Call Number:

12

Repository:

Lower Merion Historical Society

Extent:

2.0 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

circa 1900-2003

Creator:

Morrison, William Alan

Abstract:

The township of Lower Merion in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania was first settled by Welsh Quakers in 1682. It is part of the "Main Line," a collection of affluent Philadelphia suburbs located alongside the Pennsylvania Railroad line that was built between Philadelphia and Harrisburg in the mid-19th century. The Main Line Country Houses Collection, circa 1900-2003, consists of over 800 photographs and fact sheets on over 150 properties. The materials were collected by William Alan Morrison for his 2002 book The Main Line: Country Houses of Philadelphia's Storied Suburb, 1870-1930.

The "Main Line" is a collection of affluent suburbs northwest of Philadelphia. The name comes from the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which was built in the mid-19th century and ran from Philadelphia to Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. The convenient transportation encouraged the economic development of areas along its route.

The Main Line: Country Houses of Philadelphia's Storied Suburb, 1870-1930 was written by William Morrison, with an introduction by Mark Alan Hewitt. Part of the Suburban Domestic Architecture Series, it was published by Acanthus Press (New York, N.Y.) in 2002.

The Main Line Country Houses Collection consists of photographs and fact sheets collected by William Alan Morrison for his 2002 book The Main Line: Country Houses of Philadelphia's Storied Suburb, 1870-1930. For each estate included in his book, Morrison filled out a data sheet with basic information about the property. This collection includes over 800 original and copy photographs and data sheets describing over 150 properties, as well as scattered architectural schematics, photograph negatives, newspaper clippings, and copies of secondary source articles.