In 1701 William Penn granted 10,000 acres of land to seventeen colonists of Swedish descent living in present-day Philadelphia. The village within the Swedes' Tract was called Morlatton, and by 1719 the entire tract became Amity Township, the first municipality in Berks County. The origin of the name Morlatton, or Molatton in its original spelling, is unknown, but it may have derived from the name used by the earlier Native American inhabitants, the Lenape. Morlatton was a diverse community settled by Swedes, Scots and Welsh, Ulstermen from Northern Ireland, Netherlands Dutch, including a partly Polish family, Germans, and English. A few families in the Morlatton area held African American slaves. Because of its location at a crossroads along the Schuylkill River, Morlatton became a thriving community during the 18th century, a popular meeting place, and a center of commerce. Four of the original Morlatton Village structures remain today and are maintained and preserved by the Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County.