How did Keelersville, Pennsylvania get its name? This page provides a brief history about the naming of Keelersville, Pennsylvania, the people who settled it, and the industry rising within it.
Village in the extreme northwest corner of Bedminster Township on Old Bethlehem Road (Route 656), at this point forming the township line between Bedminster and East Rockhill, and within a half mile of its intersection with Ridge Road (Route 386). Means of certainly knowing how the village received its name are not at hand. It may be safely assumed, however, that it was named for some member of the Keeler family, although it does not appear that this family was numerous at any time in Bedminster.
Keelersville, with a population of 170, a store, hotel, shops, and the large tannery and leather manufactory operated by Reuben B. Delp, was a thriving village seventy years ago. Beautifully situated nearby stands the old Tohickon Union Church, contemporary in its founding with Kellers Church in the same township. The first church, a log structure, was built about 1745. The first Reformed pastor was Rev. John Conrad Wirtz from July 1745 to July 1753. The first Lutheran pastor was John M. Schaefer from June 10, 1750, to 1753. There are no Lutheran records prior to 1750. The deed for the log church lot was executed September 1, 1753. This building and the stone structure following it, built in 1766, stood on the Rockhill side of Bethlehem Road. The present building, erected in 1837 with native “new red sandstone,” is on the Bedminster side of the road. The building is unique in having two entrance doors in its facade, one belonging to each denomination. Over the south door is the inscription “Tohickon Peace Evangelical Lutheran Congregation” and over the north door “Tohickon St. Peter’s Reformed Congregation.” These separate doorways are not symbolical of strained sectarian relations. On the contrary, the two congregations have worshipped and maintained their joint church in perfect harmony in this old settlement for almost two centuries.