Historic
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Local History Professor Shares His Decades of Duffy’s Cut Research
Local history professor William Watson has shared the story of first discovering Duffy’s Cut, a mysterious landmark in Malvern, as he writes in an article at The Conversation. The Immaculata University professor and a team of students first discovered Duffy’s Cut in 2004. In the decades since, the team has continued research on the site,…
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Thornbury Farm Honors Local History with Lafayette Celebration
A recent Marquis de Lafayette celebration honored a significant piece of local history, writes Bill Rettew for The Daily Local News. Reenactor and Thornbury Farm owner Randell Spackman hosted the event to commemorate the anniversary of Marquis de Lafayette’s return to Chester County after the Battle of Brandywine. The celebration included a tour, war reenactment,…
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Burial Service and Forum for Remembering Zachariah Walker: Lynched in Coatesville 1911
Finally, after 114 years, the remains of Zachariah Walker, who was brutally lynched and burnt to death in Chester County, will be buried. The burial and service will take place in the village of Ercildoun near Coatesville. The burial and an afternoon forum are a community and education initiative to overcome hatred and violence. The…
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Oldest Home in West Chester Remains a Symbol of History Throughout Region
The Dower House, located at the Goshen Road intersection, is the oldest, continuously occupied home in West Chester, writes Malcolm Johnstone for County Lines Magazine. Early records tell us that John and Mary Wall bought 150 acres of land in 1712, in what’s now West Chester Borough. Some historians believe that Dower House was built…
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Duffy’s Cut Researchers Believe They Found Second Mass Grave of Irish Railroad Workers Likely Killed in 1832
Brothers William and Frank Watson, the researchers who first uncovered Duffy’s Cut, believe they have discovered a second mass grave of Irish railroad workers buried in Malvern in 1832, writes Zoe Greenberg for The Philadelphia Inquirer. William Watson is a historian at Immaculata University, while Frank Watson is a pastor and an archivist. They discovered…
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Brandywine Battlefield Task Force Dedicated to Preserving Local History
The Brandywine Battlefield Task Force is dedicated to preserving Chester County’s legacy during a historic year, writes Bill Rettew for The Daily Local News. Recently, the organization celebrated twelve years of planning the Brandywine Battlefield Phased Study, and thirty-two years of operation overall. A crucial piece of local history, The Battle of Brandywine took place…
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The Star-Spangled Banner, One of Best-Known National Anthems in World, Has Rowdy Origins
The Star-Spangled Banner, one of the best-known national anthems in the world, has roots far more rowdy than patriotic, writes Barrymore Laurence Scherer for The Wall Street Journal. The melody was originally written by English composer John Stafford Smith as a popular drinking song, “To Anacreon in Heav’n.” A pupil of renowned composer William Boyce…
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Chester County Preserves History with Underground Railroad Memorial Sites
Chester County organization Voices Underground has plans to honor the county’s history through immersive storytelling, writes Emily Neil for WHYY. Voices Underground features artists, scholars, and activists working to promote racial healing through creative arts, memorialization, and storytelling. Currently, the organization plans to construct three separate memorial sites that tell the storied history of the…
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Mystery Behind Cowan Family Gravestone at Historic West Caln Church Revealed
A quiet mystery at St. John’s Episcopal Church in West Caln stirred curiosity when a large Cowan Family gravestone appeared in the historic cemetery, writes Bill Rettew for The Daily Local News. The stone, which appeared without explanation and honors at least 15 family members, puzzled churchgoers and staff. No one recalled approving or even…
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Inside Kennett Square’s Long History with the Underground Railroad
As Juneteenth approaches, the Kennett Underground Railroad Center seeks to educate the community on Kennett’s history with the abolitionist movement, writes Madeleine Wright for CBS News Philadelphia. Historic buildings throughout Kennett Square served as stops along the Underground Railroad. The community as a whole was a vital space for abolitionist work throughout the nineteenth century.…
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Liberty Trees Planted In Remembrance at Revolutionary War Sites Ahead of America’s 250th Anniversary
In honor of the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026, Liberty Trees were planted at two key Revolutionary War sites in Chester County, writes Bill Rettew for The Daily Local News. The historic locations were the Paoli Battlefield in Malvern and Brandywine Battlefield Park in Chadds Ford. These tulip poplar saplings are part…
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Carriage Driver Spends 40 Years at Chadds Ford’s Big Bend Farm
A local horse-drawn carriage driver has spent nearly four decades working at Chadds Ford’s Big Bend Farm, writes Jim Graham for The Hunt. Coachman Robert Longstaff spent 38 years working with George “Frolic” Weymouth, the longtime owner of the sprawling Chadds Ford estate. The pair spent years driving coaches and competing in horse shows across…
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Dunwoody Village Hosts Open House of Octagonal Schoolhouse in Newtown Square
Dunwoody Village is hosting an open house of the Hood Octagonal Schoolhouse located on its property at 3500 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, on Saturday, June 7. The Schoolhouse will be open from 10 AM to 3 PM. The public is invited to attend. The Hood Octagonal School was built in 1842 by William Hood…
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Once-Vibrant Village in East Coventry Township Now a Ghost Town Due to Nuclear Power Plant
Once a vibrant village, Frick’s Lock in East Coventry Township became a ghost town after it was vacated for the construction of the nuclear power plant in Limerick, writes Katie Park for the Philadelphia Inquirer. The village, which dates back to 1740, is now co-owned by the township and Exelon Generation. Today, the doors and…
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Historic William Peters House in Chadds Ford Hits Market for First Time in Six Decades
The historic William Peters House in Chadds Ford, which traces its roots back to before the Revolutionary War, has hit the market for the first time in 60 years for $3.85 million, writes Ryan Mulligan for the Philadelphia Business Journal. The home was originally built in 1750 in Aston before it was relocated and reconstructed…
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Historic Cox House in Kennett Square Which Was Once Part of Underground Railroad Relocated
Longwood Gardens has successfully moved the Cox House, a historic home that once served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Longwood made the decision to preserve the Cox House by moving it 100 feet from its prior location in response to a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation project to widen Route 1. The process…
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An Underground Railroad Marker Unveiled in Drexel Hill
There’s a marker now in the 400 block of Shadeland Avenue letting people know it is the site of the Riverview House/Cleveland Farm section of Upper Darby’s Underground Railroad, writes Pete Bannan for the Daily Times. Upper Darby unveiled the marker on Friday. The Upper Darby Underground Railroad self-guided tour was created in 2021 by…
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Check Out Where Philly Ranks Among America’s Best Places to Celebrate Easter
Whether yours is an egg-dying, marshmallow-eating, goodie-hunting extravaganza or a “holy experience” that “celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and represents the ‘new covenant’ between God and humanity,” Easter is shared by 80 percent of Americans. And while the Philadelphia area isn’t as high on the list as Pittsburgh is, the city and suburbs are…
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