Saul Preserve Points of Interest S6 Saul Allee

Proceed into the Preserve about 1/3 mile, on either the Old Mill or Wolf Tree trails, or the Overlook Trail further up the hill, to the Saul Allee Trail. On the floodplain adjacent to Ridley Creek, you will notice a large open lane with mostly tulip trees, northern basswood and mountain basswood on either side. This is the Saul Allee (tree lined walkway), so named for this stand of trees, planted for the Saul's Rose Valley Nursery, and then allowed to grow and mature in place. These trees are approximately 70 to 80 years old. The Saul Allee is both the name of the trail and our last point of interest in the Saul Preserve.

Northern basswood is a large and graceful deciduous tree that grows to about 150 ', and has asymmetrical heart shaped and coarsely toothed leaves. Basswoods are found throughout eastern North America though centered in the Great Lakes region. They provide wood for beehives, crating, furniture, and excelsior. It is also a popular honeybee tree, producing a distinctive flavor and pale color.

It could be said the all of Rose Valley is a Saul Allee. Philadelphia lawyer Maurice Bower Saul and his wife Adele Scott Saul moved here in 1911 and quickly made it their home. In 1923, Saul led the effort to create the Borough of Rose Valley, and organizing 250 residents to petition, won approval on December 23, 1923 in the Court of Quarter Sessions. It created a separate municipality of 410 acres of which 363 had been in Nether Providence and 47 in Middletown Township.

The destiny they sought was to preserve the simple residential environment, quiet roads and lanes with old shade, seclusion and privacy. These early residents preferred the peace and quiet of country life, and the scenic beauty of the Valley. Then the Sauls loaned land from their orchard for the School in Rose Valley, which started construction of the new campus in 1934. In 1953 they deeded this land to the school for a permanent home. They also rented the Old Mill to the Rose Valley Folk, for the payment of one red rose annually, and eventually mortgaged them the property in 1956. The stone plaque you passed at the entrance stands as a testament to their vision and generosity.

Encyclopedia Britannica. Basswood Tree, Britannica.com. April 19th, 2023. britannica.com/plant/basswood.

Peter Ham, Various other Editors. The History of Rose Valley. Volume 1. Rose Valley, Pennsylvania. Rose Valley Borough, 1974.