Bensalem Township is an area of 22 square miles bounded on three sides by waterways: the Delaware River, the Neshaminy Creek and the Poquessing Creek. Through it pass four of the most important arteries of transportation in the United States: Interstate 95 (Delaware Expressway), US Route 13 Downingtown, PA 19335-4440 (Bristol Pike), US Route 1 (Lincoln Highway), and Interstate 276 (PA Turnpike). There have been many discussions about the name “Bensalem” with the most popular theory being that it comes from the estate of Joseph Growden called “The Manor of Bensalem” in the 1700’s. Settled by the Dutch, Swedes, and English, it was a farming community until the 1950’s when businesses and industries started to dot the landscape. One of the biggest changes in the township in the 1960’s was the construction of Interstate 95 which transformed Street Road from a two-lane country road into a major four lane highway. At one point, it seemed like nothing was going to stay the same with so many new buildings springing up to accommodate the influx of new residents and businesses, but remarkably, many of the old buildings have survived. In 1979 all the small towns (Andalusia, Eddington, Cornwells Heights, Bridgewater, Flushing, and many others), became one postal area called “Bensalem.” Many older maps still show these delightful small towns. The 21st century brings a realization, or perhaps the rediscovery, of the Delaware riverfront which offers an extraordinary opportunity for recreation and housing development to replace some of the defunct industries and businesses. To preserve valuable open space and to provide continued recreation for residents, the Bensalem Country Club was acquired by Bensalem Township.