Local author Phyllis Byrne posed with a copy of ‘Whispers of the Past: Tales of North Wales, Pennsylvania’ below a photo of famed local painter William Trego at the North Wales Area Library on Friday, May 10 2019. (Dan Sokil – MediaNews Group)
Expert in town's lore died in November at age 92
Borough officials are mourning the loss of a local historian, who left a long impact on her adopted hometown of North Wales.
“I had the honor and privilege of writing a proclamation honoring Phyllis Byrne, after her passing earlier this month,” said borough Mayor Neil McDevitt in late November.
“Phyllis was probably the preeminent historian of North Wales Borough. We have many amazing historians, but Phyllis was the person writing the books,” he said.
Prior to her passing at age 92, Byrne was born in Hatfield, grew up in Lansdale, met her husband John at Gettysburg College, and the two lived in Germany while he served in the U.S. Army. The pair moved to North Wales after his tour of duty, “and called it home ever since,” McDevitt said in his proclamation, as Phyllis worked as a fifth grade teacher at North Wales Elementary School while the two raised their children.
Outside of the school, Byrne also served as president of the North Wales Historical Commission, and helped lead preservation efforts that have included an historical marker in front of the former home on Montgomery Avenue of local artist William Trego, efforts to preserve and modernize the town’s train station, and establishment of a town Historical Architectural Review Board to vet any upgrades to homes or businesses in the town’s historic district. Byrne also wrote a guidebook detailing a ‘Heritage Walk’ around town, designed the green and white ‘Historic District’ signs that greet visitors entering that part of the town, and was honored in 1994 for her efforts in helping secure a memorial to Vietnam War veterans at Penndale Middle School, according to her obituary.
Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic ocean liner in 1912, Byrne helped identify a home at 116 West Montgomery Avenue that had been home to the Van Billiard family: son Austin wanted to surprise his father James, the owner of the home, by bringing his own sons James, age 10, and Walter, age nine, from overseas for a visit, but the three met their end when the ship sank in the Atlantic Ocean, according to MediaNews Group archives; the house hosted a wake instead, after the bodies of Walter and Austin were later recovered but young James was never found.
“This property is a very important historical site in the borough,” Byrne said at the time a plaque was dedicated on the home. “It is our hope that more people will be made aware of the story behind the house.”
Ahead of the town’s yearlong celebrations of the borough’s birthday in 2019, Byrne helped further document that history, writing “Whispers of the Past, Tales of North Wales Pennsylvania,” a book full of stories she had heard over the years, and wanted to put in print, including memories of earlier anniversary celebrations in 1969 and ’94.
“We have a lot of history here, that people really are not aware of. Some people are, but a lot are not,” said Byrne at the time. “That’s the great thing about history, is that you’re always discovering something.”
During their Nov. 18 meeting, council President Mark Tarlecki led a moment of silence in Byrne’s memory, calling her a “huge supporter of all things historical in North Wales” and “one of the well-known figures in our community.”
A funeral for Byrne was held on Nov. 20 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in the borough, and McDevitt attended that service on behalf of the borough and presented the family with a proclamation designating that date in her memory.
“WHEREAS: Small communities like North Wales Borough exist and thrive because of the commitment of people like Phyllis Byrne to step up for the purpose of making a genuine difference in the Borough,” reads the proclamation.
“It was my honor to attend the funeral service, and present the family with the proclamation naming November 20th, 2025 as ‘Phyllis Byrne Day’ here in North Wales Borough, honoring her achievements and asking people to follow in her example,” McDevitt said.
Gifts in Byrne’s memory can be made to the North Wales Historic Commission, North Wales Borough, 300 School St. North Wales, PA 19454. That commission meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month at the borough hall, and info about the historic plaque program is available on that group’s website https://northwaleshistory.org/.
