Call Number:

01

Repository:

Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society

Extent:

12.5 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

circa 1940-2013

Creator:

Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society

Abstract:

Both Tredyffrin and Easttown townships in the Upper Main Line area of eastern Chester County, Pennsylvania were settled by Welsh Quakers in 1682; they were incorporated in 1707 and 1704, respectively. Predominantly farming communities for most of their histories, commercial and residential development in both townships accelerated with the construction of the "Main Line" Pennsylvania Railroad Line in the 1830s and burgeoned after World War II. The Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society research files, circa 1940-2013, contain primarily newspaper clippings, with smaller amounts of printed matter, photocopies, researcher notes, and original research and artwork used to produce articles in the Tredyffrin Easttown History Quarterly. The files are organized into three series: I. Biographical Files; II. Files on Municipalities; and III. Subject files.

Tredyffrin Township is located at the easternmost edge of Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the "Welsh Tract" settled by Welsh Quakers in 1682; the name "Tredyffrin" comes from the Welsh for "township in a wide cultivated valley." The township was incorporated in 1707. During the Valley Forge encampment period of the Revolutionary War, many of Washington's generals quartered in the nearby homes of Tredyffrin farmers. In 1832 the Main Line of Public Works, a rail and canal system that would later form the nucleus of the Pennsylvania Railroad was constructed. Still, Tredyffrin remained a primarily agricultural community, small but prosperous, until World War II. With its suburban location convenient to Philadelphia along the "Main Line" commuter train, commercial and residential development rapidly progressed in the township throughout the second half of the 20th century.

Adjacent to Tredyffrin, also settled in 1682 as part of the Welsh Tract, is Easttown Township, incorporated in 1704. A prolific farming community in the 18th century, Easttown became an important military site during the Revolutionary War. In 1777 Americans under the command of Easttown native General Anthony Wayne repelled an attack by British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton on Signal Hill. In the next century, like nearby Tredyffrin, Easttown was strongly impacted by the construction of a railroad in the 1830s. By the turn of the 19th century, country estates of wealthy Philadelphians were interspersed with the farms in the area. Building construction and population increased dramatically in the 1950s and continued to grow through the end of the 20th century.

Bibliography:

Easttown Township. "Township History." Accessed January 2, 2014. http://www.easttown.org/GeneralInformation/history/history.htm

Tredyffrin Township. "Facts and Figures." Accessed January 2, 2014. http://www.tredyffrin.org/about-us/facts-and-figures

The research files contain primarily newspaper clippings, with smaller amounts of printed matter, photocopies, and researcher notes. The Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society has been creating the files since the 1960s. Many contain original research and artwork used to produce articles in the Tredyffrin Easttown History Quarterly. The files are organized as follows: I. Biographical Files; II. Files on Municipalities; III. Subject files.

I. Biographical Files is in alphabetical order. It includes research on families, family trees, genealogical notes, and newspaper clippings, especially obituaries.

II. Files on Municipalities includes information on general history, political issues, police and fire departments, post offices, school districts, zoning, boards of managers, public issues, and related topics. There are files on the following municipalities and locations: Berwyn Cedar Hollow Charlestown Township Chester County Chester Springs and Historic Yellow Springs Daylesford Devault / Cedar Hollow Devon East Whiteland Easttown Township Howellville Main Line Malvern Paoli Strafford Tredyffrin Township Valley Forge Wayne

III. Subject files include folders on the following topics: Agriculture (see also "Farms") Architects -- see Biographical Files Architecture Art Artists --see Biographical Files Bridges Business and shopping centers, A-Z (all municipalities) Canals Caves Cemeteries Census Churches (by denomination) Cultural groups (Swedes, Welsh, etc.) Directories (see also "Businesses") Disasters Elections Entertainment, music, theatres Farms and farm buildings (inc. barns, springhouses) Food and dining Forges Fox hunting Geology Golf courses Historic homes and buildings (see also Vassar Show Houses) Hospitals and pharmacies Inns, taverns, hotels Libraries Medicine Memorials (signs, markers, tablets) Military (see also "Wars") Mills Mines Native Americans Nature Newspapers and magazines Organizations and clubs (Note: Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society records are filed separately as "TEHS Archives") Parades and celebrations Parks, gardens, and arboreta Quarries Recollections and oral histories Residential communities (inc. Chesterbrook, post-1977) Rivers and creeks Roads and turnpikes Schools -- private (all municipalities) Schools -- public (all municipalities) Science Scouting (all scouting activity) Sports Trails and hiking paths Transportation (Airplanes and air fields, Automobiles, Horse-drawn vehicles, Railroads and railroad stations) Vassar Show Houses Wars (American Revolution, Civil War, World War I, World War II) Weather