Growing Up in Telford and Souderton: Life in the Indian Valley($11.00Value)

Description

Born in 1948, I joined the baby boomer generation, and grew up, worked, and raised a family. Now, as a grandfather, I take time to enjoy my grandchildren. And I reminisce about my growing-up years. My grandchildren don’t do the things I did as a child, well, at least some of them. Any questions asked of me about those growing-up years likely originate from a classroom project. A child’s life is shaped much differently today. The idea for writing a memoir developed from a Facebook Chat Group. Members of this group focus on their memories of people, places, events, and the experiences they had while growing up, specifically in the Indian Valley. This area is a uniquely established five-square-mile community comprising the Souderton Area School District. Route 113 runs through the Indian Valley, east to west. Two signs, placed by the Chamber of Commerce at opposite ends of this road, announce, “Welcome to the Indian Valley – Where Character Counts.” And it's the only place in the USA where you can purchase a "Funny Cake." So, you think, I think there is something special about the Indian Valley. Absolutely! I grew up here. In the early 1700s, Europeans purchased tracts of land from William Penn. Members of Penn's family acted as administrators under a new provincial government. A predominance of immigrants arrived in the Indian Valley in the early 1700s from Germany. Today, some of their descendants live here. They are sometimes referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch or Germans. My family left Delaware County for the Indian Valley in 1953. My story, a memoir, begins here. This is about my growing-up years, specifically 1953 to 1962, because those years formed a precious time in my life. You will read a collection of stories within my memoir and may reminisce about your growing-up years. Hopefully, you will laugh a bit too. Here’s my invitation – come along with me on the journey. This period is gone, never to return. Today’s children must grow up differently – we think we had it better. Ask any boomer from the 1950s. We rode our bicycles everywhere and dreamed of what our lives would be like when we grew up, not realizing these days would be the best years a child could ever wish for.