1871 2001 West Point was known as Luken's Station from 1873 to 1876 and owes its existence almost exclusively to the construction of the Stony Creek Railroad.

       In a corner of Upper Gwynedd Township in southeastern Pennsylvania, about 15 miles from Philadelphia, the very small village of West Point has existed since 1877. Before the invention of the automobile, farmland and countryside isolated  it from other population centers such as North Wales, Lansdale and Spring House, but it was accessible by passenger train, trolley car and horseback. West Point is "West" of a certain building in North Wales, and its name is derived from that fact. (The location of the building is explored in more detail on this website)

     As rural farmland was replaced by urban growth, West Point was surrounded by and encroached upon by 20th and 21st century America. In 2005 signs were placed at the four corners of the village so people could tell where it started and ended. Every weekday morning an unending stream of automobile traffic flows through West Point, many of the cars going to the enormous pharmaceutical complex of Merck and Co which employs 11,000 workers at the site. Indeed, the location of the Amos Jones farm which was so significant to the formation of the village is now part of Merck’s property. But in spite of some of the parts being forever lost, the village survives somewhat intact.

     Once a center of commerce, today no lumber, bricks or engines are produced in West Point. Feed for livestock is no longer available for purchase, hay is not baled and no one talks of the fun at Zieber's Park. You can't get a hotel room, there is no general store and the school has vanished. Coal, chickens and cows are no longer for sale. You can't catch the trolley or the train as in days past. The muted chuffing of a steam engine at Heebners Mill and the sounds of horse drawn wagons are no longer heard.

     Although the train station and trolley tracks are gone, the Stony Creek rail line is still operating. Residents find comfort late at night hearing the train coming through, the sound softened almost into melody as it fades into the distance. Few know where it has come from or what its destination will be, but the train was an important part of West Point history

 

Freight train crossing West Point Pike on the Stony Creek Line.

     West Point still has the Post Office which made the village name official. It is also is the home of  the Upper Gwynedd Fire House. It has its own radio station, church, auto repair shop, day care center, and a park with a playground and basketball court. It is home to many  professional and home based businesses, not to mention the headquarters and manufacturing plants for Colorcon and Merck & Co. as well as the (in)famous Pizza Time Saloon.

AND... West Point has some of the nicest people anywhere.
 

This website will showcase some of the sights and history of West Point Pennsylvania.
Enjoy your visit.