Souderton Borough municipal offices are located at 31 West Summit Street, Souderton PA 18964.
Phone: 215‑723‑4371.
Neighborhoods
Public school students attend the Souderton Area School District.
A Brief History [1]
Souderton was first settled over 200 years ago by immigrant Welsh, giving it the early name "Welshtown." The ground on which the borough now stands is part of the original one thousand-acre tract conveyed to Thomas Fairman in 1708. It was a portion of the original grant of five thousand acres made by William Penn to Thomas Harley in 1682.
The town is named in honor of the Souder family, one of the early families of the area. The stone house that Henry O. Souder built in 1835 still stands at the northwest corner of Main and Chestnut Streets.
Souderton first appeared on a map in 1847 when "Souder's Lumberyard" was marked on the site of the village. In 1888 the borough had a population of 600 people. As Souderton approached the 20th Century, it had its own newspaper, bank, school, churches, railroad depot, hotels, industry, stores and over 100 dwellings. The buildings and infrastructure were unassuming but had all the solid comforts necessary for a "self-denying" people.
For over 100 years prior to the advent of the railroad, this area was almost entirely devoted to agricultural uses. As a result, Souderton developed into a small, farm service oriented village. Once the railroad arrived in 1857, Souderton was in position to serve the agricultural needs of the Indian Valley and North Penn area.
The railroad enabled Souderton to grow not only in industry but also as a community. The textile and cigar making industries brought prosperity and population to the borough. Some of the big cigar manufactures at this time had factories in Souderton. However by 1920, automation in the cigar industry reduced the need for labor and space and the industry started to decline in Souderton. The textile mills remained prominent in Souderton after the decline of the cigar industry. In the years following World War II, the need for expensive labor in the textile industry was eliminated.
Souderton Borough is becoming increasingly residential as some buildings that were formerly commercial or industrial have been renovated for residential or office use. There are very few tracts of open space left in the borough. Souderton remains in character as an urban center for the Indian Valley.
Nearby Towns: Franconia Twp • Hatfield Boro • Hatfield Twp • Hilltown Twp • Lansdale Boro • Lower Salford Twp • Perkasie Boro • Salford Twp • Sellersville Boro • Silverdale Boro • Skippack Twp • Telford Boro • Telford Boro • Towamencin Twp • Trumbauersville Boro • Upper Gwynedd Twp • West Rockhill Twp •