This road followed a Native American path from the Delaware River just north of Old City Philadelphia, through Germantown, about 6 miles northwest of Center City Philadelphia, and on to Pottstown.

Settlement in the Germantown area began, at the invitation of William Penn, in 1683 by Nederlanders and Germans under the leadership of Francis Daniel Pastorius fleeing religious persecution.

[2][4][5] Colonial Germantown was a leader in religious thought, printing, and education.

Nearly complete inventories prepared for the National Register of Historic Places, both for the original district and for the expanded area are available.

[9][10] A 1907 inventory of historic buildings in the area was printed in the "History of Old Germantown.