The Telford Police Department is currently housed in the former Telford National Bank which was organized in 1909. Have you ever noticed that the exterior brick walls have an unusual pattern? This pattern was set-up by the Charles H. Price in his brickyard on East Summit Street in Bucks County. The checkered color was caused by alternating a dark stretcher with the head of a black header. (He was the father of Souderton- Telford historian, Charles H. Price, Jr. who lived at 218 South Main Street. This house also has unique exterior brick pattern work.)
In 1908 a few citizens, Nathaniel E. Wampole, Charles H. Price, and Harry Z. Wampole decided a well should be dug to provide water to the six new houses built by Wampole on Poplar Street. (Today it is called West Broad Street.) The Telford Water Company was organized in 1908 to build this well and it was estimated that a $5000 loan would be required to get the project done. The Water Company applied to Souderton Union National Bank and then to Sellersville National Bank for the loan, but the applications were denied by both organizations.
That refusal got some people thinking that Telford needed its own bank to handle local matters. The Telford National Bank was chartered, the building completed and opened for business by December of 1908 with Edwin C. Leidy* as its first president. On that first day of business $17,822.25 in deposits were made! When this bank finally merged with Union National Bank of Souderton in January of 1955 it brought with it $3,345,993.28 in assets and $376,330.93 in capital. Union National Bank as well as the Chamber of Commerce used the building until 1988 when the building was purchased by the
Telford Borough. About a year later the Telford Police moved into the building after some major renovations had been completed. (The Chamber of Commerce had its offices upstairs in this building until about 2015.)
But returning to the story about the well. The hand dug well was 30′ deep with a 40′ high tower topped by a wooden tank which could hold 15,000 gallons of water. (The stone removed from the digging was used to build the house at 176 West Broad Street.) This well ran dry after hooking up the County Line Hotel, so an artesian well was created by digging the old well to a depth of 90′. The new well now had a flow of 100 gallons of water a minute. (This original well is now referred to as Well # 1 by the Telford Borough Authority.)
Edwin C. Leidy was a school teacher, Justice of the Peace for 38 years, businessman with vision and a homeowner on Country Line Road (now the Sadler- Seuss Funeral Home). His religious devotion manifested in being one of the organists at Leidy’s Church in the 1860s, Superintendent of the Sunday School at Union Chapel (Telford’s first religious organization). in 1886 and one of 13 founders of Trinity Reformed Church in 1897. His public service included borough councilman at various times and its first Constable. His public service and fraternal organizations included: charter member of the Telford Fire Company in 1903, helped organize the Telford Chamber of Commerce in 1928, membership in McCalla Lodge, Wallawatoola Tribe Red Men, and the Knights of Golden Eagles of Telford. His financial acumen was sought as he helped organize the Quakertown Trust Company and the First National Bank of Sellersville, served as the director of Telford’s Citizens Building and Loan secretary for 17 years and becoming the first President of Telford National Bank. He held that position for 20 years and never missed an annual meeting. In 1914, the Board of Directors approved a salary of $400 a year for him, which was less than that paid to both the bank cashier and the teller!
