Place: Chester County (Pa.) - Philadelphia Area Archives Search Results

Miller-Dickey Family papers, 1786-1992 (inclusive)

Extent:: 10.0 boxes
Abstract:: This collection consists of papers of the Cross, Dickey, and Miller families of Chester County, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland. John Miller and his wife, Margaret, emigrated from Scotland to Pennsylvania with their young daughter, Jane, in 1786. Miller, who was trained as a stone cutter in Scotland, developed a thriving marble business in Philadelphia; he also owned a farm in Great Valley, Pennsylvania. John was active in the Philadelphia community; he was an early member of the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society, and a supporter of the Magdalene and Missionary Societies. The papers in this collection consist primarily of personal correspondence, business records, genealogical notes, diaries, and family photographs, of the Cross, Dickey and Miller families. The collection is particularly strong on relationships between women, family health, Presbyterian church, the history of Oxford, Pennsylvania, marble cutting business, and the genealogy of the Miller, Dickey,...(see more)

Held at: Chester County Historical Society [Contact Us]

Neighborhood Visiting Nurse Association records, 1900-1990 (inclusive)

Extent:: 13.0 linear feet
Abstract:: The Neighborhood Visting Nurse Association grew from the merger of several eastern Pennsylvania community and home health service agencies. These records document services provided to communities in Chester and Delaware counties during the 20th century. Materials include board minutes and reports, correspondence, photographs, financial information, and other administrative records.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing [Contact Us]

Chadds Ford Historical Society vertical files, circa 1968-2013

Extent:: 7.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Chadds Ford in Delaware County, Pennsylvania was historically a crossroads, first a fording point across the Brandywine River and later near the intersection of two train lines. It is known for its role in the Revolutionary War--the Battle of the Brandywine was fought here in 1777--and in art history--Howard Pyle's studio and students gave rise to the Brandywine School of Art, fostered by three generations of the Wyeth family. The Chadds Ford Historical Society vertical files, circa 1968-2013, consist of secondary-source materials on various local history topics and people. There are also transcripts and copies of census and tax records, 1715-1790, and historic resource surveys of sites in Chadds Ford Township and along the Route 202 corridor, 1994.

Held at: Chadds Ford Historical Society [Contact Us]

Harman D. Rees family papers, 1890-1964 (bulk) 1710-1964 (inclusive)

Extent:: 8.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Harman D. Rees was (1873-1964) was a farmer and active public servant in Charlestown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. He wrote a detailed history of the township, Historical Sketches of Charlestown Township, completed around 1943. The Harman D. Rees family papers, 1710-1964 (bulk 1890-1964), include scrapbooks, newspaper issues and clippings, research notes, correspondence, family papers, hand drawn maps and blueprints, photographs, and other documents relating to Rees's research interests--Charlestown Township history, birds, plants, and Rees family genealogy--as well as farming practices, family life, municipal affairs, and additional topics.

Held at: Charlestown Historical Society [Contact Us]

Downingtown Area Historical Society clippings collection, 1978-2014 (bulk) 1930-2014 (inclusive)

Extent:: 30.0 linear feet
Abstract:: The Borough of Downingtown, Chester County, Pennsylvania is located halfway between Philadelphia and Lancaster. Known as Milltown in the 18th century since it was the location of the last mills on the edge of the unsettled western frontier, the village became known as Downingtown after the War of 1812; the borough was incorporated in 1859. Improved transportation, by stagecoach, railroad, and eventually highways, drew increasing population and investment to Downingtown over the 19th and 20th centuries. The Downingtown Area Historical Society clippings collection, 1930-2014 (bulk 1978-2014), documents the people, businesses, churches, organizations, and schools of the Downingtown area. It is arranged in two series: I. Family files and II. Topic files.

Held at: Downingtown Area Historical Society [Contact Us]

Downingtown Area Historical Society collection on schools, 1890-2013 (inclusive)

Extent:: 10.0 linear feet
Abstract:: A number of small, mostly one-room schoolhouses already existed in the area of Downingtown, Chester County, Pennsylvania when the first high school was constructed there in 1874. In 1958, the nearby townships of East Caln, Uwchlan, West Bradford, East Brandywine, and Wallace united with Downingtown Borough to form a school district system; West Pikeland and Upper Uwchlan townships joined the district in 1961. The Downingtown Area Historical Society collection on schools, 1890-2013, consists of yearbooks, photographs, programs/invitations, scrapbooks, and other materials relating to Downingtown area schools, especially Downingtown High School. Because the Chester County Farm Show was held at Downingtown High School for many years, scrapbooks, slides, and photographs from the farm show, 1944-1963, also form part of this collection.

Held at: Downingtown Area Historical Society [Contact Us]

Downingtown Paper Company collection, 1880-1924 (bulk) 1839-1980 (inclusive)

Extent:: 7.5 linear feet
Abstract:: Frank P. Miller (1859-1923) started his first paper mill near Downingtown, Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1881. His company was known as the Downingtown Paper Company, or "Dopaco," from 1924 until it became a subsidiary of Sonoco Products Company in 1968. After a fire in 2005, Sonoco permanently closed the mill, which by that time was producing paperboard. The Downingtown Paper Company collection, 1839-1980 (bulk 1880-1924), consists primarily of financial records from the Frank P. Miller Paper Company era; there are also some later records of Downingtown Paper Company (Dopaco), especially relating to longtime employee Thomas Brookover. A detailed inventory of the collection is available on-site.

Held at: Downingtown Area Historical Society [Contact Us]

Patriotic Order Sons of America, Washington Camp No. 338 (Downingtown, Pa.) records, 1880-1988 (inclusive)

Extent:: 3.5 linear feet
Abstract:: The Patriotic Order Sons of America was organized by Dr. Reynell Coates of Philadelphia, PA on December 10, 1847. The purpose of the organization was to educate young men about American ideals and inspire them to uphold and defend the "American way of life." Patriotic Order Sons of America, Washington Camp #338 was established in Downingtown, Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1888. The Patriotic Order Sons of America. Washington Camp No. 338 (Downingtown, Pa.) records, 1880-1988, consist of administrative and financial records, legal and property related papers, ephemera such as pamphlets and programs, publications produced by Camp #338, and other materials.

Held at: Downingtown Area Historical Society [Contact Us]

Borough of Phoenixville records, 1880-1960 (bulk) 1858-1998 (inclusive)

Extent:: 15.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Phoenixville in Chester County, Pennsylvania was settled in 1732 and incorporated as a borough in 1849. In its industrial heyday early in the twentieth century, it was an important manufacturing center. The Borough of Phoenixville records, 1858-1998 (bulk 1880-1960), include borough financial records, water department records, police department records, ordinances, and various other materials from the Borough of Phoenixville and subsidiary departments.

Held at: Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area [Contact Us]

A.C. Bishop Funeral Home registers, 1862-1968 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.25 linear feet
Abstract:: The A.C. Bishop Funeral Home, located in Phoenixville, Chester County, Pennsylvania, was owned and operated by three generations of the Bishop family. George M. Bishop (1836-1914) ran the business from 1862 until his death in 1914, when his son, Alonzo C. Bishop (1858-1949), took over. A.C. Bishop's sons, Francis A. and Cooper T. Bishop, succeeded their father as proprietors. The business was very successful, operating for over 100 years. The A.C Bishop Funeral Home registers, 1862-1968, consist of over 30 funeral home registers and coffin records, 1862-1911 and 1931-1968, that provide names of decedents and often biographical information.

Held at: Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area [Contact Us]

W.S. Sample, Jr. film reels and scrapbooks of Phoenixville High School music, 1934-1955 (inclusive)

Extent:: 2.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Walter Scott Sample, Jr. was a well-known band director in Phoenixville (Chester County, Pennsylvania), known as "the John Philip Sousa of the area." After becoming music director for Phoenixville High School in 1934, Sample started a marching band that gained attention for innovative routines and high quality of performance. The W.S. Sample, Jr. film reels and scrapbooks of Phoenixville High School music, 1934-1955, document Sample's work with the Phoenixville High School music department. It includes about one dozen 16mm color and black and white film reels of performances and seven scrapbooks of photographs, programs and ephemera, clippings, and related materials.

Held at: Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area [Contact Us]

Phoenix Iron Company records, 1879-1986 (inclusive)

Extent:: 4.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Established in 1790 and incorporated in 1855, the Phoenix "works" produced nails, railroad rails, Civil War cannons, and structural steel. Among its well known products were the Griffen Gun, 1861, and the Phoenix Column, 1862. In the 1860s the Phoenix Bridge Company was created as a separate division. The Phoenix works closed in 1987. The Phoenix Iron Company records, 1879-1985, include employee records, utility usage readings, stockholder minutes, correspondence, specifications and work orders, financial papers, contracts, shipping postcards, annual reports, and various other company records.

Held at: Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area [Contact Us]

Historic Waynesborough collection, 1712-1990 (inclusive)

Extent:: 12.0 linear feet
Abstract:: The Wayne family purchased the land on which the home "Historic Waynesborough" still stands in 1724 and the family's descendants continued to own it until 1965. One of Waynesborough's residents was Major General Anthony Wayne, a Revolutionary War hero, who was also instrumental in the Northwest Indian War (1785–1795). The Historic Waynesborough collection, 1712-1990, consists largely of secondary-source materials, such as photocopies, but there is also a significant amount of primary documents. Materials pertain largely to various members of the Wayne family and include photographs, financial documents, correspondence, genealogical research, and various other documents.

Held at: Historic Waynesborough [Contact Us]

Historic Yellow Springs collection, 1823-2013 (inclusive)

Extent:: 140.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Historic Yellow Springs is a non-profit organization in Chester County, Pennsylvania that preserves and promotes the history and arts of Yellow Springs village. The village was the site of 18th and 19th century spas; the first military hospital in North America, built during the Revolutionary War; an orphan school for children of Civil War Soldiers; the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)'s Country School; Good News Productions, the film studio that created The Blob; and Chester Springs Studio, a vibrant arts center that merged with Historic Yellow Springs in 2007. The Historic Yellow Springs collection, 1823-2013, is a combination of original records and collected secondary-source materials about the several organizations that have occupied the village of Historic Yellow Springs over its long history from 1722 into the 21st century.

Held at: Moore Archives at Historic Yellow Springs [Contact Us]