Call Number:

07

Repository:

Concord Township Historical Society

Extent:

18.5 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

circa 1900-2013

Creator:

Concord Township Historical Society (Delaware County, Pa.)

Abstract:

Concord Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania was incorporated in 1683, and includes the four villages of Concordville, Elam, Markham and Ward. Originally in Chester County, the township became part of Delaware County when Chester County was partitioned in 1789. The Concord Township Historical Society subject files, circa 1900-2013, include newspaper clippings, photocopies of secondary and primary source documents, pamphlets and ephemera, and a few photos and primary source documents on various local history topics including people, churches, landmarks and historical organizations (such as Newlin Grist Mill and Newlin family), local businesses and organizations, buildings, maps, and railroads.

Concord Township, Pennsylvania was formed in 1683. Originally located in Chester County, the township became part of Delaware County when Chester County was partitioned in 1789. "Concord Township encompasses four villages [Concordville, Elam, Markham and Ward] whose past tells the story of Pennsylvania and early America's development. Located at a vital transportation hub, the Township's development has always reflected major national and regional economic and demographic trends."

"Modern Concordville occupies the junction of two of the earliest public roads in the English colonies: Baltimore Pike or U.S. Route One, and Concord Road, laid out by William Penn's surveyors. The original path of Baltimore Pike lay roughly along the driveway that separates today's Concord Friends' Meetinghouse from "the Grange" building (today's senior center). The buildings on Concord Road at the intersection of Thornton Road and the Friend's driveway (old Baltimore Pike) constitute the Concordville National Register Historic District. Modern Concordville is larger, including houses and businesses along Route One, and extending further down Concord Road. Many of these buildings qualify for inclusion on the National Register.

"Elam, on Smithbridge Road at Route 202, the next north-south road, and the link between the Lower Counties (Delaware) and the western Pa counties was home to a thriving tavern and inn industry as early as the mid 18th century."

"The village of Markham, named for the first governor of the colony of Pennsylvania, lies in the valley of the West Branch of Chester Creek where the present Cheyney Road crosses Baltimore Pike. The village encompasses the Newlin Mill Historic District (Newlin Mill and its buildings, Markham Railroad Station and Post Office, and the William Trimble House and property), including the only operating Colonial mill remaining open to the public in the United States.

"Ward covers the old Concord Creek bridge (also called Ward Run) at Concord Road, near the intersections of Creamery Road, Station Road and Spring Valley. The earliest Pennsylvania mushroom farms and canneries were established there, near the mill complex on Concord Road, and the product called "Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese" was first produced at the dairy on Creamery Road."

Concord Township was also the site of the Willcox (family) Ivy Mills, one of the most significant paper mills in the country that produced the paper used for the first currency printed by the Continental Congress. The family mansion also served as the beginnings of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish (est. 1729), the oldest parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Bibliography:

Quoted text from Concord Township Historic Commission. "The Four Villages of Concord." Accessed May 22, 2013. http://www.townshipofconcord.com/sitecontent/index/page/Historic%20Commission.

The collection consists of newspaper clippings, photocopies of secondary and primary source documents, pamphlets and ephemera, and a few photos and primary source documents. The collection covers various local history topics including people, churches, landmarks and historical organizations (such as the Newlin Grist Mill and Newlin family), local businesses and organizations, buildings, maps, and railroads.

A significant portion of the collection is organized into a series on individuals and families. It includes newspaper clippings, photocopies of primary and secondary documents, and correspondence with genealogists. There are also several oversized family trees, stored separately.

Another large portion is building histories. This series includes a comprehensive historic resource survey for Concord Township done by the Delaware County Planning Department, with survey forms about historic buildings, photographs, newspaper clippings, and narrative histories, organized by location and/or alphabetically. There are more in-depth reports on some of the properties, 1999-2007, with secondary-source materials, reports, maps, and correspondence with the township.

On display in the museum are also various scrapbooks, photo albums, and binders with local history information, such as soldiers rosters, cemetery indexes, and information on the Concord Township Tricentennial celebrations.