Quakertown's Historic 1896 Trolley Barn
- Restored, and OPEN for Bussiness!This is terminal and trolley car barn of the Quakertown-Richlandtown Traction Co., built in 1896. The building housed the region’s first electric trolleys, which ran from Main and Broad Streets to nearby Richlandtown. With a connection to the Lehigh Valley Transit Co., residents of Quakertown could travel by trolley either north to Allentown or even south, all the way to Norristown and Philadelphia!
The trolley service ended in 1929 and the building was converted to a movie house called The Broad, complete with a piano player who performed during silent films. Over the years, the building housed a live theater, a laundry mat and a general store. As Quakertown’s largest hall, it was also used for graduations. It was even home to a bowling alley in the 1950s. In the late 1980's, it became the Trolley Barn Antique Emporium.
Today, I'm happy to report the building has been restored as the Trolley Barn Public Market and in use serving baked goods, coffee, wine and craft beer (and really great BBQ, btw) helping to revitalize the city's downtown historic district. Adjacent to the adjacent "Two Rivers Taproom" is an outdoor dinning area complete with individual fire pits. Work commenced just prior to my visit in May of 2019 with a grand opening in November of 2020.
