Norristown Farm Park

Norristown Farm Park
Interactive map of Norristown Farm Park
LocationMontgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States
Coordinates40°08′46″N 75°20′30″W / 40.146°N 75.34176°W / 40.146; -75.34176[1]
Area690 acres (280 ha)[1]
Elevation1,224 feet (373 m)
Established1995
Administered byPennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
WebsiteOfficial website
Norristown Farm Park
Norristown Farm Park
Location in Pennsylvania
Norristown Farm Park
Norristown Farm Park (the United States)
Pennsylvania State Parks

Norristown Farm Park is a 690-acre (279 ha) Pennsylvania state park in East Norriton and West Norriton Townships and Norristown in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in the United States.[1] Located just off of Interstate 276 on West Germantown Pike,[2] it is operated in partnership with the Montgomery County Department of Parks.

A working farm on the site of Norristown State Hospital, the park has multiple colonial-era farm buildings and homes on its grounds.[2]

Stony Creek flows through the park. Baseball, bicycling, cross-country skiing, hiking, fishing, and picnicking opportunities are available in the park, as are summer musical concerts.[2]

History

Norristown Farm Park was originally part of a 7,000-acre (2,800 ha) tract of land called "Williamstadt," which originally belonged to William Penn.[3] The property was then transferred to Isaac Norris, the namesake of Norristown, by way of Penn's son, William Penn, Jr. Norris's heirs sold pieces of Williamstadt to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Norristown State Hospital was opened in the 1870s as a mental hospital.[4] The park is on state-owned land that surrounds the hospital.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Norristown Farm Park". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "Norristown Farm Park". County of Montgomery, PA. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  3. ^ "Norristown Farm Park Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area". Schuylkill River Greenway Association. Retrieved December 12, 2006.
  4. ^ a b Reverend Judith A. Meier. "An Historic District Within the Boundaries of the Norristown State Hospital". Farm Park Preservation Association. Archived from the original on August 11, 2006. Retrieved January 22, 2007.