Barn Again in Chester County

Barn Again in Chester County - Aug 22nd
Sponsor: East Bradford Historical Commission

Tour Information: Parking is located at the site, 825 Sconnelltown Road, West Chester.
Southwest of West Chester

The Barn Again in Chester County Town Tour will be held rain or shine.
The tour will be a self-guided tour inside this fascinating Ice Museum.
If you arrive early, please understand that doors will not open until 5:30 p.m.

In 2009, Joann and Peter Stack purchased a dilapidated stone barn c. 1834 in
East Bradford Township which had once housed the Darlington Seminary for Girls
 from 1877-1933. For the next three years, a remarkable transformation took place
which resulted in a fully renewed historic structure. Today, this adaptive reuse
project has resulted in a museum which features Mr. Stack’s collection of artifacts
from the Ice Industry. The remarkable story of this industry began in 1805.
At its height in 1920, over 1 billion dollars was added to the US economy from
the ice industry that served the world. Come tour the barn and learn about this
vanished part of our history.

Soldier-Statesman-Leader: The Legacy of Richard Thomas III

August 8: Soldier-Statesman-Leader: The Legacy of Richard Thomas III (1744-1832)
Sponsor: West Whiteland Historical Commission

Tour Information: Parking will be located behind 233 West Lincoln Highway, Exton,
across from Exton Nissan.

Richard Thomas III struggled with loyalty to his pacifist Quaker upbringing and belief in the Patriot cause. His duty to country prevailed and he took up arms during the Revolution. As the new nation formed he participated in its politics at state and federal levels. On this tour, costumed guides will take participants on a tour of the homes and businesses built by Thomas and describe the life and times of this famous Exton citizen.

A representative from Pennsylvania; born in West Whiteland, Pa., December 30, 1744; educated at home by private teachers; served in the Revolutionary Army as colonel of the First Regiment, Chester County Volunteers; elected as a Federalist to the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Congresses (March 4, 1795-March 3, 1801); engaged in agricultural pursuits; died in Philadelphia, Pa., January 19, 1832; interment in the Friends Western Burial Ground at 16^th& Race in Philadelphia.

Historic Nantmeal Village

Town Tour today of Historic Nantmeal Village is cancelled due to rain. We are hoping to reschedule for September. Thank you for your support during this hot and rainy summer.

August 1: Historic Nantmeal Village,

                the “Sweet Water” Meeting on Coventry RoadSponsor: East Nantmeal Historical Commission and Society

Tour Information: The Village is located at the intersection of Coventryville and Fairview Roads in Glenmoore. Parking will be at Camphill Soltane, 224 Nantmeal Road. Turn off route 100 onto Nantmeal Road which runs between the Horse Show Grounds and Ludwigs Corner Firehouse. Go 1 mile to parking on right. There will be no parking in Nantmeal Village the day of the tour.
Stroll through Nantmeal Village, Welsh for “sweet water.” Our village began as a “quiet” Quaker settlement in the early 1700’s, convenient to nearby forges. When the meeting closed in strife, the village was reborn through the “wheelings and dealings” of John Murray and others. By the 1880’s, it had become quite the destination with a church, two schools, band hall, store, smithy, wheelwright, cabinetmaker and more! This now sleepy residential hamlet hides a colorful past illuminated for you on the Town Tours!

East Nantmeal History

Goshenville - July 25th

July 25: Goshenville 1863
Sponsor: East Goshen Historical Commission
Tour Information: Historic Goshenville and parking are located at the corners of Rt 352 and East Boot Road in East Goshen. (1600 East Boot Road, West Chester PA 19380)

TOWN TOURS & VILLAGE WALKS COMES TO EAST GOSHEN

 

Mark your calendars for July 25 and take advantage of a unique experience.  Today, East Goshen’s Historical Commission will be presenting their program on the Civil War in East Goshen.  Temperatures will remain comfortable with help from the cloudy conditions.  Goshenville is located at the corners of Route 352 and East Boot Road in East Goshen Township, address to search directions is 1600 East Boot Road, West Chester.

Since this is the 150^th Anniversary of the third year of the American Civil War, the theme is A TIME OF CHANGE -- CIVIL WAR 1863.

Tours begin at 5:30 p.m. and generally last about 50 – 60 minutes.  The last tour leaves at 7:00 p.m. unless daylight allows for additional tours.  There is no need to pre-register this year.  Be sure to wear comfortable shoes. Please remember that there can be a wait of up to 15 minutes.   Light refreshments follow your tour.

As you walk around this rural village you hear the clanging of the hammer in the Blacksmith Shop.  Over at the General Green Tavern you join a group of villagers talking about the battle of Gettysburg. You can also look at a display of military weaponry and see the Post Office that has been sent up.  Near the tavern, soldiers are talking about their experiences at war.

Outside the Plank House a few nurses are telling the story of medicines being sent to the troops.  Nearby, a group of Quaker women and girls rolling bandages and shipping goods to the recently opened Chester Military Hospital at Upland where freed Union prisoners received medical care.  

In another room in the farm house the local telegraph operator is busy sending messages up and down the East Coast.  The garden outside the house supplies food for the families that live nearby.  The herbs planted provide ingredients for many of the medicines that will be needed.

During your visit, you will learn that women, children, and old men planted, cultivated, and harvested the crops, kept the family businesses going, as well as made bandages, organized fundraisers, and shipped food and clothing to their soldiers and to hospitals.

We look forward to seeing you!

See this link for more about Goshenville Historic District.

Restaurants:
Pepper Mill - Pizza and pasta. 
At the Goshen Villages shopping center down Paoli Pike there's Athena Pizza and Oriental Pearl restaurnats
Otherwise, you're not far from the restaurants on West Chester Pike.

Weather should be nice, Hi of 75 with a very slight chance of rain. (Kind of like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs!?]

Phoenixville Churches of Church Street

July 18: Inside the Churches of Church StreetSponsors: The Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area

Tour Information: Signage will direct you to parking areas in and around Phoenixville. To get started go to 204 Church Street, Phoenixville.

Take a stroll down Church Street, one of the oldest streets in Phoenixville, and learn about the six churches that once occupied the street. Learn how immigration fueled the building of places of worship in the early 19th century. Many ethnic groups had their own religious identities and as a result, many churches were built in Phoenixville. We will visit the interiors of several of these churches and hear about their architecture and histories.

The free Tours will begin at 5:30 pm at the Society and the last tour will leave at 7 pm.  You can also learn about two early churches that are no longer there.  This will be an opportunity to see Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which is now a worship site for the St. Ann Parish, and to learn more about St. Peter's Episcopal Church in its 175th year.

See pictures of the Churches on Church Street on the Phoenixville Historical Society web site.

Restaurants:  Unlike last week where there we few choices, Phoenixville has a lively restaurant scene.

Parking:  Read carefully the instructions on the signs.  Zone A is 2 hour parking until 8pm.  After 8pm you can get a ticket.  The parking lots are $1 per hour and are convenient to the Bridge St restaurants.  Street parking is available sometimes.

Yellow Springs Update 3pm

The Historic Yellow Springs celebration of "The Blob" will be held rain or shine tonight.

Weather is looking great.....now let's hope The Blob doesn't get us!