FROM FARMLAND TO SUBURBIA: WESTTOWN TOWNSHIP A History of Westtown Township, Chester County Pennsylvania POSTED JANUARY 22, 2020 A History of Westtown Township Chester County, Pennsylvania by Arthur E. James Originally Published in 1973 by The Chester County Historical Society Reprinted October 2000 by The Chester County Historical Society and Westtown Township Updated in 2019–20 by the Westtown Township Historical Commission copyright Westtown Township 2020 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION TO THE 2019 EDITION 1 ARTHUR JAMES’ 1973 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 2 ABOUT ARTHUR E. JAMES, ORIGINAL AUTHOR OF THIS HISTORY 3 ABOUT WESTTOWN 4 BEFORE WILLIAM PENN — RICH INDIAN LEGACY 6 WELSH/WELCH TRACT 8 SOME EARLY SETTLERS 9 McDaniel Farm 14 Maple Shade Farm/Marshall Jones Farm/formerly Taylor Farm/now Pleasant Grove 15 Wynnorr Farm 17 Faucett/Cheyney Farm 21 Westtown School Farm/Pete’s Produce Farm 24 Bartram Farm 24 Crebilly Farm 25 NATURAL RESOURCES 26 A Well-watered Area 26 Township Sawmills and Gristmills 26 The Westtown School Sawmill of 1795 27 The Westtown School Gristmill and Sawmill, 1801–1914 28 The Hawley-Williams Mills near Oakbourne 29 Minerals and Construction Materials 30 Serpentine Quarries 30 The Osborne Hill Mine 34 Clay Deposits and the Westtown Pottery 35 TRANSPORTATION 38 Roads 38 Chester Road (Pennsylvania Route 352) 38 Street Road (Pennsylvania Route 926) 40 West Chester Pike (Pennsylvania Route 3) 41 Wilmington Pike (U.S. Route 202) 43 The Trolley Line Through Westtown 47 Railroads 49 The West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad 49 Westtown Station 50 Oakbourne Station 50 Chester Creek and Brandywine Railroad 54 MILITARY HISTORY 56 Revolutionary War 56 The War of 1812 59 Civil War 63 Camp Elder/Camp Parole 63 NOTEWORTHY EARLY DATED HOUSES 68 Oakbourne Mansion 68 The Smith Family Home 68 Oakbourne’s Architecture 71 The Water Tower 72 James C. Smith Memorial Home 72 Westtown Township’s Ownership of Oakbourne 73 The Baily/Goch House, now 1108 S. Chester Road 75 “Chestnut Hill” — The Schlaanstine House/Orvis Tree Farm 80 1084 Powderhorn Drive 85 The Mercer House 86 The Hunt House 88 The Osborne House 89 The Strode House 92 Another Strode House 93 Huey House 93 An Early-Dated House 96 Westtown School’s Stone House 96 Westtown School Farm House 97 Quarry House 98 TOWNSHIP BUSINESSES 99 Businesses at Yearsley’s Hill 99 First National Bank of West Chester 99 Darlington’s Corner 100 The Store at Darlington’s Corner 103 Blacksmith and Wheelwright Shops at Darlington’s Corner 103 Brinton Factory at Darlington’s Corner 105 Bartram’s Orchard & Farm Market at Darlington’s Corner 106 Darlington’s Dairy Bar and Restaurant 107 Colonial Motor Court 108 Stores at and Near Westtown Railroad Station 108 Taverns and Alcohol in and Near Westtown 109 Businesses at Shiloh 110 Few Artisans’ Complex 111 The Country Store at Tanguy 111 Eby’s Grocery Store 116 Pete’s Produce Farm 117 Dudas Diving Duds 119 Westtown Electric Company 119 Pipelines in Westtown 120 TOWNSHIP POST OFFICES 121 Thornbury Post Office, 1831–1900 121 Street Road — Westtown Post Office, 1859–Present 122 Oakbourne Post Office, 1883–1927 123 Tanguy Post Office, 1888–1927 123 The “Westtown Local”⁠—The Westtown School’s Local 2¢ Stamps, 1853–1878 124 TOWNSHIP PLACES OF WORSHIP 125 The Friends Meeting at Westtown School 125 Shiloh Methodist Church/Shiloh African Methodist Episcopal Church 126 Saints Simon and Jude Roman Catholic Church, 1961–Present 142 Westminster Presbyterian Church 1892–Present 143 The Bible Baptist Church in Westtown Township, 1967–1970 145 Advent Lutheran Church, 1967–Present 145 The Church of the Loving Shepherd, 1971–Present 146 TOWNSHIP GRAVEYARDS 148 The Taylor Family Burial Ground 148 The Hickman Family Burial Ground 158 Members of the Hickman Family Still Interred in the Grounds 160 Members of the Hickman Family Reinterred to Bradford Cemetery 162 Neighbors and Others Interred at the Hickman Burial Ground 163 The Shiloh African American Episcopal Cemetery 166 Burials in the Shiloh A.M.E. Cemetery 168 Westminster Presbyterian Church Memorial Garden 197 PRIVATE SCHOOLS, PAST & PRESENT 197 The James Gibbons Classical School, 1780–? 197 Mercer’s School, 1806–1856? 197 Westtown School, 1799–Present 201 The Maplewood School for Boys, 1927–’29 208 Saints Simon and Jude School, 1962–Present 208 The John Knox Junior College and Bible Institute, 1966–1968 209 TOWNSHIP PUBLIC SCHOOLS 210 Union Independent School No. 3, 1839–1943 210 The First Pleasant Grove School, 1851–1883 212 Centre School House, 1855–1920 217 Shady Grove School, ca, 1863–ca.1916 219 Penn Wood Elementary School, 1966–Present 220 Stetson Junior High School, now Stetson Middle School, 1959–Present 222 Starkweather Elementary School, 1991–Present 223 Bayard Rustin High School, 2013–Present 226 SOME TOWNSHIP INSTITUTIONS 228 James C. Smith Memorial Home for Convalescent White Women, 1896–1971 228 Pennsylvania Epileptic Hospital and Colony Farm/Oakbourne Colony Hospital, 1896– 1958 229 Oakbourne Hospital, 1958–1965 232 Gaudenzia House/ Gaudenzia Center for Addiction Treatment and Recovery, 1969– Present 232 PUBLIC SAFETY/WESTTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT 233 Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department 233 A 1900 Murder Most Foul 234 Some Unwelcome Township Visitors 234 TOWNSHIP RECREATION 236 Westtown Lake 236 Quarry Swimming Association 237 Wedgewood Swim Club 238 The Westtown Sports Center 238 The Hickman Hunt 239 SOME TOWNSHIP FARM, HOME AND PLACE NAMES—THEN AND NOW 241 TOWNSHIP NEIGHBORHOODS/HOUSING 245 EPILOGUE BY ARTHUR JAMES 257 INTRODUCTION TO THE 2019 EDITION The Westtown Township Historical Commission (WTHC) was formed in 2013 with five members. It grew into seven experienced and interested history buffs (David Walter, Erica Reilly, Gail Guterl, Paul Mullin, Ray Sarnacki, Pam Boulos and Dan Campbell). One of their first missions was documenting the township’s historic resources and finding out more about its history. As members of the commission — particularly emeritus member Jonathan Hoppe — delved into township history, we realized we had access to a great deal of new information. Through research, we learned of the existence of a diary by a Hessian soldier that documents a skirmish on what is now Crebilly Farm property as soldiers moved toward the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. We discovered the names of Civil War African-American troops who are buried in a neglected cemetery amid the ruins of an African Methodist Episcopal church on undeveloped land. We read about a planned railroad spur that was to connect existing tracks to the line along the Brandywine. And who ever knew that the remains of an old depleted silver and manganese mine are in the township? With all this new information, we decided an update of the township history was in order. A comprehensive history of Westtown, From Farmland to Suburbia: Westtown Township, was written in 1973 by the late township resident Arthur James. Published by the Chester County Historical Society, it was reprinted in 2000 by the Chester County Historical Society (CCHS) and Westtown Township. The Historical Commission decided, if we could get the copyright to this book, we could build on its information and expand the township history. In late 2017, Westtown Township Historical Commission approached CCHS and the township and discovered both had no record of owning the copyright to the 1973 book. We then contacted the children of Arthur James, who are now in their 90s, and acquired the copyright from them. The 1973 book was used as our base to expand on the township’s history. So, at times you may find pieces of 1973 history, as you’ll read in the 1973 introduction below, attached to updated 2019 information. Additionally, there may be some repetition of information in the book when 1 subject matter overlaps, such as Brinton’s Quarry and the Quarry Swimming Association, or the Oakbourne Colony Hospital and Gaudenzia House. Initially this updated history will be published online only. Once we feel we have gathered a substantial representation of Westtown’s very rich past, we hope to publish this book in the traditional paper format. Contributors to this updated history include many township residents as well as Jonathan Hoppe and WTHC members Dave Walter, Gail Guterl, Erica Reilly, Pam Boulos, Paul Mullin and Ray Sarnacki. Mary Brooks, archivist at Westtown School, reviewed and updated all information related to the school. We hope you enjoy our efforts to uncover Westtown’s unique history. ARTHUR JAMES’ 1973 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the preparation of this booklet, three current Westtown Township residents have been especially helpful in sharing their knowledge of local history: Joseph Cope, Harry F. Sickler and Marshall L. Jones Sr. Joseph Cope, who was in his mid-eighties at the time of this writing, was a resident owner of a farm on South Concord Road. In 1927, when he served as township assessor, he issued a small pamphlet, “1685—Westtown Township—1927 A Good Place to Live.” This four-page illustrated pamphlet listed the then-current township officials, a brief account of township institutions, and a map showing roads and farm owners. One of the oldest historically minded natives of the township was Harry F. Sickler, then of 907 Shiloh Road. He was born in 1893 in his present home, which was surrounded by his well-kept fruit trees, garden and beehives. His alert memory and enthusiastic sharing of his knowledge of local people and happenings of many years ago was particularly helpful in researching this book. In 1913, the late Marshall L. Jones, Sr., originally from Haverford Township, Delaware County, PA, came to Westtown Township where he purchased a 249-acre farm on Shiloh Road. His skill as a farmer, dairyman, and potato grower, coupled with his penchant for acquiring Westtown farms, soon resulted in his being the largest individual landowner in the township.