Narberth Addresses

1,577 Profiles

1,467 current properties in the borough, and 90 no longer extant properties for which we can identify census records are profiled.

Every item and piece of data we have on each property and its main buildings will be cross-referenced. Going forward we will add more past buildings and possibly other points of interest.

How are the timelines determined?

The timeline tracks a property's lifespan from year built through year demolished, if applicable. It includes records of address changes, which makes it possible to locate addresses that were later renumbered. It is based on:

• Property atlases: When does the building first appear or disappear? When does an address change? We examined maps from 1881 to 1961, most of which appear on the Narberth History Map.
• Aerial photographs from 1929 to 2019, notably the series taken by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission every 5 years 1959–2015.
• U. S. Census enumerations: 1900–1950, every 10 years.
• Montgomery County property records may be used when they confirm the evidence listed above or they are recent, 1960s and later. Earlier than that, many of the dates are inaccurate or approximated.

In addition, we consulted other primary sources to establish timeline years:

• Contemporary listings (1911 Main Line directory, 1915 phone book listings reprinted in Our Town)
• Our Town articles
• Philadelphia Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide published 1886–1940
• Dateable historic photographs

Later accounts of Narberth's past, such as Narberth's Historical Prelude by Carden F. Warner, the Narberth chapter of Montgomery County, The Second Hundred Years by Victoria Donohoe, and others in our Narberth Sources section have refined many dates.

For all that, we must issue this disclaimer: All of these sources are incomplete and subject to human error and interpretation. Years may be approximate.

About the U. S. Census records

The every-ten-years United States census offers a trove of details about individuals. They are incomplete and subject to enumerator error. They are handwritten, so open to interpretation. Nevertheless, the chief inspiration that launched Narberth Addresses was the availability of these records online.

We imported partial transcriptions from FamilySearch.org, made corrections based on other sources, especially contemporary maps, and transcribed additional categories of interest, for example home ownership and the professions and trades. Each household entry is linked to an online facsimile of the original document at FamilySearch, which requires a free account for access.

To protect individual privacy, the enumerations are released by the Department of Commerce 72 years after the census date. As of 2021, we have transcribed 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 and 1940. 1950 will be be released in April 2022. 1890, a truly seminal moment in local history, was destroyed by fire in 1926, so sadly must remain unavailable.

Main Line Board of Realtors listings 1949-90

When James T. Shilcock (1919–2011) closed his eponymous Rosemont business, he donated thousands of 6×4 real estate listing cards covering Narberth and Lower Merion to the Lower Merion Historical Society.

Over 1,600 cards covering 800+ Narberth addresses listed between 1955 and 1992 enrich our Narberth address database and pages. Even if an address of interest is not covered, be sure to inspect neighboring addresses that may show the property.

An unexpected bonus was finding 46 cards for 30 addresses demolished between 1962 and 2021. Many are the only photos we have for these lost addresses.

• 134 N. Narberth Ave. (1937–1962), 1
• 107 Forrest Ave. (1899–1965), 1
• 720 Montgomery Ave. (1927–1967), 1
• 201 Windsor Ave. (1910–1968), 2
• 632 Montgomery Ave. (1930–1970), 2
• 9 Elmwood Ave. (1919–1970), 1
• 228 N. Essex Ave. (1896–1972), 2
• 226 N. Essex Ave. (1896–1973), 1
• 826 Montgomery Ave. (1927–1975), 1
• 820 Montgomery Ave. (1927–1975), 1
• 205 Grayling Ave. (1896–1975), 1
• 728 Montgomery Ave. (1927–1975), 1
• 724 Montgomery Ave. (1927–1975), 1
• 910 Montgomery Ave. (1927–1980), 1
• 419 N. Narberth Ave. (1919–1980), 1
• 110 Forrest Ave. (1896–1980), 1
• 417 N. Narberth Ave. (1913–1980), 4
• 415 N. Narberth Ave. (1913–1980), 2
• 916 Montgomery Ave. (1927–1980), 1
• 102 Dudley Ave. (1900–1982), 1
• 208 Elm Ter. (1896–1984), 1
• 235 N. Wynnewood Ave. (1937–1985), 1
• 233 N. Wynnewood Ave. (1930–1985), 1
• 421 Dudley Ave. (1948–1993), 4
• 109 Merion Ave. (1908–2001), 2
• 501 N. Wynnewood Ave. (1926-2010), 1
• 424 Conway Ave. (1908–2017), 1
• 100 Forrest Ave. (1936–2021), 1
• 101 Woodbine Ave. (1919–2021), 3
• 102 Elmwood Ave. (1919–2022), 4

Collection Finding Aid prepared by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Narberth Streets—A Chronology