History Spotlight
Who Put the Sproul in Sproul Road? Written by Doug Humes
Stars & Stripes TACTICAL The Friendly Firearm Professionals Minutes away in nearby East Goshen
Education, Sales and Service • Offering
gun locks, safes, and safety equipment • Gunsmithing & firearm appraisals • Firearm consulting and training • Novice & women-led classes • We buy and consign estates and collections • We provide ammunition and have it in stock Monday - Saturday: 10am - 6pm
1313 West Chester Pike, West Chester
ONLY A TEN-MINUTE DRIVE to us in East Goshen
610-556-0223
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www.StarsNStripesTactical.com
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40 years of experience with rules, forms, and processes.
Transfering a vehicle to/from a family member? Importing a vehicle from another country? • In need of a PA Handicap Parking Tag? • Need a Notary or FBI Fingerprinting Services? • Need a Driver’s License Renewed/Replaced? Come in and meet with us. We can figure it all out together! •
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www.FirstClassAutoTagService.com 484-422-8509 • 2555 West Chester Pk., Broomall Parking available at Joe’s Cycle
1960’s era green Sproul Road sign Doug Humes collection
O
ur Sproul Road was originally called The Great Road of Marple. Laid out in 1683, the road ran from the county seat at Chester north, through Marple, and on to the Radnor Quaker Meeting in Ithan, where it met up with east-west Conestoga Road. Today, the road named “Sproul” makes a right hand bend after Ithan and runs up to Lancaster Pike in Villanova. When it crosses the Pike, it carries the name Spring Mill Road. So when did the road’s name change to Sproul, and why?
The 1911 law provided for $6.5 million for construction of public roads, and created the State Highway Commission, the forerunner of PennDOT. The law also made the state responsible for maintenance of certain designated roads. A 1911 map shows the initial state routes in Delaware County, and the Great Marple Road – by then also called Springfield Road, was one such state road, Legislative Route 225. In 1928 the road was re-designated as Route 320.
A hint: Who is the only governor ever to come from Delaware County? If you answered “William Cameron Sproul,” then maybe you should be writing these history articles! Sproul was born in Lancaster, PA in 1870 to a Quaker family, which moved to Chester in 1883 when he was 13. He graduated from Chester High School, and then Swarthmore College. From there, he used his Midas touch to make his fortune in publishing, railroads, banking, shipbuilding and insurance. At age 26, Sproul was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate and served for the next 22 years. With the rise of the automobile in the early 20th century, there was a demand for better roads. Sproul drafted the Sproul Road Bill that created the state highway system.
20 Marple Friends & Neighbors / Bringing People Together
Portrait of Governor Sproul PA Museum Commission
