Montgomery Township History: The Montgomery Consolidated School lasted nearly 100 years

The distinctive Montgomery Consolidated School on Bethlehem Pike (Rt. 309) stood for almost a century before being rudely demolished to make way for a car wash.

    Knapp Farm - Montgomery Township Historical Society   

    Knapp Farm - Montgomery Township Historical Society   

The historic 100-year-old two-story stone structure at 739 Bethlehem Pike, which served for four decades as the Montgomery Township Consolidated School and later became the site of a fabric store and Montgomeryville Army-Navy,was bulldozed for a new 3,600-square-foot membership-driven car wash with 23 spaces and double-lane capacity for 16 vehicles. 

Following a public hearing before Montgomery Township Board of Supervisors in February 2022, Caliber Capital LLC, of Atlanta, received unanimous land development approval to demolish the existing 46,914-square-foot building and construct a new 3,680-square-foot one-story Caliber Car Wash with associated drive aisles, vehicle stacking, and parking. The approval also tagged on some contingencies, such as always having three or more staff members on site and giving easements to make entrances and exits onto Bethlehem Pike and Horsham Road.

The current sight of the one-acre site near Five Points now leaves a sting in the eyes of many Montgomery Township Historical Society members, and even former students.

    Knapp Farm - Montgomery Township Historical Society   

    Knapp Farm - Montgomery Township Historical Society   

“Kindergarten, first grade and second grades here for me,” wrote Deb Kinsella on the Knapp Farm – Montgomery Township Historical Society Facebook post on the demolition. “Walked up three fields every school day and the Hespell cousins caught up with the Kreischer cousins on the way. My dad and uncles went here before us. Even had some of the same teachers as us. The building was made from Hespell’s Montgomery Stone Quarry. Many good memories.”

“Went to school here for four years. Loved this school. We had the best playground,” wrote Joanne MacLaughlin Lupino. 

According to Montgomery Township Historical Society’s (MTHS) Fall 2021 newsletter, the history of the building begins Feb. 27, 1771, when Mordicai Moore, Edward Bartholomew, and John Ambler were chosen as trustees for the Free School of Montgomery Township. The first teacher, per the newsletter, was Abram Shoemaker, appointed April 15, 1789, and who was paid 50 pounds (39 of it in gold and silver) per year to teach school.

“After the Revolutionary War, the Continental currency had collapsed and was considered worthless. Even though the first US mint opened in 1783, it appears that British currency was still being used in our area until at least the early 1800s,” stated the newsletter article.

The Battle of Gettysburg hero and 1880 Democratic Presidential nominee Winfield Scott Hancock’s father, B.F. Hancock, taught at the school from 1823 to 1826, per the historical society. 

In addition to the Free School in Montgomery Square — the current home of Buckman’s Ski Shop on Bethlehem Pike — two other small schoolhouses were opened: the Montgomeryville School on Cowpath Road and the Horsham Road School. Both buildings still exist and are now private homes, according to the society.

The consolidated school building opened in 1923, according to MTHS Board member Sue Gordon and President Lisa Siegel, and the former three one-room schoolhouses used at the turn of the century were auctioned two years later. 

    Knapp Farm - Montgomery Township Historical Society   

When North Penn School District was formed in 1956, the consolidated school continued to house students. It would not be until 1965 when Montgomery Elementary School opened that its decades as an educational facility were over.

“It took that long to approve and build the new school,” said Gordon. 

As the decades continued, the building became a gathering spot for a teen center, before Montgomeryville Fabric Center opened on the second floor, and Montgomeryville Army-Navy Store opened in the basement. The stores vacated the premises in the early 2000s and the historic property became the easel for graffiti artists and vandals.

The development of the site is contrary to what the township defined in its 2008 Comprehensive Plan, and the Montgomery County Planning Commission even made mention of it in its report to the township on the project. 

“While this proposal on its own will not make or break the success of a possible town center master planned area, the township should strongly consider reassessing the suitability of this area for a town center during its ongoing comprehensive plan update process,” stated the county planners. 

According to the township 2008 Comprehensive Plan vision, the triangular-shaped area bordered by Bethlehem Pike, Horsham Road and North Wales Road at Five Points was identified as a future site for a town center, with “one or more small public open spaces, at least one major public attraction … mixed uses including retail, be pedestrian-friendly and have attractive streetscapes.”

Furthermore, the county’s own Montco 2040 comprehensive plan identified the area as part of a future regional mixed-use center along Bethlehem Pike. County planners said the car wash project “is compatible with Montco 2040's goal of redeveloping older retail properties.”