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It’s hard to imagine a version of Cranberry Township that was comprised of lush forests, gently rolling hills, and cascading waves of open fields.
For the settlers who arrived here in the late 1700’s, it was an Eden of abundant opportunity - tranquility that proved irresistible. They purchased hundreds of acres, built self-sustaining farms, and planted their roots: pioneers with names like Graham, Garvin, Duncan, Meeder, Rowan, and Goehring, many descendants of which still remain.
While its name pays homage to the marshy bogs that produced succulent cranberries, its heritage is rooted in humble beginnings that remained largely untouched for centuries. Only with the dawn of an expanding highway system beginning in the 1950’s did Cranberry Township begin its rapid transformation from farm community to suburban hot spot.
Kate Guerriero Benz was raised in Cranberry Township during a time when you went to Viola’s for groceries. Her maternal grandfather, Dr. Samuel M. Rice, maintained a private practice there for 50 years and her mother, Veronica Rice Guerriero, was a founding member of the Cranberry Township Historical Society.