East
Marlborough Township was established by the Pennsylvania State
Legislature in 1729. East and West Marlborough Townships were carved
out of the larger Marlborough Township, which was considered too
unwieldy. Pennsylvania rural Townships were originally established by
the Commonwealth legislature to provide a network of roads to assist
farmers in getting their crops to market. Today, maintenance of
Township roads is the primary responsibility of Townships of the Second
Class. Later, Zoning Regulations were added to the responsibilities of
local municipalities. East Marlborough is sixteen square miles in area
and includes the world famous horticultural displays at Longwood
Gardens, as well as New Bolton Center, the veterinary school of the
University of Pennsylvania, where pioneering animal research is done We
are the caretakers of several surviving Penn Oak Trees which were young
trees when William Penn walked this land. In addition, there are
several surviving stations of the Underground Railroads which assisted
escaping slaves on their journey to freedom in the north. Local groups
are working to restore one of the Underground Railroad Stations,
located on US Route One. Historic Unionville Village is listed on the
National Register of Historic buildings and towns. Sleepy Marlborough
Village, with its original buildings, including a Quaker Meeting House,
is located at the intersection of Marlborough Road and Marlborough
Spring Road.