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Swarthmore
History
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The Borough of Swarthmore was founded in 1893, but the history of
it starts earlier with its development as a college town and commuter
suburb. Swarthmore had access to good roads and public transportation that
encouraged the development of its residential and business community in the
late 19th and 20th centuries. In the 21st century, Swarthmore became the
home of one of the best liberal arts colleges in America. Swarthmore used to
be a section of Springfield Township until the end of the 19th century. Just
like most of these local towns, it was settled by Quakers, who were
originally granted the land by William Penn. In the earlier 19th century, it
was rolling farmland, most known for the birthplace of America's first
internationally famous artist Benjamin West. So, the area was informally
known as Westdale or West Dale, in honor of him. The area began to change in
1864, when Swarthmore College was founded. In the years before the Civil
War, members of the Hicksite branch of the Society of Friends were looking
for a place for an institution of higher learning for their children. They
eventually decided on Westdale, which had the convenience of the train while
still outside the city. In 1866, the cornerstone was laid for the main
building (which is today Parrish Hall),
and classes started in 1869. In 1876, the name of the train station was
changed to Swarthmore.
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