wreck of 1856|Great Train Wreck of 1856]]]]
In 1855, [[Wissahickon station]] became a stop on the North Pennsylvania Railroad line.<ref name=Quattrone/>{{rp|7}} On July 17, 1856, the town was the site of a disastrous [[List of pre-1950 rail accidents#1856|train accident]], known as the [[Great Train Wreck of 1856]]. The northbound ''Shackamaxon'', a picnic excursion train, and the southbound ''Aramingo'' collided head on, killing 59 people instantly, and injuring another 86 passengers. [[Mary Ambler]], a local [[Quakers|Quaker]] resident, walked two miles to the crash site, bringing medical supplies and directing rescue efforts.<ref name=Borough>{{cite web|title=Mary Ambler and the Great Train Accident|url=http://www.boroughofambler.com/historical|website=The Borough of Ambler|access-date=25 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925121910/http://www.boroughofambler.com/historical|archive-date=2015-09-25|url-status=dead}}</ref> She turned her house at Tennis Avenue and Main Street into an impromptu hospital for nursing the survivors.<ref name=Borough/><ref name=Address>{{cite web|title=Mary Ambler: Heroine of the Great Train Wreck|url=http://historicalwiss.weebly.com/mary-ambler.html|website=Historic Wissahickon Valley|access-date=25 September 2015}}</ref> Thirteen years later, in 1869, the railway company renamed the station Ambler in her honor. The post office followed suit, and when the borough was formally incorporated on June 16, 1888,<ref name=Dougherty>{{cite news|last1=Dougherty|first1=Bernadette|title=Letter: Happy 125th birthday, Ambler!|url=http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2013/06/25/ambler_gazette/opinion/doc51c223636dc29470174209.txt|access-date=28 September 2015|work=Ambler Gazette|date=June 25, 2013}}</ref> it too took the name of Ambler, in honor of Mary Ambler.<ref name=Quattrone/>{{rp|7}}

=== Keasbey and Mattison ===
{{main|Keasbey and Mattison Company}}
[[File:Keasbey and Mattison plant Ambler PA 1900.jpg|thumb|The Keasbey & Mattison Company plant in Ambler, {{Circa|1900}}]]
In 1881, the [[Keasbey and Mattison Company]], whose business included the manufacture of [[asbestos]], moved to Ambler from [[Philadelphia]]. Ambler's location along the railroad line was a primary consideration in the location of Keasbey and Mattison Company in Ambler, as it meant that raw asbestos could be easily brought in from [[Quebec]] and finished products sent out to markets.  Another consideration was the availability of [[magnesium carbonate]], from local [[Dolomite (rock)|dolomite]] mines.<ref name=Kennedy>{{cite news|last1=Kennedy|first1=Joseph S.|title=How A Physician Met A Pharmacist, Found A Fortune In Ambler Dr. Richard V. Mattison And Henry G. Keasbey Turned The Tiny Burg Into A Thriving Company Town|url=http://articles.philly.com/1999-09-05/news/25488937_1_ambler-magnesium-local-historian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204140359/http://articles.philly.com/1999-09-05/news/25488937_1_ambler-magnesium-local-historian|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 4, 2011|access-date=5 August 2015|work=Philly.com|date=September 5, 1999}}</ref> The original K&M factory was built as of 1883.<ref name="O'Hara">{{cite book|last1=O'Hara|first1=L. M.|title=The town that asbestos built: The industrialization of Ambler, Pennsylvania (Honors Thesis)|date=2001|publisher=Pennsylvania State University|location=University Park, PA}}</ref>

When the company arrived, the town consisted of "70 houses, 250 residents, a drug store, general store and a few other businesses."<ref name=Toll>{{cite book|last1=Toll|first1=Jean Barth|last2=Schwager|first2=Michael J.|title=Montgomery County, the second hundred years|date=1983|publisher=Montgomery County Federation of Historical Societies|location=Norristown, PA|isbn=9780961241827|edition=1st}}</ref> Keasbey and Mattison invested heavily in the town, bringing in Southern Italian stoneworkers to build 400 houses for workers and managers, as well as offices, an opera house, the Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church,<ref name=Trinity100>{{cite web|title=A History of Trinity Episcopal Church, Ambler: The first hundred years, 1898-1998|url=http://trinityambler.net/general/his.pdf|website=Trinity Ambler|access-date=28 September 2015|archive-date=29 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929113932/http://trinityambler.net/general/his.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Conroy>{{cite news|last1=Conroy|first1=Theresa|last2=Price|first2=Bill|title=Fire Destroys Upper Dublin Church|url=http://articles.philly.com/1986-06-17/news/26044775_1_church-roof-brown-smoke-church-organ|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910115301/http://articles.philly.com/1986-06-17/news/26044775_1_church-roof-brown-smoke-church-organ|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 10, 2015|access-date=28 September 2015|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=June 17, 1986}}</ref> and Mattison's personal estate, [[Lindenwold Castle]].<ref name=Distillations/><ref name=Ciccarelli>{{cite news|last1=Ciccarelli|first1=Maura C.|title=When Man's Home Really Was His Castle|url=http://articles.philly.com/1987-08-23/news/26170910_1_grey-towers-glencairn-castle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418013442/http://articles.philly.com/1987-08-23/news/26170910_1_grey-towers-glencairn-castle|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 18, 2015|access-date=5 August 2015|work=Philly.com|date=August 23, 1987}}</ref> Many of the Italians stayed in Ambler, helping to form its cultural identity. [[Maida, Calabria]] is the town's sister city today.<ref name=Maida>{{cite web|url= http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2010/09/27/ambler_gazette/news/doc4c9b5f4a6488f389920805.txt|title=Ambler forms twinship with Maida, Italy|access-date=2012-12-30}}</ref>  The company also employed African Americans, originally from West Virginia, in the less-desirable wet-processing areas of the asbestos plant. They tended to settle in west and south Ambler.<ref name=SpacePlan/><ref name=Kennedy/>

By [[World War I]], Ambler was known as the "asbestos capital of the world".<ref name=Burke>{{cite news|last1=Burke|first1=Richard|title=A Bitter Legacy Left By Nicolet Asbestos Waste Stays In Ambler|url=http://articles.philly.com/1987-07-27/business/26199519_1_asbestos-waste-asbestos-products-asbestos-fibers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919180617/http://articles.philly.com/1987-07-27/business/26199519_1_asbestos-waste-asbestos-products-asbestos-fibers|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 19, 2015|access-date=7 August 2015|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=July 27, 1987}}</ref> However, the [[Great Depression]] took its toll, and the company was sold to an [[England|English]] concern, [[Turner & Newall]] (T&N), in 1934.<ref name=Distillations/>  The plant continued to operate under the K&M name.

In England in 1924, doctors reported the first case of [[asbestosis]], a chronic illness caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers.<ref name="cooke">{{cite journal|doi=10.1136/bmj.2.3317.147
|author=Cooke WE |title=Fibrosis of the Lungs due to the Inhalation of Asbestos Dust |journal=[[BMJ|Br Med J]] |volume=2 |issue=3317 |pages=140–2, 147 |date=1924-07-26 |pmc=2304688|pmid=20771679}}</ref>  By the 1950s, evidence linking asbestos to cancer was mounting.  Richard Doll, an epidemiologist at Turner and Newall, reported (in spite of company pressure) that people exposed to asbestos for 20 or more years had a 10 times higher risk of developing [[lung cancer]] than the general population. Also, a formerly rare and almost always fatal cancer, [[mesothelioma]], was reported in epidemic proportions near asbestos mines in [[South Africa]]. In the 1960s, the ''British Journal of Industrial Medicine'' indicated that simply living near an asbestos factory, or in an asbestos-insulated building, increased mesothelioma risk.<ref name=Distillations/>

Turner & Newall operated the factory until it closed in 1962, then sold the property to [[CertainTeed|CertainTeed Corporation]] and Nicolet Industries.<ref name="GPO">{{cite journal|date=5 September 1996|title=National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan; National Priorities List|journal=Federal Register|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|volume=61|issue=173|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-1996-09-05/pdf/96-22378.pdf}}</ref> By 1973, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), began to restrict the use of asbestos, stopping the sale of insulation spray in 1973, and of solid asbestos insulation in 1975.<ref name=Distillations/>  In 1974, Nicolet held a competition, offering a $20,000 prize for the proposal of a "feasible commercial application" for its waste chalk piles.<ref name=elephant>{{cite journal|title=The White Elephant|journal=Distillations Magazine|date=2015|volume=1|issue=3|page=48}}</ref> Nicolet filed for bankruptcy in 1987.<ref name=Burke/> By 1989, most remaining products were banned, under the 1989 Asbestos Ban and Phaseout Rule. Although the Ban was struck down in 1991, few asbestos-based products remain in the domestic marketplace.<ref name=Distillations/>

[[Federal-Mogul]], an American automotive supplier, purchased the remaining assets of Turner & Newall in 1998.<ref name=Mogul>{{cite news|title=Federal-Mogul Completes T&N Acquisition|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/federal-mogul-completes-tn-acquisition-77016567.html|access-date=25 September 2015|work=PR Newswire|date=March 6, 1998}}</ref>  As health concerns about asbestos became widely known, it too found itself in [[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|Chapter 11]] bankruptcy due to asbestos [[legal liability|liability]].<ref name=Chapter11>{{cite news|title=Federal-Mogul Corporation Files Voluntary Chapter 11 And Administration Petitions to Resolve Asbestos Claims|url=http://investor.federalmogul.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=97066&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=564359&highlight=|access-date=25 September 2015|work=Federal Mogul Press Release|date=October 1, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117004046/http://investor.federalmogul.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=97066&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=564359&highlight=|archive-date=17 November 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Legacy of asbestos ===
[[File:Wissahickon Waterfowl Preserve.jpg|thumb|The reservoir parcel of the [[BoRit Asbestos|BoRit Asbestos Superfund Site]] was remediated and repurposed as the Wissahickon Waterfowl Preserve<ref name=Patnode>{{cite web |last1=Patnode |first1=Kathleen |title=Transforming an Asbestos Waste Site into a Wildlife Haven |url=https://www.fws.gov/ecological-services/highlights/02222016.html |website=www.fws.gov |publisher=U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |access-date=18 January 2021}}</ref>]]
A 2011 study by the [[Pennsylvania Department of Health]] reviewed data from 1992 to 2008, and reported that mesothelioma was diagnosed 3.1 times more often in Ambler residents than in other Pennsylvania residents. The higher rates were attributed to previous asbestos exposure in the factories.<ref name=Distillations/>

In Ambler, where more than 1.5 million cubic yards of asbestos waste were discarded in a 25-acre area known as the "White Mountains",<ref name=Distillations/> contamination remains an issue.<ref name=REACH>{{cite web|title=REACH Ambler: From factory to the future in Ambler, Pennsylvania|url=https://reachambler.sciencehistory.org/|website=REACH Ambler|publisher=[[Science History Institute]]|access-date=22 March 2018}}</ref> From 1973 to 1993 the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|United States EPA]] oversaw remediation of the [[BoRit Asbestos]] waste dump,<ref name=BoRit/> also known as the "Ambler Asbestos Piles".<ref name=Distillations/>  It was proposed to the National Priorities List (NPL) as a [[Superfund (environmental law)|Superfund]] site on October 10, 1984, and formally added to the list as of June 10, 1986. Various remedies were completed as of August 30, 1993 and the site was consequently deleted from the National Priorities List on December 27, 1996, after remediation.<ref name=AAP>{{cite web|title=Ambler Asbestos Piles|url=http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/npl/PAD000436436.htm|website=United States Environmental Protection Agency|access-date=29 September 2015}}</ref>  The site is reviewed every five years by the EPA.<ref name=Distillations/>

Local government has made redevelopment of the sites a priority. A 2005 proposal for a 17-story [[Condominium (living space)|condominium]] tower was withdrawn after community opposition to the project. One of the concerns was asbestos waste at the location. In 2009 the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)]] designated the proposed development as part of a second Superfund site, the BoRit Asbestos Site.<ref name=Distillations/>  The site includes an asbestos waste pile, an 11-acre pond and a former park.<ref name=BoRit>{{cite web|title=BoRit Asbestos Site|url=http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/npl/PAD981034887.htm|website=United States Environmental Protection Agency|access-date=28 September 2015}}</ref> The EPA estimated that it would complete the initial cleanup phase at the BoRit site as of 2015.<ref name=Distillations>{{cite journal|last1=Reiny |first1=Samson |title=Living in the Town Asbestos Built |journal=Distillations Magazine |date=2015 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=26–35 |url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/living-in-the-town-asbestos-built |access-date=22 March 2018 }}</ref>

In 2013, Heckendorn Shiles Architects and Summit Realty Advisers successfully converted the derelict factory and smokestack of the Keasbey & Mattison company into a LEED Platinum Certified multi-tenant office building, the Ambler Boiler House. The adaptive reuse project won support from the EPA's Brownfields Program and the EnergyWorks program. The renovations cost $16 million, and have resulted in a building with substantial green features including a grey-water system, geothermal energy, solar panels and a reflective roof system, and high-efficiency glass.<ref name=Distillations/><ref name=Mercier>{{cite news|last1=Mercier|first1=Dominic|title=Generating New Life At The Ambler Boiler House|url=http://hiddencityphila.org/2013/03/generating-new-life-at-the-ambler-boiler-house/|access-date=28 September 2015|work=Hidden City Philadelphia|date=March 29, 2013}}</ref>

==Historic buildings==
[[Dawesfield]] was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1991.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref> During the [[American Revolutionary War]], "Dawesfield" was the property of James Morris, and was used by General [[George Washington]] as a headquarters from October 21 to November 20, 1777.<ref name=Moon>{{cite book|last1=Moon|first1=Robert C.|title=The Morris family of Philadelphia; descendants of Anthony Morris, born 1654-1721 died|date=1908|publisher=R. C. Moon|location=Philadelphia|volume=4|pages=156–157|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9hs5AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA156}}</ref>  James Morris also owned one of the mills in the Ambler area.

The Keasbey-Mattison houses are of interest in part because of the class differences revealed in the construction of different types of houses for workers, supervisors, and administrators,<ref name=Kenna>{{cite news|last1=Kenna|first1=Eileen|title=Ambler Firm's Legacy Is Town's Victorian Jewels|url=http://articles.philly.com/1991-03-07/news/25791186_1_ambler-victorian-style-victorian-jewels|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925105302/http://articles.philly.com/1991-03-07/news/25791186_1_ambler-victorian-style-victorian-jewels|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 25, 2015|access-date=25 September 2015|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=March 7, 1991}}</ref> (not to mention Lindenwold Castle, home of Mattison himself.)<ref name=Finarelli>{{cite news|last1=Finarelli|first1=Linda|title=Lindenwold Castle anticipated centerpiece of development|url=http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2015/04/28/ambler_gazette/news/doc553e8c46e43aa767995456.txt|access-date=25 September 2015|work=Ambler Gazette|date=April 28, 2015}}</ref> 
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Dawesfield House from The Morris Family of Philadelphia Volume 4.jpg|Dawesfield House, 1908
File:James Morris Mill from The Morris Family of Philadelphia Volume 4.jpg|Mill belonging to James Morris, Montgomery County, PA, US, 1908
File:Philadelphia Old Historic Paper Mill Wissahickon ca1908.jpg | Remains of Paper Mill, Wissahickon Creek, 1908
File:14f Mary Ambler homestead 1936.TIFF | Mary Ambler homestead, c. 1936
</gallery>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Keasbey and Mattison Company, Attached Row House Type, 100-114 South Chestnut Street, Ambler, Montgomery County, PA HABS PA,46-AMB,10R-1.tif | Workman's row houses
File:Keasbey and Mattison Company, Two-Story House, Front Gable Type, Ambler, Montgomery County, PA HABS PA,46-AMB,10T-2.tif| Workman's two-story houses
File:Keasbey and Mattison Company, Supervisor's House, Ambler, Montgomery County, PA HABS PA,46-AMB,10Q-1.tif| Supervisor's house
File:Keasbey and Mattison Company, Supervisor's House, Ambler, Montgomery County, PA HABS PA,46-AMB,10P-1.tif | Supervisor's house
File:Keasbey and Mattison Company, Executive's House, Carriage House, 8 Lindenwold Avenue, Ambler, Montgomery County, PA HABS PA,46-AMB,10M-1.tif|  Victorian Executive's carriage house/barn
File:Keasbey and Mattison Company, Executive's House, Ambler, Montgomery County, PA HABS PA,46-AMB,10C-3.tif | Victorian Executive's house
</gallery>

Other buildings of interest, some of which no longer exist, include: 
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Ambler PA Opera House Block Postcard 1906.jpg| Opera House, 1906
File:Ambler PA Post office Postcard 1906.jpg| Post office, 1906
File:Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church Ambler PA 1906.jpg | Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church, 1906 
File:Ambler PA 1st Presby PHS14.jpg|First Presbyterian Church of Ambler
</gallery>

==Geography==
Ambler is located at {{Coord|40|9|18|N|75|13|13|W|type:city}} (40.155099, -75.220160).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], the borough has a total area of {{convert|0.8|sqmi|1}}, all land.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 251
|1890= 1073
|1900= 1884
|1910= 2649
|1920= 3094
|1930= 3944
|1940= 3953
|1950= 4565
|1960= 6765
|1970= 7800
|1980= 6628
|1990= 6609
|2000= 6426
|2010= 6417
|2020= 6807
|footnote=Sources:<ref name="GR9">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-03-04|title=Census of Population and Housing: Decennial Censuses}}</ref><ref name=CensusPopEst>{{cite web|title=Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|work=Population Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=11 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611010502/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|archive-date=11 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Census 2020|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/amblerboroughpennsylvania/PST045219}}</ref><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:42&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=Oct 12, 2022}}</ref>
}}
{| class="wikitable"  style="float:right; font-size:90%;"
|+ '''Presidential elections results'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.montcopa.org/Archive.aspx?AMID=132|title=Montgomery County Election Results|publisher=Montgomery County, Pennsylvania|access-date=January 16, 2017}}</ref>
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[U.S. presidential election, 2020|2020]]
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|27.6% ''1,052''
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''71.3%''' ''2,717''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[U.S. presidential election, 2016|2016]]
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|27.8% ''904''
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''67.2%''' ''2,182''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[U.S. presidential election, 2012|2012]]
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|31.2% ''959''
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''67.3%''' ''2,069''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[U.S. presidential election, 2008|2008]]
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|30.8% ''947''
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''68.4%''' ''2,099''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004]]
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|33.7% ''989''
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''65.7%''' ''1,927''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[U.S. presidential election, 2000|2000]]
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|35.1% ''875''
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''60.4%''' ''1,464''
|}
As of the 2010 census, the borough was 76.5% White, 12.8% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 3.8% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian, and 3.4% were two or more races. 7.9% were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry, an almost four-fold increase since the 2000 census [https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/profile/PA#locality-tab].

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 6,426 people, 2,510 households, and 1,598 families residing in the borough. The population density was {{convert|7,605.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 2,605 housing units at an average density of {{convert|3,083.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the borough was 83.29% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 12.03% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.25% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2.47% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.06% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.50% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.40% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.13% of the population.

There were 2,510 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $47,014, and the median income for a family was $51,235. Males had a median income of $40,305 versus $30,735 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the borough was $21,688. About 2.4% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

==Politics and government==
[[File:Ambler Borough Hall V.jpg|thumb|The then-current Ambler Borough Hall in 2012]]
Ambler has a [[city manager]] form of government with a [[mayor]] and a nine-member borough council.  The mayor is Jeanne Sorg.<ref name=Council>{{cite web|title=Ambler Borough Council|url=http://www.boroughofambler.com/elected-officials/|website=The Borough of Ambler|access-date=25 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926013507/http://www.boroughofambler.com/elected-officials/|archive-date=2015-09-26|url-status=dead}}</ref>  The borough is part of the [[Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district|Fourth Congressional District]] (represented by Rep. [[Madeleine Dean]]), the 151st State House District (represented by Representative [https://pahouse.com/cerrato/ Melissa Cerrato]) and the 12th State Senate District (represented by Sen. [[Maria Collett]]).

==Education==
Ambler is served by the [[Wissahickon School District]] (WSD). In 2004, the Wissahickon School District had 4,535 students.  Wissahickon School District has six schools: four elementary, one middle (grades 6-8) and one [[Wissahickon High School|high school]] (grades 9-12).<ref name=Wissahickon>{{cite web|title=District Background|url=http://www.wsdweb.org/page.cfm?p=1644|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311213319/http://www.wsdweb.org/page.cfm?p=1644|archive-date=2011-03-11|website=Wissahickon School District|access-date=September 26, 2015}}</ref> The zoned elementary schools for sections of Ambler are Lower Gwynedd Elementary School and Shady Grove Elementary School.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsdweb.org/departments/registration/attendance-map|title=Attendance Map|publisher=Wissahickon School District|access-date=2025-05-04}} - [https://boroughofambler.com/download/zoning/ZOning_Map_2021.pdf Compare with the map of the city].</ref>

Mattison Avenue Elementary School was formerly in Ambler. In 1975 someone had proposed combining grades 2-3, but the school board that year canceled the proposal.<!--The American meaning of to "table something" is to stop considering something, separate from the British meaning of "to table" which means to start considering something--><ref>{{cite news|title=Wissahickon school board tables merger proposal|newspaper=[[The Reporter (Lansdale)|The Reporter]]|place=Landsdale, Pennsylvania|date=1976-06-24|page=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/171763854/ 15]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The school closed in 2013, and its territory was divided between Lower Gwynedd and Shady Grove elementary schools.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.timesherald.com/2013/06/21/ambler-community-says-goodbye-as-mattison-avenue-elementary-closes-its-doors/|title=Ambler community says goodbye as Mattison Avenue Elementary closes its doors |newspaper=[[The Times Herald]]|date=2013-06-21|access-date=2025-05-05}}</ref> The WSD [[Head Start (program)|Head Start]], formerly in the Mattison Avenue school, continued to operate, but had to move somewhere else.<ref>{{cite news|last=Devlin|first=Eric|url=https://www.timesherald.com/2013/04/05/amblers-head-start-classroom-to-relocate-future-of-mattison-avenue-elementary-building-uncertain/|title=Ambler’s Head Start classroom to relocate; future of Mattison Avenue Elementary building uncertain|newspaper=[[The Reporter (Lansdale)|The Reporter]]|place=Landsdale, Pennsylvania|date=2013-04-05|access-date=2025-05-08}}</ref> In 2015 the Ambler borough hall began to occupy the former school.<ref>{{cite news|last=Godshalk|first=Dutch|url=https://www.thereporteronline.com/2015/08/17/ambler-borough-municipal-building-moves-into-former-mattison-avenue-elementary-school/|title=Ambler Borough municipal building moves into former Mattison Avenue Elementary School|newspaper=[[The Reporter (Lansdale)|The Reporter]]|place=Landsdale, Pennsylvania|date=2021-09-24|access-date=2025-05-05}}</ref>

There was an Ambler Junior High School. It closed by 1975. That year there was a controversy on how the school should be rezoned.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ulkowski|first=June|title=Ambler may not rezone junior high tract|newspaper=[[The Reporter (Lansdale)|The Reporter]]|place=Landsdale, Pennsylvania|date=1975-11-12|page=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/clip/171764954/ 38]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> A company wanted to have apartment units installed in the former junior high school property, while some members of the city council opposed this.<ref>{{cite news|title=Michaels to insist on 275 units plan|newspaper=[[The Reporter (Lansdale)|The Reporter]]|place=Landsdale, Pennsylvania|date=1975-11-12|page=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/clip/171765131/ 38]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> ''[[The Reporter (Lansdale)|The Reporter]]'' of Lansdale, Pennsylvania argued that the development proposals should be known to the public.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ambler zoning secret|newspaper=[[The Reporter (Lansdale)|The Reporter]]|place=Landsdale, Pennsylvania|date=1975-12-08|page=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/171762372/ 6]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

There was previously another elementary school, Forest Avenue Elementary School in Ambler. By 1976 it had closed, with the district no longer using the property and leaving it unmaintained.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ulkowski|first=June|title=Rejection urged for Ambler rezoning plan|newspaper=[[The Reporter (Lansdale)|The Reporter]]|place=Landsdale, Pennsylvania|date=1976-04-15|page=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/171806139/ 4]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The Senior Adults for Greater Adventure (SAGA) organization operated its Ambler center in that facility.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fricker|first=Dan|title=Upper Dublin SAGA receives building lease for $1|newspaper=[[The Reporter (Lansale)|The Reporter]]|place=Lansdale, Pennsylvania|date=1978-09-13|page=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/171761725/ 5]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

There is an area Catholic grade school, Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School, in [[Maple Glen, Pennsylvania|Maple Glen]]. Our Lady of Mercy was formed in 2012 by the merger of St. Anthony-St. Joseph in Ambler, St. Alphonsus in Maple Glen, and St. Catherine of Siena in [[Horsham, Pennsylvania|Horsham]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catholicphilly.com/2012/07/uncategorized/school-closing-list/|title=2012 Catholic grade school consolidations/closings|work=Catholicphilly.com|date=2012-07-15|access-date=2020-04-22}}</ref>

[[Temple University]], whose [[Temple University|main campus]] is in nearby urban [[Philadelphia]], has a suburban campus that is referred to as the [[Temple University Ambler|Ambler Campus]].<ref name=Temple>{{cite web|title=Ambler Campus|url=http://www.temple.edu/ambler/|website=Temple University|access-date=5 August 2015}}</ref> The main contact address for the campus has an Ambler [[postal address]], 580 Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, PA 19002.<ref name=Women/>  However, it is technically outside the borough limits, in [[Upper Dublin Township]],<ref name=Sokil>{{cite news|last1=Sokil|first1=Dan|title=Temple Ambler campus housing closes|url=http://www.thereporteronline.com/article/RO/20100709/NEWS/307099964|access-date=26 September 2015|work=The Reporter News|date=July 9, 2010}}</ref> and is in the purview of the Upper Dublin Township Police.  Temple University Ambler was founded in 1910 as the [[Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women]].<ref name=Women>{{cite web|title=History The Historic Ambler Campus|url=http://ambler.temple.edu/about/history|website=Temple University|access-date=26 September 2015}}</ref> It offers an array of undergraduate, graduate, and non-credit programs.<ref name=Degrees>{{cite web|title=Degree Programs|url=http://ambler.temple.edu/academics/degree-programs|website=Ambler Campus|publisher=Temple University|access-date=26 September 2015|archive-date=26 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926061718/http://ambler.temple.edu/academics/degree-programs|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Arts and culture==
[[File:Exterior of Ambler Theater in Ambler Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|Ambler Theater]]

===Act II Playhouse===
Act II Playhouse is a 130-seat professional theatre founded in 1998. Act II has been nominated for 31 [[Barrymore Award]]s and has won six.<ref name=Playhouse>{{cite web|title=Our Mission|url=http://act2.org/cms2/index.php/about/mission-a-history-mainmenu-13|website=Act II Playhouse|access-date=26 September 2015|archive-date=26 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926130550/http://act2.org/cms2/index.php/about/mission-a-history-mainmenu-13|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Ambler Symphony Orchestra===
Founded in 1951, the Ambler Symphony Orchestra currently performs several concerts per year under the musical direction of [[WRTI]] program director Jack Moore.<ref name=Orchestra>{{cite web|title=About|url=http://www.amblersymphony.org|website=Ambler Symphony Orchestra|access-date=26 September 2015}}</ref>

===Ambler Theater===
Originally opened in 1927 as a [[Warner Brothers]] [[movie theater]], the recently restored and renovated Ambler Theater is a non-profit, community owned movie theater that shows [[Independent film|independent]], [[Art film|art]] and limited-distribution films.<ref name=Theater>{{cite web|title=History Since 1928|url=http://amblertheater.org/history|website=Ambler Theater, Inc.|access-date=25 September 2015}}</ref>

===Post office===
[[File:The Family Industry and Agriculture by Harry Sternberg, 1939.jpg|thumb|''The Family, Industry and Agriculture'', a 1939 [[Works Progress Administration]] mural by Harry Sternberg in the old post office]]
Post office murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the [[United States]] through the [[Section of Painting and Sculpture]], later called the [[Section of Fine Arts]], of the [[United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury Department]]. The murals were intended to boost the morale of the American people from the effects of [[Great Depression in the United States|the Depression]] by depicting uplifting subjects.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150227215216/http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/arts_and_architecture/2805/post_office_murals/432816 Rediscovering the People's Art: New Deal Murals in Pennsylvania's Post Offices]". Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission: 2014.</ref> The murals were funded as a part of the cost of the construction or renovation with 1% of the cost set aside for artistic enhancements.<ref name="ark">University of Central Arkansas. "[http://uca.edu/postofficemurals/home/ Arkansas Post Office Murals]".</ref> In 1939, artist [[Harry Sternberg]] completed the mural ''The Family, Industry and Architecture'' for the town's post office. The artist and his family are the main figures in the painting.

===Notable people===
* [[Kathleen Antonelli|Kathleen "Kay" McNulty Mauchly Antonelli]] - an Irish computer programmer and one of the six original programmers of the ENIAC, one of the first general-purpose electronic digital computers.
* [[Herbert R. Amey Jr.|Herbert Raudenbusch Amey, Jr.]] - a United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and Silver Star Medal recipient who served in World War II.
* [[John Di Domenico]] - Comedian, actor, and writer
* [[Martin Kilson]] - an American political scientist. He was the first black academic to be appointed a full professor at Harvard University
* [[Tanoh Kpassagnon]] - American football defensive end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL)
* [[John Ford (baseball)|John Dallas Cecil Ford]] - an American Negro league pitcher in the 1910s.
* [[Michael F. Gerber|Michael F. "Mike" Gerber]] - a former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 148th Legislative District from 2005 to 2012.
* [[Lew Richie|Elwood Lewis Richie]] - a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1906 to 1913. He would play for the Chicago Cubs, Boston Doves and Philadelphia Phillies.
* [[Curt Simmons|Curtis Thomas Simmons]] - an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1947 to 1950 and 1952 to 1967.   
* [[David Sloane|David J. Sloane]] - an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played in one National Hockey League (NHL) game with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2008–09 season.
* [[Ruth Williams]] - a pitcher who played from 1946 through 1953 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

== Transportation ==
{{Stack|[[File:2022-10-30 12 53 03 View southwest along Butler Avenue at Main Street in Ambler, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|Butler Avenue in Ambler]]}}
[[File:Ambler Station.JPG|thumb|[[Ambler station]] with restaurant Trax behind it]]
As of 2018, there were {{convert|15.72|mi}} of public roads in Ambler, of which {{convert|0.98|mi}} were maintained by [[Pennsylvania Department of Transportation]] (PennDOT) and {{convert|14.74|mi}} were maintained by the borough.<ref name=PennDOTmap>{{cite web|url=https://gis.penndot.gov/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/Type5/46401.pdf|title=Ambler Borough map|publisher=PennDOT|access-date=March 10, 2023}}</ref>

Butler Avenue serves as the main street through Ambler, with the road known as [[Butler Pike]] outside the borough. Butler Pike heads southwest to [[Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania|Plymouth Meeting]] and northeast to [[Horsham Township, Pennsylvania|Horsham Township]]. [[Bethlehem Pike]] runs along the eastern border of Ambler and heads north to [[Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania|Montgomeryville]] and south to [[Philadelphia]]. [[Pennsylvania Route 309]] passes to the east of Ambler on a freeway called the Fort Washington Expressway, with access to Ambler at a southbound exit and northbound entrance at Butler Pike and a northbound exit and southbound entrance at Susquehanna Road. The [[Pennsylvania Turnpike]] (Interstate 276) has an interchange with PA 309 south of Ambler in [[Fort Washington, Pennsylvania|Fort Washington]].<ref name=adcmontgomery>{{cite map|publisher=[[ADC Map]]|title=Montgomery County, Pennsylvania |year=2006|edition=18th|scale= 1"=2000'|isbn=0-87530-775-2}}</ref>

Ambler is served by [[SEPTA Regional Rail]]'s [[Lansdale/Doylestown Line]], which provides service to [[Center City, Philadelphia|Center City Philadelphia]], [[Lansdale, Pennsylvania|Lansdale]], [[Doylestown, Pennsylvania|Doylestown]], and other intermediate points, at [[Ambler station]], which is a major park-and-ride facility on the line. [[SEPTA Suburban Division bus routes]] {{SEPTA bus link|94}} and {{SEPTA bus link|95}} also serve Ambler, with Route 94 connecting Ambler to the [[Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia|Chestnut Hill]] section of [[Philadelphia]] and the [[Montgomery Mall (Pennsylvania)|Montgomery Mall]] and Route 95 connecting Ambler to [[Willow Grove, Pennsylvania|Willow Grove]] and [[Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania|Gulph Mills]].<ref name=septamap>{{cite map|title=SEPTA Official Transit & Street Map Suburban|publisher=SEPTA|url=https://www5.septa.org/wp-content/uploads/travel/map-suburban-transit-street.pdf|access-date=May 2, 2016}}</ref>

== Sister city ==
Ambler is a [[sister city]] with:
* {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Maida, Calabria]], [[Italy]]<ref name="Maida"/>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.boroughofambler.com/ Borough of Ambler]
* {{cite web|title=REACH Ambler: From factory to the future in Ambler, Pennsylvania|url=https://reachambler.sciencehistory.org/|website=REACH Ambler|publisher=[[Science History Institute]]}}

{{Montgomery County, Pennsylvania}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:1888 establishments in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Boroughs in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1859]]