The location of this building
“Souderton’s hometown bank was chartered in 1876 and moved to this newly constructed building the following year. It served residents and business owners for generations before the construction of the larger limestone bank on W. Broad Street in 1929.”
The original bank building
The Union National Bank of Souderton predates the borough itself by more than a decade. Chartered on May 12, 1876, its original board consisted of prominent local business owners. The bank’s earliest location was in the old trolley depot at Main and West Broad Streets – now a parking lot.
In 1877, the bank moved into this (for its time) imposing building, which received a front addition in 1909. Operations continued here until 1929, when the bank relocated to its grand Art Deco building across Broad Street. Union National survived the Depression era when many other banks did not.
With the new front addition
Since then, the building has served as Souderton’s Post Office, the Mennonite Heritage Center, a classroom for the local schools, and the Univest Conference Center. Positioned atop the hill in the heart of town, it housed a bell in the attic to be rung in case of fire or emergency. Remarkably, the bell and its rope remain in place today, as does the location of the original safe on the second floor.
The historical markers were made possible by generous donations from Souderton Connects, Univest Corp, and the Souderton-Telford Historical Society. We hope you enjoy them.
