Fort Washington, PA news and local guide

During the Philadelphia campaign, George Washington and the Continental Army camped here after their defeat at the Battle of Germantown on October 4, 1777, and before marching to Valley Forge, with Washington headquartered at the Emlen House, built by the Quaker George Emlen in 1745. From December 5 to 8, 1777, the Battle of White Marsh was fought here, and the British commander, General William Howe, watched the American lines from the bell tower of St. Thomas' Episcopal Church. Fort Washington State Park includes ground the Continental Army held during the battle. On July 17, 1856, two North Pennsylvania Railroad trains collided near the Sandy Run station, later Camp Hill, in one of the worst train wrecks in U.S. history. Fifty-nine people were killed instantly and dozens more died of their injuries, though the exact toll is uncertain. Many of the dead were children from St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia's Kensington section, bound for a Sunday school picnic. On January 1, 1946, Fort Washington became part of the new Upper Dublin Township, with parts also in Whitemarsh Township. Sources Wikipedia: Fort Washington, Pennsylvania