Graterford is an unincorporated community in Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1756 by Jacob Kreator, a textile weaver, Graterford was originally named Grater's Ford until abbreviated to Graterford by the postal service in the mid-1950s. A state penitentiary is located there, which was originally a prison farm. Located along the Perkiomen Creek, Graterford was a vital summer resort community during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.