Patch History

This emblem, whose creation was commissioned by Lower Gwynedd Police Chief Edward W. Hancock to coincide with and to honor the tricentennial of the state of Pennsylvania, was adopted as the official insignia of the Lower Gwynedd Township Police Department in June of 1982.

The emblem was designed by Chief Hancock to reflect both the township's history and its present personality.

The Quaker figure, prominent on the shield's left side, is richly symbolic. It recalls William Penn's influence on Lower Gwynedd's early development, the Quakers who were the township's first arrivals from the old world, and the Gwynedd Friends Meeting House, where Daniel Boone's parents were married.

The figure could also be said to signify present-day neighborliness--It was duplicated from the logo of the historic William Penn Inn, long a community landmark.

Also on this side of the shield are a teepee and a pair of crossed arrows. The teepee stands for home and for the hospitality practiced by Lower Gwynedd residents. The arrows recall the Delaware Indians, who were the area's first occupants. A set of crossed arrows was their sign for friendship.

The upper two-thirds of the emblem's right half, with its brilliant green background, shows the coat of arms, and the name, Evans. This distinction is a salute to the almost 300 years that Evans family members have lived in the community. It was in 1698 that the first pilgrims arrived in what would become Lower Gwynedd; of the 66 in the group, 31 were named Evans. A direct descendant of these early settlers, Gwenellyn Evans Nicodemus, still lives in the township.

The white background in the lower third of the emblem's right half symbolizes how Gwynedd (pronounced Gwyn ETH in Welsh) possibly first got its name. Gwynedd is Welsh for white fields, and records state that when the pilgrims arrived here from Wales, their new land was blanketed with snow.

Against the white is depicted a golden lamp-of-learning. It honors the educational facilities in Lower Gwynedd Township, namely Gwynedd-Mercy College and the schools of the Wissahickon School District.

The black cross beneath the lamp's spout is a tribute to the community's houses of worship.

In addition to honoring Pennsylvania's tricentenial, the new emblem, according to Chief Hancock, is "dedicated to all those people who have labored and lived in the Lower Gwynedd Township, and who by doing, have made it possible for others to enjoy our unique community. We hope that this heraldry we have created will, in some measure, take its place in the legacy of Lower Gwynedd."