When State Representative Brian Munroe talks about Warminster, it’s not just as a legislator – it’s as someone who feels deeply connected to the community’s past, present, and future. Representing Pennsylvania’s 144th District, which includes Warminster, Warrington, Ivyland, and parts of New Britain Township, Munroe has seen firsthand how small towns can leave an outsized mark on America’s story.

“Sometimes communities like ours don’t just witness history,” he told me. “Sometimes we make it.”

From Steamboats to Spaceflight

Munroe sees Bucks County as fertile ground for innovation stretching back nearly 300 years. “Warminster Township was where John Fitch created the steamboat,” he said. “Our schools are named after pioneers like William Tennant, and of course, the Space Museum connects us to the Gemini program. If you drive down Bristol Road, you can still see the gondola that trained astronauts like John Glenn for the G-forces of space.”

For Munroe, reminding residents of this hidden history is essential. “A lot of people drive past without realizing what they’re seeing. It’s our responsibility to preserve that history and connect it to the businesses still doing aerospace work today.”

The NADC and Warminster’s Identity

As a U.S. Navy veteran, Munroe understands the importance of the Naval Air Development Center (NADC) not only nationally but locally. “The NADC is probably the number one piece of our identity as a township,” he said. “It helped create the foundation of our community. Even today, companies here are building components for NASA missions – like a collection device used on an asteroid probe.”

The Johnsville Centrifuge, once the world’s largest and most powerful, remains a powerful symbol. “That capsule on Bristol Road – the one John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, and the other Mercury astronauts trained in – was rotting away until Bucks County residents stepped in to protect it. That’s what community preservation looks like,” Munroe said.

Hidden History, Urgent Preservation

Munroe believes Bucks County hasn’t fully embraced its aerospace legacy. “The history is still too hidden,” he said. “If I could get $300,000 to $500,000, it could fund a proper museum to preserve these artifacts. If you build it, they will come. People will travel here once they know the story.”

He’s quick to emphasize urgency: “History only matters if we preserve it – and especially if we teach it to the next generation.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

For Munroe, the value of preserving Warminster’s aerospace history isn’t just about honoring the past – it’s about sparking futures. “When kids learn that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin trained right here, it connects to their own lives. It tells them: this is attainable. You can chase this too.”

He’s already putting that belief into action. Recently, when the robotics team at William Tennent High School handed him a “wish list” for funding, he delivered every penny. “They never dreamed they’d get it all. If that turns one student into a scientist who cures cancer or builds the next spacecraft, that’s the investment that matters.”

Why It Matters for Before The Moon

Munroe’s reflections echo the very heart of Before The Moon: the idea that places like Warminster – quiet, overlooked, and often forgotten – helped make the impossible possible. “If you want to know how America reached the Moon, sometimes you have to look at places like Warminster,” Munroe told me. And he’s right: the centrifuge, the NADC, and the people of Bucks County were as critical to Apollo as the rockets launched from Florida.

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