Charter of Narberth into a Borough
Author: Montgomery County, Pa.
Published by: Montgomery County, Pa.
Year: 1895
PDF (14.3 MB)
(Recorded in Miscellaneous Book No. 38, pages 372–390, Recorder of Deeds Office, Montgomery County Court House)
To the Honorable the Judges of the Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace in and for the County of Montgomery in the State of Pennslvania.
The petition of the undersigned freeholders residing within the limits of the territory hereinafter fully described and set forth respectfully represents:
That they are freeholders residing in the Village of Narberth in the Township of Lower Merion, County of Montgomery and State aforesaid;
That said Village contains a collection of houses collocated after a regular plan in regard to streets, lanes and alleys and that the petitioners reside within the limits thereof as hereinafter set forth and described, and that the same contained a number of resident freeholders not exceeding however seventy eight, and that they are desirous that the territory hereinafter fully described by metes and bounds (within which bounds the Village of Narberth is located) shall be incorporated and be a body corporate and politic under the general Borough law of this Commonwealth and the supplements thereto, under the name, style and title of “The Borough of Narberth”; that the proposed boundaries of the territory to be incorporated as “The Borough of Narberth” are particularly described as follows to wit:
(Here follows description by metes and bounds. Proposed boundaries were as follows: Beginning at the intersection of Wynnewood Avenue and Montgomery Avenue, along the south side of Montgomery Avenue to Merion Avenue, then along easterly side of Merion Avenue to Rockland Avenue, then along southeasterly side of Rockland Avenue to Wynnewood Avenue, then along westerly side of Wynnewood Avenue to Montgomery Avenue, the place of beginning.)
A plot or draft whereof accompanies this petition. The whole of said proposed Borough being within the Township of Lower Merion, County of Montgomery, Pennsylvania.
That the undersigned inhabitants represent a majority of the freeholders residing in the territory hereinbefore fully described and intended to be incorporated as the said Borough, and that they have signed their names to this their petition after and not before the first day of April, A.D., 1894.
They therefore pray the Court to cause this their application to be laid before the Grand Jury of said County, and if the majority of the said Grand Jury after a full investigation shall certify to the Court that the provisions of the Act of Assembly and the supplements thereto in such case made and provided have been complied with, and that it is expedient to grant the prayer of the petitioners, that the Court will confirm said judgment, and that upon compliance with the several conditions required in said Acts of Assembly the said Village of Narberth may thenceforth be deemed an incorporated Borough by the name, style and title of “The Borough of Narberth” entitled to all the rights, immunities and privileges provided by law.
And they will ever pray &c.
(Lists of resident freeholders, non-resident freeholders and voters; also copies of the Notice of filing of application for incorporation; also affidavits that said Notice was published in Home News, Bryn Mawr, the Ardmore Chronicle and the Citizen of Narberth; also a schedule of property owners, 129 listed, and the assessed valuation of their properties totaling $371,450; A. H. Mueller, one of the petitioners, represents that there are 78 resident freeholders within the proposed borough limits, 47 resident freeholders are in favor of incorporation and have signed the petition, one resident freeholder is neutral and 38 non-resident freeholders have signed the petition. The value of property whose owners have signed the petition is $227,450. Mueller also states that a majority of the resident freeholders, a majority of non-resident freeholders, a majority of voters and a majority in assessed valuation are in favor of incorporation.
The total number of voters is given as about 120. The total number of voters who signed the petition is given as about 70 and the total number of signers in favor of the Borough as 131. A list of all voters, attested by the Register Assessor follows.)
Report of the Grand Jury
In the Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace in and for the County of Montgomery. June Sessions 1894.
In the matter of the application for the incorporation of the Village of Narberth into a Borough.
To the Honorable the Judges of Said Court:
The Grand Jury of said County respectfully certify
That after a full investigation of the case presented by the Petition filed in said Court the fourth day of June, A.D., 1894, for the incorporation of the Borough of Narberth from the Village of Narberth, a majority of said Grand Jury (being at least twelve of their number) do find that the conditions prescribed by the Act of Assembly entitled “An Act to provide for the incorporation of Boroughs” approved April first, A.D. 1834 and by the other Acts of Assembly supplementary thereto have all been complied with, and believe it is expedient to grant the prayer of the petitioners and to incorporate said village into the Borough of Narberth, and do hereby approve of said petition and incorporation.
By direction of a majority of the Grand Jury this seventh day of June 1894.
F. E. Larzelere, Foreman
Attest
H. Weber, Clerk
Map and Decree
Decree of Incorporation
In the matter of the petition for incorporation of the Borough of Narberth
And now to wit, January 21, 1895, the Court confirms the judgment of the Grand Jury and decrees that the said Village of Narberth and adjacent territory be incorporated into a borough in conformity with the prayer of the petitioners, as amended in the opinion of the Court and that the corporate name, style and title thereof shall be “The Borough of Narberth,” that the boundaries thereof shall be the same as on the draft annexed to and accompanying this decree, which are set forth by metes and bounds to wit:
(Here follows description by metes and bounds. Boundaries as fixed by the Court removed the territory bounded by Montgomery Avenue, Merion Avenue, the Pennsylvania Railroad, Narberth Avenue and Haverford Avenue from the Borough, leaving the boundaries as follows: Beginning at the intersection of the southerly side of the turnpike road of the Philadelphia, Bala & Bryn Mawr Turnpike Company, commonly known as Montgomery Avenue, with Wynnewood Avenue, along the southerly side of Montgomery Avenue to the southeasterly side of Haverford or Merion Road, along that side of that road to the easterly side of Narberth Avenue, along the easterly side of Narberth Avenue to the northerly boundary of the Pennsylvania Railroad, along that boundary to the southeasterly side of Rockland Avenue crossing the railroad to the southeasterly side of Rockland Avenue, along that side of Rockland Avenue to the westerly side of Wynnewood Avenue, along that side of Wynnewood Avenue to the intersection of the southern side of Montgomery Avenue, the place of beginning.)
That the annual Borough election shall be held at the office of the Elm Land Association situate on the northeast corner of Essex and Haverford Avenues in said Borough on the third Tuesday in February, A.D. 1895 in accordance with and subject to all the provisions of the law regulating township and borough elections and declare said Borough a separate election district and school district.
The said Court further decrees and fixes the first election in said Borough for the election of the officers provided for by law at the office of the Elm Land Association situate on the northeast corner of Essex and Haverford Avenues in said Borough on the third Tuesday in February, A.D. 1895 between the hours of 7 o'clock A.M. and 7 o'clock P.M. of said day and designate William L. Owens to give due public notice of said election by ten or more printed or written advertisements affixed at as many of the most public places within the Borough at least ten days before the day selected for the election and within six days after the election to notify in writing the persons elected.
And the Court further decrees that Hubbert B. Payne shall be the Judge and F. W. Bender the Majority Inspector and A. P. Redifer the Minority Inspector of said election.
And it is further decreed that the said Inspectors hereby appointed are hereby empowered to appoint clerks of said election as required by law and J. M. March, Sylvester J. Baker and Alexander Lowery are hereby appointed the Auditors to serve until after said first Election on the third Tuesday of February, A.D. 1895.
By the Court
Aaron S. Swartz P. J.
Recorded January 22, 1895
This transcription and the summaries of the untranscribed sections appeared in Our Borough, A 50th Anniversary Report (1945), pages 62–64. PDF