Our Mission

The mission of the Rydal-Meadowbrook Civic Association (RMCA) is to promote the best interests and general welfare of Rydal-Meadowbrook and of Township of Abington by protecting public health, safety and property rights, and by advocating for the needs of our neighbors and the vitality of our community. 

Our Members

Residents and property owners in or adjacent to the area known as Rydal-Meadowbrook of Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and who support the Association’s goals are eligible for membership.

We serve parts of Abington election wards 2, 3, 7 and all of 1 - your community.

A lush garden with pink and purple flowers surrounding a stone gazebo with four columns and an ornate metal dome roof.

Board of Directors

Our board is fully comprised of volunteers local to the neighborhood. Board seats are elected positions with each term being for a period of 2 years. Elections and re-elections occur at the associations annual meeting.

Officers

  • A woman with dark, wavy hair smiling at the camera, wearing a lace top, outdoors with a blurred natural background.

    Kim Seese

    PRESIDENT

  • A smiling woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing a scarf and a jacket, standing indoors.

    Cathie Ragg

    VICE PRESIDENT

  • Black and white photo of a woman with curly hair, smiling, wearing a patterned blouse and earrings, with a wooden interior and window in the background.

    Michelle DiBello

    TREASURER

  • A woman smiling in front of a window, with trees visible outside.

    Aina Renwrick

    SECRETARY

Directors

  • Rob DeSilverio

  • Deborah Glanzberg-Krainin

  • Mark Green

  • Michael Molda

  • Susan Packer

  • Kamila Serwin

  • Blythe Seese

  • Jamie Weiner

Our History

RMCA, founded in Abington Township in 1948, is the oldest incorporated civic association in Pennsylvania.

The roots of the community trace back to 1888, when the Reading Railroad built the Rydal train station—originally called Benezet. The name later changed to Rydal, after a town in the United Kingdom. In the early 1900s, wealthy Philadelphia families began moving into the area, which then spanned 250 acres and featured 10 grand estates. Each estate carried a name, some of which survive today as local roads. Among them were Barrowdale, Lorraine, Avila, Vernon, Tockington, Chelten, Whitworth, Fairy Hill, Fairacres, and Crosswicks.

Crosswicks, owned by banker Clement B. Newbold, was a 75-room Georgian mansion and estate. After Newbold’s death in 1926, developers attempted to build a golf course and luxury homes, but the Great Depression halted the project after only nine homes were completed.

By the late 1940s, the long-abandoned estate drew interest from a cooperative seeking to build 180 homes for returning veterans. In 1947, the cooperative purchased 44 acres of the Newbold property for $44,000 with plans to acquire more. When the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on the project, local residents quickly organized in opposition.

Led by community leaders such as William Grimditch, Russell A. Muth, Ernest Muehleck, Aaron Hardwick, and Thomas Montague, residents incorporated as the Rydal-Meadowbrook Civic Association (RMCA). With about 50 members, they circulated petitions, hired attorneys, and partnered with the Abington Lower Civic Association to oppose the plan.

In 1949, RMCA won a zoning amendment that blocked the development—but the cooperative appealed and the Montgomery County Court ruled in its favor. After three years of opposition, RMCA’s first major effort ended in defeat. The cooperative homes were built, and the area became known as the Crosswicks section of Rydal.

Though unsuccessful, the fight established RMCA as a strong civic voice. More than 75 years later, RMCA continues to represent the interests of the Rydal-Meadowbrook community, now home to about 3,350 residents. Guided by its history, RMCA works to preserve the community’s character while addressing the challenges of the twenty-first century.

References

  1. The Battle of Abington Township: A Case History in Cooperative Housing, Morton M. Hunt, 1950

  2. “Welcome to Alden Manor,” Scott Laughlin, Preservation Directory, updated Sept. 11, 2025

  3. Abington Presbyterian Church website, history

  4. Helene L. Schaffer, A Tour of Old Abington, 1937, revised 1976