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Start Over Subject Local history Place Chester County (Pa.) Year 1950 to 1999

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Malvern Historical Commission historic property research files, 1970-2015 (bulk) 1889-2015 (inclusive)

Extent:
6.5 linear feet
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.

Held at: Malvern Historical Commission [Contact Us]

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Malvern Historical Commission subject files, 1985-2015 (inclusive)

Extent:
28.0 linear feet
Abstract:
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, the village was renamed Malvern in 1873 and incorporated in 1889 as the Borough of Malvern, formally separating it from Willistown Township. The Malvern Historical Commission subject files, 1985-2015, consist of topical files on the people, places, organizations, buildings, and events of Malvern Borough. The files consist mainly of secondary-source materials, such as newspaper clippings, printed matter, ephemera, and family genealogies, as well as a small amount of primary-source materials. The files are organized into six series: I. Business files, II. Citizens, III. Borough files, IV. Malvern files, V. General History, and VI. Malvern Area and Chester County.

Held at: Malvern Historical Commission [Contact Us]

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West Nantmeal Township Historical Commission local history collection, 1759-2015 (inclusive)

Extent:
4.0 linear feet
Abstract:
In the first decades of the 18th century, emigrants from Radnorshire, Wales settled in the area that would become Nantmeal Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Nantmeal Township was divided into East and West Nantmeal townships in 1739, and Honey Brook Township and Wallace Township later separated from West Nantmeal Township in 1789 and 1852, respectively. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, West Nantmeal was home to farms, mills and forges, including the Isabella Furnace. As of 2015, West Nantmeal remains a largely rural community. The West Nantmeal Township Historical Commission local history collection, 1759-2015, consists of a mix of primary and secondary source materials relating to the history, residents, businesses, and other topics related to West Nantmeal Township. The materials include manuscripts, subject files, oral histories, CDs and DVDs, maps, and other materials.

Held at: West Nantmeal Township Historical Commission [Contact Us]

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Wallace Township local history collection, 1789-2014 (inclusive)

Extent:
30.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Although the first official survey of Wallace Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania took place in 1729, the Township was formally created in 1852 and has had multiple changes to its boundaries since. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, farms, mills, and forges dotted the landscape, but the late 19th century brought the railroad and considerable development of the area. A Pennsylvania Turnpike entrance was created near Wallace in 1950, and during the late 20th century, many residential subdivisions were built in the Township resulting in a substantial population increase. The Wallace Township Historical Commission local history collection, 1789-2014, consists of a mix of primary and secondary-source material relating to the history and residents of Wallace Township. Materials include scrapbooks, maps and blueprints, deeds, financial and administrative records, photographs, audio recordings, ephemera, correspondence, posters, and genealogy and other research materials.

Held at: Wallace Township Archives [Contact Us]

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Charlestown Historical Society subject files, circa 1900-2014 (bulk 1976-2014)

Extent:
16.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Charlestown Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania is named for Charles Pickering, who was granted the land from William Penn that today makes up a large portion of the Township. Charlestown was the site of the Valley Forge General Hospital during World War II. The Charlestown Historical Society subject files, circa 1900-2014 (bulk 1976-2014), contain materials that relate to Charlestown Township's history and residents; local historic districts, buildings, and organizations; other Chester County historic sites and organizations; and other topics of local interest. Although there are a small number of scattered primary source documents in the collection, materials are largely secondary-source, such as newspaper clippings, research notes, scholarly articles, photocopies of primary documents, and printed materials and ephemera. The collection is organized into three series: I. Subject files; II. Family files; and III. Scrapbooks.

Held at: Charlestown Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Downingtown Area Historical Society ephemera collection, 1978-2014 (bulk) 1909-2014 (inclusive)

Extent:
3.0 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 ephemera collection, 1909-2014 (bulk 1978-2014), documents the people, businesses, churches, organizations, and schools of the Downingtown area. Newsletters, pamphlets, maps, programs, copies and print-outs of research articles, and other types of ephemera are included.

Held at: Downingtown Area Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Kennett Township Historical Commission subject files, 1980-2014 (bulk) 1847-2014 (inclusive)

Extent:
10.0 linear feet
Abstract:
The first recorded mention of "Kennett Township" in Chester County, Pennsylvania is from 1705. An abolitionist stronghold, Kennett was popular with freedom-seekers escaping slavery prior to the Civil War due to the presence of progressive Quakers and a community of free blacks that was established as early as 1830. Later, the Kennett area became known for producing more than half of the mushrooms consumed in the United States. The Kennett Township Historical Commission subject files, 1847-2014 (bulk 1980-2014), focus on people, places, organizations, buildings, and events of Kennett Township. The files consist mainly of secondary-source materials, such as clippings, pamphlets/ephemera, and family genealogies, as well as a small amount of primary-source materials.

Held at: Kennett Township Historical Commission [Contact Us]

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Uwchlan Township Historical Commission subject files, 1979-2014 (bulk) 1928-2014 (inclusive)

Extent:
30.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Originally inhabited by Leni-Lenape (Delaware) and Iroquoian-speaking Susquehanuck peoples, Uwchlan Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania was settled by Welsh Quakers in the early 18th century. The township was founded in 1712. It remained a largely rural farming community until a post-World War II suburbanization boom. The Uwchlan Township Historical Commission subject files, 1928-2014 (bulk 1979-2014), consist largely of secondary-source materials with some primary-source documents. The collection is arranged into five series, each relating to the local history of the township: Subjects, People, Schools, Government records, and Binders.

Held at: Uwchlan Township Historical Commission [Contact Us]

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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]

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Radnor Historical Society map, atlas, and blueprint collection, 1872-2014 (inclusive)

Extent:
7.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Radnor Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania was founded in 1682, shortly after Welsh Quakers arrived on the lands previously home to the original inhabitants, the Lenni Lenape Indians. Development in the area increased when new transportation routes passed through the area, first the Lancaster Turnpike (the first toll road in America) in 1794, and then the Columbia (later Pennsylvania) Railroad in 1832. The township's population doubled between 1880 and 1890 with the birth of one of the country's first planned suburban developments, Wayne. Development and population boomed again in the wake of World War II and has continued to grow in the 21st century. The Radnor Historical Society map, atlas, and blueprint collection, 1872-2014, consists of several dozen atlases (including railroad maps, business atlases, property atlases, and other atlases); loose maps; and blueprints for private homes and for businesses. The geographic foci of the collection are Wayne, Radnor Township, the...(see more)

Held at: Radnor Historical Society [Contact Us]

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