History:

East Norriton Township has a total land area of 6.1 square miles and a population of 13,211 residents (as of the last federal census in 2000). It is one of 1,457 Townships of the Second Class in the Commonwealth and one of 62 municipalities in Montgomery County. Townships are the oldest political subdivisions of Pennsylvania. William Penn's 1681 Charter authorized him to divide counties into towns. As soon as the first counties were created in 1682, they were subdivided into districts for various governmental purposes. As settlement moved westward, townships were often formed in frontier areas before there was sufficient population to justify a separate county, so in most cases the oldest subdivisions are townships, antedating even the county governments. East Norriton Township was included in one of the early manors (towns) created by Penn called Williamstadt. In 1689, he directed the surveyor general of the Province, "to lay out a tract of land on the canoeable [sic] part of the Schuykill." This tract contained approximately 7,482 acres all of present day East Norriton Township, West Norriton Township and the Borough of Norristown. The tract was intended as a gift to his son, but five days after receiving the land William Penn, Jr. sold it to two Philadelphia merchants, Isaac Norris and William Trent, for the sum of 850 pounds sterling. Eight years later, Norris purchased Trent's holdings and gained ownership of the entire tract.

The Manor of Williamstadt remained intact until 1730 when, on petition of its residents, Norriton Township was created by the Court of Quarter Sessions of Philadelphia County. The creation of the Borough of Norristown in 1812 and the subsequent addition of 1,500 acres to the Borough reduced the area of Norriton Township to about 5,500 acres. East Norriton Township's incorporation dates back to 1909 when it was separated through a court order from the larger "Norriton" Township. After the court ordered separation two townships were formed, East Norriton Township and West Norriton Township. East Norriton Township became a Township of the Second Class in 1924.