Call Number:

01

Repository:

Malvern Historical Commission

Extent:

6.5 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1970-2015 (bulk) and 1889-2015 (inclusive)

Creator:

Malvern Historical Commission

Abstract:

Around the time of the United States bicentennial, the Chester County (Pennsylvania) Commissioners formed a partnership with the Chester County Historical Society, the Brandywine Conservancy and many volunteers to organize a Chester County Historic Sites Survey. This survey, conducted between 1979 and 1982, included all of Chester County except for the Boroughs of West Chester and Downingtown (which initiated separate survey projects around this time). The Malvern Historical Commission historic property files, 1889-2015 (bulk 1970-2015), consist of research compiled on historic homes in Malvern, including deed research, maps, atlases, and historic property survey forms that were originally created as part of the Chester County Historic Sites Survey. The collection is arranged into three series: I. Subject files, II. Property files, and III. Oversized materials.

In the 17th century, Welsh immigrants settled in the area that would later be known as Malvern, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Originally part of Willistown Township as a village called West Chester Intersection, Malvern was the site of the Battle of Paoli in 1777, which took place during the American Revolution. This site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 as the Paoli Battlefield Site and Parade Grounds. In 1873, when the Pennsylvania Railroad laid its tracks through the village, it was renamed Malvern. Economic development in the small village led residents to officially incorporate in 1889 as the Borough of Malvern, separating it from Willistown Township. Following incorporation, the Borough of Malvern continued to grow, including the creation of the Malvern Fire Company, the Malvern water system, and other organizations. As of 2015, the Borough of Malvern remains a small town with a railway station and a variety of cultural and civic organizations, and as a result of recent revitalization efforts, boasts a wide assortment of local shops in its business district.

"[With the approach of the US Bicentennial in the 1970s]...the Chester County Redevelopment Authority held a public meeting in Downingtown that was seminal in approaching efforts to preserve the county's historic resources. At this meeting it was suggested that money be utilized to identify historic buildings and structures using Chester County's Community Development Block Grant funding from Housing and Urban Development. In 1966 the United States Congress had passed the National Historic Preservation Act that enabled such a survey to take place.

"At the same time, similar historic surveys were beginning elsewhere in Pennsylvania, which made it one of the first states to undertake such an initiative. The Commonwealth's Historical and Museum Commission brought an expert from Canada to teach six regional coordinators on historic survey methodology.

"The Chester County Commissioners...[formed] a partnership with the Chester County Historical Society, the Brandywine Conservancy and...many volunteers to organize the proposed Chester County Historic Sites Survey. This survey, conducted between 1979 and 1982, would include all of Chester County except for the Boroughs of West Chester and Downingtown, which would have their own survey projects initiated around this time.

"Volunteers attended meetings to learn how to identify historic resources, fifty years and older, and specific Architectural Styles prevalent in Chester County from William Penn's "Penn Plan" to Twentieth Century Sears Roebuck and Company Bungalows. They were taught how to (1) complete Architectural Inventory Forms (AIF); (2) take architectural photography; (3) log photography; and (4) prioritize the property's historical significance (in some cases)."

Bibliography:

Quoted text from: County of Chester, Pennsylvania. "Chester County Historic Resource ID." Accessed September 24, 2015. http://webapps.chesco.org/ccparks/cwp/view.asp?A=1553&Q=625110.

Schmitt, Nancy B. A Century in Malvern. Malvern, PA: Malvern Historical Commission, 1989.

This collection consists of research compiled on historic homes in Malvern. The collection, which includes materials that were originally created as part of the Chester County Historic Sites Survey, is arranged into three series: I. Subject files, II. Property files, and III. Oversized materials.

Series I. Subject files consists of files organized by topic, including deed research, historic preservation articles, Malvern Historical District, and other related subjects. The files contain copies of articles, research, and photographs and negatives. In addition to the files, there are binders that consist of tax and deed research for various properties, organized by street.

Series II. Property files consists mostly of secondary-source documents for properties in Malvern, organized by street. Materials in the property files include Pennsylvania Historic Resource Survey Form data sheets from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Chester County Real Estate System - PRS Real Estate Group Property Master printouts (includes parcel ID, lot and plan info), summaries of architectural reports, handwritten notes copied from record and deed books, and a copy of a Malvern map with the property highlighted. Most of the files include photographs of the property. Additional information in some of the folders includes research on the property and/or owners (newspaper clippings, photocopies of newspaper articles), inventories and appraisals of the property, blueprints, and requests for building permissions.

Series III. Oversized materials consists of oversized maps and atlases, including copies of maps of Malvern, property maps, a Chester County property atlas, and multiple copies of the Malvern Historic Resource Atlas.