Norristown

The village of Norris was founded by Isaac Norris, a Quaker merchant and mayor of Philadelphia, and his family in 1704. More than a century later, on March 31, 1812, Norristown was officially incorporated as a Pennsylvania state borough, and it was the first borough to be incorporated in Montgomery County. Laid out along the banks of the Schuylkill River, both business and the community prospered. Over the years, the area has attracted business and visitors alike, including a visit in 1960 from John F. Kennedy. Norristown offers a delightful flashback to the fascinating history of this community through vintage photographs from area residents and organizations.

Michael A. Bono, an avid collector of Norristown photographs and memorabilia, is considered one of the leading local historians and collectors in the Norristown area. Bono is a member of the Norristown Mural Committee, the Norristown Bicentennial Committee, and the Norristown Preservation Society. Jack Coll, a member of the Historical Society of Montgomery County, has written hundreds of articles for local publications, is an award-winner photographer, and has writtern and produced a documentry film covering 100 years of football in Conshohocken. Coll is the coauthor of Norristown and Conshohocken in Arcadia Publishing's Then & Now series.