Upper Merion Tutors

About Upper Merion

Upper Merion Township has long been a center of Pennsylvania crossroads. Its inns, churches, taverns, and other businesses attracted and lodged George Washington’s troops during the Revolutionary War, and the township’s position outside of Philadelphia established it early on as a stopping point for trade and commercial routes. To facilitate the traffic—by foot, horse, wagon, or cart—a bridge was constructed in 1789 near the site of Gulph Mills. For years, this bridge bore the weight of thousands, if not more, travelers, with tons of weight crossing its surface over its lifetime. Today, this bridge continues to bear modern traffic demands, with the added protection of being on the State Historic Register as a site of interest since 1988.

Nearly two hundred years passed between the construction of the bridge and the region’s recognition that it was worthy of historic preservation. What made it so underwhelming for so long in this otherwise historically-minded part of Pennsylvania? Perhaps it is the simplicity of it. Made of stone and structured with an arch, the bridge looks much like any other that would span over a body of water. Gulph Creek, which runs beneath it, never floods, so the bridge did not require complex engineering or design to serve its purpose. It runs approximately 20 feet, with an overall length of about 100 feet, and a simple arch shapes its base above the creek. Beyond its simplicity, however, the bridge symbolizes the identity of Upper Merion Township and its residents.

Bridges serve as structures that span distances that are otherwise uncrossable, or inaccessible between point a and point b. They make journeys possible, in both a literal and symbolic sense, as they are designed to facilitate travel. What would Philadelphia had become without this bridge? What would Upper Merion Township become without its presence as a line that connects city with suburb? Today, thousands commute from the township and neighboring communities into the city of Philadelphia—one of the largest cities on the east coast. Roads, maps, paths, trails, and of course, bridges, are what made this region thrive with industry and community connection, from its earliest founding to its modern-day business, travel, and other recreational practices.

Like the Upper Merion Township bridge, tutors working in this community also facilitate connections of the intellectual variety. With careful guidance, patience, and enduring persistence, struggling students overcome their weaknesses and, as they say, “connect the dots” of learning with the aid of their tutors. Grade Potential tutors, and people like them, are ubiquitous in Upper Merion Township, just like the old bridge that runs over Gulph Creek. But, without their help, the students of the community would continue to falter and struggle to make necessary connections in order to find the academic success they so desire. Thankfully, those weaknesses are bridged—pun used deliberately—in every session they experience with a Grade Potential tutor in the township.