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SEAL
OF
CHES
T
33
ER
NSYLVANIA
OUN
TY
Chester County
1
HISTORY and PROGRESS of
CHESTER COUNTY
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 07473 2501
Prepared For and Released by The Commissioners of Chester County.
Compliments of THEODORE S. A. RUBINO Chairman Chester County Commissioners
JOVENOR
3 3
PROP
THE FIRST COUNTY SEAL-1683
SEAL
THE COUNTY SEAL TODAY
OFFICIAL COUNTY SEALS
Chester County Board of Commissioners
Theodore S. A. Rubino, Chairman
Monroe L. Nute
Leo D. McDermott
3
Foreword
This brochure has been prepared for the County Commissioners as a brief report of the history and culture surrounding the development of Chester County from its origin in 1682 to the present, and as a ready reference of pertinent data and information on its governmental operations for all citizens of the County and others having an interest. therein.
It is intended also as a source of information to point up the beautiful country- side, the potential of its abundant resources, its record of unusual opportunity, and to initiate a desire on the part of other individuals and industry to settle here. In recent years our County has developed into the most rapidly growing county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is further intended to be a ready reference for county students in their studies of civil government.
Since the services rendered to its citizens are manifold and constitute an impor- tant aspect of community life, Chester County Government is not something remote from the life of its average citizen. Rather, it plays a prominent role in his everyday existence, affecting him in numerous ways. We, therefore, dedicate this brochure to our citizens that they may have a fundamental background knowledge with which to take an intelligent and active interest in the affairs of our government.
Board of Commissioners
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TABLE OF SECTIONS
en
Section I-HISTORY AND PROGRESS OF CHESTER COUNTY Pages 11 - 41
Section £ II-BACKGROUND OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT Pages 42 - 48
Section III-INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE Pages 49 - 64
Section IV-COUNTY SERVICES Pages 65 - 84
Section V-THE COURTS Pages 85 - 89
Section VI-ELECTED COUNTY OFFICIALS ... Pages 90 - 100
Section VII-POINTS OF INTEREST Pages 101 - 103
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CHESTER COUNTY HISTORICAL REFERENCES and
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Subject
Page No.
Foreword 3
Picture Illustrations
Airport 63
Birmingham Meeting 100
Bundy Corp. 59
Burroughs Plant 54
Carlson Inc. 58
Chester County Farms (Pocopson)
10
Chester County Hosp.
27
County Officials
2
Courtroom Number 1
85
Courtroom Number 2
86
Courtroom Number 3
87
Courtroom Number 4
88
Diamond Rock School
10
Downingtown Log Cabin
12
Downingtown Paper Co.
12
Elected Legislators-County & Dist. 92
Foote Mineral 55
Gindy Mfg. Corp. 56
Great Valley Pres. Church 15
Hewlett-Packard Co. 54
Immaculata College 21
Instructo Corp. 57
6
Knox Bridge 13
Lincoln University 23
Longwood Gardens 37
Lukens Steel 50 60
MBI Plant
McAvoy Brick 58
Nat'l Bank of Chester
26
New County Office Bldg.
42
Old St. Peters Church
16
Organization Chart-County .
91
Orphans' Court
89
Pocopson Home
77
Star Rose Gardens
37
Steps for making Compost
31
St. Agnes Church
17
Swiss Pines Park
38
Tournquist Farm 28
Valley Forge Huts 103
Water Shed Project
34
West Chester State College 22
Westtown School 18
56
HISTORY AND PROGRESS OF CHESTER COUNTY
Subject
Page No.
Agriculture
29
Census 31
Co-operative Extension Association
32
Farm Organizations
32
Banking
26
Brandywine Valley Association
35
Canals
14
Chester County Art Association
40
Chester County Day
41
Chester and Delaware Counties Dental Society
24
Medical Society
24
Our County Seat
11
Churches
16
Colleges & Universities
21
Elk Valleys Assn., Inc.
36
Fords, Ferries, and Bridges
13
Founding
11
Green Valleys Assn.
36
Homes
12
Hospitals 27
Wyeth Lab.
7
Subject
Page No.
Inns & Taverns
25
Libraries
24
Longwood Gardens Foundation
36
Mushroom Industry 29
Native Sons & Daughters
40
Newcomen Society in North America
24
Newspapers
20
Post Offices
25
Primitive Hall Foundation
39
Railroads
14
Red Clay Valley Association
35
Schools
Scouting-Boys
Girls
Settlers
Sharp's Woods Reserve
39
Slaves
25
Soil Conservation Service
33
Stage Coaches
14
Swiss Pine Park Foundation
38
Topography
12
Trails & Roads
12
Trolleys
15
White Clay Watershed Assn., Inc. 35
BACKGROUND OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Area of Chester County 43
Boundaries of Chester County 43
Boroughs-City & Townships Created 44
Census-Federal 44
Class of County & Population
44
County Finances
46
General Fund Rec. & Exp.
46
Safeguarding Funds 47
Tax Collection-Delinquents
46
Procedures 46
Court House
42
INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE
Air Miles to Cities in Penna. 64
Chester County Area Airport Authority 63
Distances to Some Major Cities 62
Early Pioneers in Industry 49
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Subject
Page No.
Industrial Development
61
Major Industries 60
Utilities and Communications 62
COUNTY SERVICES
Board of Assessments and Revision of Taxes 65
Chester County Building (New) - (Old) 66
Children Services 67
Civil Defense
69
Cost Clerk
69
County Board of Elections
66
Court Facilities (New) - (Old)
69
Data Processing
70
Development Council
71
Engineer
71
Farms (Prison)
67
Group Insurance
71
Health Department
71 72
Library, County
72
Liquid Fuels Fund
73
Maps
73
Microfilm and Duplicating
73
Parks and Recreation
74
Personnel Department
76
Planning Commission
75
Pocopson Home
77
Police Radio
78
Public Defender
79
Redevelopment Authority
79
Registration Commission
80
Retirement Board-Social Security
80
Safety Council
81
Salary Board
81
Sealer Weights and Measures 81
Tourist Promotion Bureau 82
U.S. Government Donated Food
83
Veterans Affairs
83
Water Resources Authority
84
THE COURTS
The Court of Common Pleas
85
Housing Committee
9
ELECTED OFFICIALS
Subject
Page No.
Clerk of Courts
93
Controller
94
Coroner
94
County Commissioners
90
District Attorney
95
Judges
91
Legislative Districts
93
Prothonotary
96
Recorder of Deeds
96
Register of Wills-Clerk of Orphans' Court
97
Sheriff
98
Surveyor
99
Treasurer
98
POINTS OF INTEREST 101
10
Diamond Rock School
Chester County Farms-Pocopson
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HISTORY AND PROGRESS OF CHESTER COUNTY
Founding
The first European settlers in what later became Pennsylvania were Swedes. In 1644, at the present site of the City of Chester, there was a tobacco plantation known as Upland. The plantation was made up of Swedes. This Swedish settle- ment came under the control of the Dutch in 1655 and of the English nine years later. The Colony of Pennsylvania was established in 1681 when King Charles Il, of England, granted the territory to William Penn in payment of a debt owed to Penn's father. Typical of his sense of Quaker justice, Penn also purchased the land from the Indians. Chester County was created by Penn in 1682 being one of the three original counties of Pennsylvania. The early boundaries of the County extended indefinitely westward from the Delaware River; on the north and nor- theast it was bounded by the Schuylkill River; on the southeast and south it was bounded by Delaware and Maryland. The Delaware line was a segment of a circle of 12 miles radius from the Court House at New Castle, Delaware. The precise Pennsylvania-Maryland boundary was finally fixed in 1769 when the Mason Dixon Line was ratified. Today's Chester County was established in 1789 when the original county was separated into Chester and Delaware Counties.
Settlers
When the Europeans first settled in Chester County there were Indian villages in several areas. The last of the Indians, "Indian Hannah," died in 1807 at the age of 71. In the southeast townships of Westtown, Thornbury, and Birmingham the land was taken up largely by English-Quakers during the last two decades of the 17th century. They were followed by Scotch-Irish Presbyterians who located mostly in the southwestern part of the County. Finally, by the middle of the 18th century the northern tier of townships had received many settlers from along the Rhine River, the so-called Pennsylvania Dutch.
Our County Seat
Our County Seat is located on a summit at an elevation of 456' with a prevail- ing temperate climate. The average prevailing temperatures are 31.5 degrees in January, and 75.0 degrees in July. The mean temperature for the year is 49 degrees. The average growing season is 180 days. The last killing frost comes about April 15th, and in the fall the first killing frost about October 15th. The latitude is 39 degrees, 57 minutes, 31.3 seconds North; the longitude is 1 degree, 24 minutes, 57.7 seconds east of Washington, D. C., or 75 degrees, 36 minutes, 32.7 seconds west from Greenwich near London, England.
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Topography
The topography of Chester County is a rolling undulated type of countryside, which from Provincial days to the present has attracted men to settle here. In this setting the first settlers often lived for a short time in caves on protected hillsides. The caves were soon followed by log cabins which had been introduced by the Swedes into America.
Homes
One of the early log cabins, built in the early 1700's, is still standing in Down- ingtown on Lancaster Avenue near the east bank of the Brandywine, East Branch. Most of the log cabins were gradually replaced by Colonial stone houses and farm homesteads. The early architectural designs of narrow buildings with high pitched roofs were later followed by structures better proportioned in width and height. The construction of the late 18th century usually ex- emplified better craftsmanship than that found in the earlier houses. The fine woodwork of this later period is now highly prized.
Downingtown Log Cabin
Trails and Roads
Many of the first roads were extensions of Indian trails. The development of roads and bridges was slow. Progress was stimulated in 1678 when the Court at Upland issued an order compelling every property owner, within two months, to
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make good and passable ways on his lands for neighbors to use. From these beginnings gradually roads developed. Among the early roads were the Balti- more-Philadelphia road, now known as U.S. 1; the Parkesburg- Cochranville-Oxford-Maryland road surveyed in 1724; the Strasburg road laid out in 1794. Pennsylvania had the first turnpike in America which extended from Philadelphia to Lancaster. It passed through Chester County for some 30 miles and was opened in 1795. It is now a part of the Lincoln Highway. The Horseshoe Pike, Downingtown to Honey Brook, opened in 1803. Tollgates became characteristic landmarks along the early pikes. Other roads followed such as the Wilmington-Reading road via West Chester, (which was planked from West Chester to Dilworthtown), in 1854. Chester County now has an excellent network of good roads. Five miles north of the County Seat is U.S. 30; three miles beyond is the famed Pennsylvania Turnpike. Each of these traverse the State in an east-west direction. Seven miles south of West Chester is U.S. 1, the Baltimore Pike. Passing through or entering the County Seat are highway routes U.S. 202 and 322; and Pennsylvania Routes 3, 29, 52, 100, 162, 926, 342 and 842. Chester County now has 1,130.39 miles of improved State Highways. Of these 1,077.63 miles are in townships; 47.07 miles are in boroughs, and 5.06 are in cities. The County also has 1,451.16 miles of non-state owned roads of which 1,292.81 miles are maintained by townships; 137.7 miles by boroughs; 21.28 miles by cities. The total miles of roads in the County are 2,581.55.
Fords, Ferries, and Bridges
Many of the early County roads forded streams at locations of shallow water. These fords were often impassible after heavy rains. For about two decades after 1737 John Chads, tavern keeper, operated a ferry over the Brandywine near today's Chadds Ford. On the Schuylkill River Pauling's Ferry above Valley Forge was operating after 1753 for a few years and Buckwalter's Ferry near Phoenixville was established in 1859.
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Knox Bridge
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As early as 1685 the County Court was ordering the construction of bridges. The early bridges were built of wood or stone. Then came structures of iron and, in the 20th century, of reinforced concrete. In 1889 there were 89 wooden cov- ered bridges in Chester County. Some of these were intercounty bridges. Now, in 1968, only 16 of these bridges are left. Two of these, Bartram's and Mortonville, are not in use, while another, on Buck Run, is owned privately by the King Ranch at Buck and Doe Run Farms. At one time there were 25 covered bridges over the Brandywine and its tributaries in Chester County. Four of these are still used-Gibson's south of Downingtown (78' long built in 1870 for about $2,700); Larkin's over Marsh Creek four miles north of Downingtown (60' long built in 1864 for $893); Speakman's No. 1 over Buck Run south of Hepzhibah (built in 1881 for $1,938); Pyle-Speakman's No. 2 over Buck Run is owned by the King Ranch. At one time over the Octoraro Creek there were ten covered bridges. Three of these are left-Mercer's (85' long, built in 1880 for $1,652); Bellbank (110' long, built in 1861); Pine Grove (204' long, built in 1884 for $3,450. Among other extant covered bridges are two on Big Elk Creek and three on French Creek. Although wooden covered bridges are a carry-over from horse and buggy days they have a charm and individuality typical of less hurried times. Unfortunately, these bridges have been a target for vandals; several colorful old structures have been burned during the past two decades. Two noteworthy early stone bridges still in use are Cope's over the Brandywine west of West Chester (3 arches built in 1807 for $26,597) and Andrew's Bridge over the Octoraro Creek (439' long with 4 arches built in 1814).
Canals
Among the early modes of transportation, canals played an important part. One of these, the Schuylkill Canal, which was established in 1822, hauled coal up to World War I.
Stage Coaches
Stage Coaches across our Country were the first public transportation. The one from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, was established, in 1804.
Railroads
Railroads were the next pioneers in developing industry and transportation. Between West Chester and Intersection (Malvern), a horse drawn railroad was established in 1831 and replaced with steam in 1845. Others were the Reading Railroad, chartered in Pennsylvania in 1833; the Columbia-Philadelphia Rail- road, horsedrawn, in 1833, replaced with steam in 1834; the Pennsylvania Railroad, chartered in 1846, established Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, in 1852; the Chester Valley (Reading) Railroad, Bridgeport to Downingtown, in 1853; the Philadelphia Railroad, West Chester to Media in 1858; the Pennsylva-
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nia-Downingtown to Honey Brook, in 1854; the Wilmington Northern (Read- ing), in 1870; the Philadelphia to Reading, in 1883; the Philadelphia-Baltimore Central Railroad to Oxford, in 1859, thence on to Rising Sun, Maryland in 1865; the Wilmington and Western Railroad to Landenberg, in 1872; the Picker- ing Valley (Reading), Phoenixville to Byers, in 1871; the Oxford to Peach Bottom (narrow gauge), about 1870; the French Creek (Reading) in 1880.
Trolleys
Trolleys too were developed as another form of transportation. The important lines were the West Chester Street Railway Company, West Chester via Lenape to Kennett Square and West Grove 1895, abandoned 1923, except to Lenape 1929; West Chester to Philadelphia 1899, abandoned 1954; West Chester- Downingtown-Coatesville 1902-1903; Conestoga Traction Company Coatesville- Parkesburg-Lancaster 1909, abandoned in 1932; the Valley Forge- Phoenixville-Spring City Trolley Company ran from Phoenixville to Spring City early 1900's and from Phoenixville to Valley Forge in 1910, both lines were abandoned between 1922-1925.
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Great Valley Presbyterian Church
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Churches
Since Provincial days churches have played a highly important role in the life of the County. Its citizens have been characterized by a deep desire for the prac- tice of religious faith and for the pursuit of education and culture. These forces have had a major influence on the quality of life in the County. There are now nearly 300 churches in Chester County. Among the early churches were Friends Meetings at Birmingham in 1690, at Goshen and Nottingham in 1701, at Ken- nett in 1710, and at London Grove in 1714. The Welsh Baptists came to London Britain in 1701; the Great Valley Baptist Church was established in 1711, the Hephzibah Baptist Church was erected in 1793; Goshen Baptist Church was organized in 1827. By 1710 the Presbyterians had a church at Great Valley fol- lowed by one at Upper Octorara in 1720, at New London in 1726, and Fagg's Manor in 1730. Churches were organized by Mennonites in East Coventry Town- ship in 1828; by Episcopalians, St. John's in West Caln, in 1729; Roman
ST PETERS CHURCH
GREAT VALLEY
SUNDAY SERVICES
Old St. Peters Church, East Whiteland Township
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Catholic, at West Chester, as a Mission 1730, as Christ's Church in 1793, the name being changed to St. Agnes in 1853, celebrating its 175th anniversary under the latter name in 1968. About 1750 the German Lutherans and Reformed Calvinists jointly had a church near today's Zion Lutheran Church south of Spring City. About 1770 they each built a new church. Today's Methodist Church at Grove, three miles north of West Chester, is the oldest Church of this denomination in continuous operation in the County. Started in 1773 it is often designated as "the Methodism in Chester County."
St. Agnes Church
Schools
Despite William Penn's Decree of 1682 that the Governor and Council "shall erect and order all publick schools," education in rural Colonial Pennsylvania began at a low level and developed slowly. A number of the early settlers in Chester County could neither read nor write but they were people of much intel- ligence and became highly successful in acquiring and operating their farms. The
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earliest academies in the County were religious schools to prepare students for the ministry and did little for elementary education. Four of these academies of the 18th century were outstanding-Fagg's Manor Classical School established about 1739 by Rev. Samuel Blair; New London Academy started by Rev. Fran- cis Alison in 1743; Nottingham Academy founded by Rev. Samuel Finley in 1744; Brandywine Academy at Brandywine Manor opened by Rev. Nathan Grier in 1792. The founders and many of the students of these academies played a notable role in the life of their day. Dr. Alison became vice-provost of the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania; Dr. Finley became president of the College of New Jersey (Princeton). Among New London Academy students Charles Thomson became Secretary of the Continental Congress, Thomas Mckean, Governor of Pennsylvania and signer of the Declaration of Independence, along with George Reed and James Smith. The famous Dr. Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia was grad- uated from Nottingham Academy.
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NEILL 54
Westtown School
Westtown, Pa.
Westtown School, Westtown, Chester County, Pa.
A school was started at Birmingham on ground purchased for this purpose in 1756. Its most illustrious teacher was John Forsythe and student Dr. William Darlington. A new building for this school was erected in 1819, the Birmingham Octogonal School House. This building and one at Diamond Rock, Tredyffrin Township, are the only octogonal school buildings left in our County. Their role as school buildings was ended many decades ago. Westtown Boarding School (Coed) opened in 1799. The West Chester Academy opened in 1812 and had an illustrious history. In a sense it was the forerunner of the West Chester Normal School which opened in 1871. Among more than two-score other private schools in the County during the 19th century were (with the dates of their beginnings) :
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French Creek Boarding School at Kimberton 1817, Unionville Academy 1834, Oxford Female Seminary 1835, and Ercildoun Seminary 1851 (later Darling- ton's Seminary), Unionville Academy's most noted students were Bayard Taylor and Dr. James P. Wickersham, the first State Superintendent of Public Instruc- tion in Pennsylvania.
Certain of the County's academies received some financial assistance from the State. However, they were not offering public education at the expense of the Commonwealth as specified in the State Constitution of 1790. This concept was greatly accelerated by the Free Public School Act of 1834. The provisions of this law were gradually accepted in our County with the inevitable end of most of the private academies and seminaries. An Act of the State Legislature in 1854 created the office of County Superintendent of Schools. Since this date Chester County has had thirteen men who have served in this role.
The initial report of this office rendered to the Secretary of the Common- wealth in 1855 listed a student enrollment of 15,284 students in 250 build- ings. Schools averaged seven months a year. Average monthly salaries for men was $22.23, and for women $15.42.
The office of the County Superintendent of Schools was created to expedite compliance with the "Free Public School" Act of 1834, because many counties did not take establishment of public education seriously. It is interesting to note in the reports of County Superintendent W. W. Woodruff during the Civil War years that he says:
"There is still, in a few districts, opposition to some features of the school system, if not to the system itself. Yet the people generally are striving earnestly to secure the best results possible from our common schools, which are open to all who need instruction; proclaiming to all that improvement of mind is nature's legacy and humanity's birthright; and that he is ignorant of his royal lineage who neglects or refuses to lay righteous claim to the divine patrimony."
The record indicates that school buildings, the one-room variety, were being constructed at a cost of $600 to $1,000, although one was completed in the bor- ough of West Chester at the cost of $15,500, which is described as "a fine edifice and a noble testimony to the interest felt in our public schools."
Following the Civil War, high schools began to appear in Chester County, so that at the turn of the century, 664 pupils were enrolled, employing 30 teachers; and in elementary schools, the enrollment was 18,176, taught by 489 teachers. The enrolled public census of 1960 was 16,545 pupils in the high schools, and 24,010 in the elementary schools, making a total enrollment of 40,555 students and 25,537 secondary students, for a grand total of 56,167, taught by 3,013 teachers. Approximately 12,000 children are enrolled in private and parochial schools during the 1967 term. It is quite understandable that Chester County is one of the fastest growing counties within the state and growing more rapidly than any other county in southeastern Pennsylvania.
The County Board of School Directors was organized in 1937; this group is elected by all of the school directors in the county in convention and has con- tributed greatly to the improvement of education in recent years. The General
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Assembly recognized that school districts were too small and, in 1947, provided for the County Board of School Directors to voluntarily develop school district mergers. In 1953, a County Plan for Reorganization of districts was submitted to the State Council of Education and this was further implemented by Act 299, in 1963, which mandated reorganization of school districts according to certain criteria. Chester County now has ten administrative units which have been reor- ganized and are official school districts. The six school districts within the Paoli Area Administrative unit are still to be reorganized, pending a decision of the courts. It is reasonable to assume that Chester County will have eleven or twelve school districts by 1970. This will be a considerable change from the sixty-nine school districts which existed prior to the reorganization process. The approxi- mately 365 school directors-who once directed school affairs in the county has now been reduced to approximately 100.
One of the excellent programs for which the Chester County Board of School Directors is responsible in the county is a comprehensive special education pro- gram including classes for Physically Handicapped, Brain Injured, Visually Hand- icapped, Emotionally Disturbed, Educable Mentally Retarded and Trainable Mentally Retarded. At the time of this publication, plans are progressing to con- struct a special education school to house the various exceptionalities. This will prove to be one of the few such facilities within the Commonwealth of Pennsyl- vania.
Beginning with what is now St. Agnes Catholic Parochial School in West Ches- ter in 1871, the enrolled census for 1960 was 5,459 elementary students in the county, and in the only Catholic High School in Chester County, established in 1909 and recently merged into "Bishop Shanahan High School" of West Chester, 532 students. Some of the more prominent private and public education institu- tions in the county today are the "Pennhurst State Institution," established in 1903 near Spring City, for care and training of mentally deficient children beyond the nursery state; Downingtown Industrial and Agricultural School, founded in 1905 as an inter-denominational school for boys to learn trades and complete high school; the Devereux Foundation, founded in 1912 at Devon, for treatment and education of children and adolescents with special psychiatric and educational problems; the Royer-Greaves School for the Blind, founded at Paoli in 1921; the Malvern Preparatory School, founded at Malvern in 1923, as a col- lege preparatory school for boys, grades IX through XII; the Church Farm School, founded at Glen Loch, on U.S. 30, in 1926, for the training of orphaned boys in agriculture up to the college level; the Villa Maria Academy and Conserv- atory, founded at Green Tree in 1926 (girls), grades | through XII; the Phelps School, founded at Malvern in 1947 (boys), College Preparatory VII through XII grades, and others equally interesting and noteworthy.
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