The Rotary Club of Ambler has been in existence since 1925. It is located in Montgomery County about fifteen miles northwest of Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania. The area is rich in historical places and events dating back to colonial days. The name of William Penn appears frequently, reminding current habitants of the prominent role played by that early settler in the colonies, which later became the United States of America. From the many historical matters of interest in our area we have selected four to be illustrated on our Club banner. Brief information about each of them is included in the following paragraphs.

WILLIAM PENN INN - 1714, Gwynedd
This was originally a house owned by Thomas Evans, and situated just across the road from the Quaker Meeting in Gwynedd. William Penn was known to have visited Mr. Evans, and when the house was eventually sold in 1714 to become a tavern, the new owner named it after the well-known visitor. It have been expanded many times from its original barked log beginning, and stands today as a large white structure with a variety of rooms where food and spirits are served to hundreds of daily customers. The old Gwynedd Meeting still stands across the road.

GREAT TRAGEDY - TRAIN WRECK - 1856
The Borough of Ambler, which was created in 1888, got its name from Mary Ambler whose heroic deeds after a major train wreck in the area 32 years earlier have never been forgotten. Six hundred children and four hundred adults were involved in the head on collision of two trains, which resulted in the deaths of one hundred sixty people. Mary Ambler, a frail widowed Quaker lady was first on the scene. She took charge and worked far into the night directing removal of the dead and aid to the injured. She died twelve years later without knowing that what was then called Wissahickon would later be changed to Ambler in her honor.

CHARTER OAK - 1684, Whitpain
When William Penn first reached these shores, he is said to have designated certain trees as Charter Oaks. The area was subsequently dubbed Penn’s Woods. Certain of these trees which were in existence then, survived and have been identified. One is the Charter Oak of Whitpain. The tree has been dated to 1684. For several hundred years it has been one of the township’s outstanding landmarks, the base of the tree being six feet in diameter and exceeding eighty feet in height.

SOWLE HOUSE - 1730, Upper Dublin
This house is included in the National Register of Historical Places, which is the official list of the nation’s cultural resources deemed worthy of preservation. It is thought to have been the hunting lodge of William Penn’s physician, Dr. Thomas Wynne. However, the evidence is not conclusive. Nonetheless, it is of historical importance if only because the main block of the house is quite different from other eighteenth century farmhouses. It includes three full stories and a basement, ten and one-half foot ceilings, and has a fireplace in every room. Ownership passed through many hands resulting in some deterioration over the years. Now it has been fully restored, and is often referred to as the Quaker Manor House on Pinetown Road.