About the Marple History Blog…

Welcome to Marple History, a blog looking to explore the history of Marple Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Each post will focus on an event, topic, building, or person relating to Marple’s history. While some of these will inevitably be well-known or well-documented, where possible I want to dig deeper or shed light on a previously unknown story.

My goal is to post roughly once a month but this will be dependent on how busy I am.

For those who are interested, I will maintain a full bibliography of the sources I’ve consulted and cited in my posts here.

While this blog is not affiliated with the Marple Historical Society, 1696 Thomas Massey House, or the Delaware County Historical Society, I encourage readers who are interested to check them out if they want to learn more. Links to their websites can be found on the Helpful Links page.

Finally, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or want to know more about a topic, feel free to contact me at marplehistory@gmail.com.

Any errors, misattributions, or omissions are my responsibility and I will be happy to make any needed corrections.

The Marple History Blog was selected by the Delaware County Heritage Commission for a 2022 Historic Preservation Award.

About the Author…

Sam Pickard is the creator of the Marple History blog and the author of the posts unless specified. Raised in the Lawrence Park section of Marple Township and an alumnus of St. Pius X School and Cardinal O’Hara High School, he has long had an interest in local history. Sam followed this passion for the past, obtaining a B.A. in History from La Salle University, a M.S. in City & Regional Planning from Temple University, and is currently employed as a historian in the cultural resource management field. Sam has also been part of a number of local history and preservation groups including the Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance steering committee. Presently, he serves as the president of the Marple Historical Society, and sits on the 1696 Thomas Massey House Board of Directors and the Delaware County Heritage Commission.