USA > Pennsylvania > Delaware County > A history of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and its people; Volume I > Part 51
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The use of carriages at once presents itself to our later day minds, but the fact is that, in the early days, carriages were remarkably few in number, and as late as 1720 there were none in the Province of Pennsylvania, save that of William Penn's family. If a carriage were to pass through a town and the news were received in advance, the road would be lined with the village people. and the simple farming folk from the country round about, all as delighted and as excited as children. One of the great events of the time was when General Washington would pass through the country with his family in his coach and four, with his postilions in their showy livery, while he followed mounted on a handsome horse which he rode with splendid case and grace.
In 1725 there were seven gentlemen of the province who owned car- riages, one of whom was the governor. Yet their equipages would cause no envy to-day, for the humblest rig in our livery stables would excel them in appearance and usefulness, as they were little more than arm-chairs suspended from two axles by leather straps. They were very light in weight. for the roads were such that a heavy rain made them almost impassable, and the lighter the conveyance the greater the probability of reaching one's destination in safety. The roads in many instances were simply paths made by the follow- ing of an Indian trail. Their chief virtue was their directness, for an Indian never believed in a circuitous route. Probably the road, if such it could be called, would lead for miles through a dense forest, and these gloomy recesses were the dread of every traveler, however stouthearted he might be, for des- peradoes and highwaymen were common, and the order to "stand and deliver" might come from behind any stalwart oak.
In 1732, a mode of travel was inaugurated which showed great progress in means of passenger transportation,-the stage coach. By this means, by starting at three or four o'clock in the morning and traveling until late at night. one could traverse about forty miles a day. This was providing the roads were in good condition, since in bad weather any progress at all was exceeding- ly doubtful. On occasions when the coach wheels would become imbedded in a quagmire, the passengers would alight : the ladies were escorted to a safe dis- tance ; and the men would put their shoulders to the wheels, the most aristo- cratic side by side with the humblest, and, knee deep in mud, would push for- ward the lumbering vehicle. It is of record that on January 10, 1834. the mail coach from Washington, traveling via the Queen's Highway, stuck fast in the mud below Darby and had to be drawn to the village by oxen ; and as late as January 9. 1836, a heavy sleigh, impressed into service as an omnibus between Darby and Philadelphia, stuck fast in a snow drift near the former village and was delayed for two days.
The physical discomforts and difficulties were not the only obstacles in the way of free intercourse between people living at a distance, but a statute in the Duke of York's Laws, in effect as early as September 22, 1676, said "that if hereafter any stranger or person unknown shall come to or Travill through any Towne or place within this Government without a Passport or Certificate from whence hee came and wither hee is bound, shall bee lyable to be seized
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upon by any Officer of the Towne or Place into which hee comes, or through which hee shall travill, there too bee Licensed untill hee can Cleare himselfe to be a free Man, and shall defray the Charges of his Detention there, by his worke of Labour (if not otherwise able to give satesfaction) in the best way and Manner hee shall bee found capable." This law was so rigidly enforced that it was practically impossible to travel unless having complied with all such various formalities. Ferrymen were forbidden to transport anyone un- known to them, and were placed under bond not to do so, unless he could pro- duce a travelling certificate signed by a magistrate ; and hosts of inns and tav- crus were required to notify an officer immediately upon the arrival of a stranger.
It was as difficult, under the rule of William Penn, to leave the province as to enter it, as his fifty-fifth law required "that every person intending to de- part or leave the Province & Territories thereof, shall publish his or her in- tention in writing, affixed to the door of the County Court, where hee or shee thirty days before his or her Departure, and shall have a pass under the Coun- ty Scal." Like laws were enacted in 1700 and 1705, and captains of vessels were not only ordered not to carry any persons on their ships not provided with such a pass, but were held responsible for any damage done by the departure of the passengers, as, for instance, the assumption of the liabilities of an ab- sconding bank cashier.
In reference to a stage line between Philadelphia and Baltimore, Martin, in his "History of Chester," gives the substance of an advertisement which ap- peared in the Independent Gazette or the Chronicle of Freedom, of Philadel- phia. January 2, 1788. The firm of Greeshorn, Johnson and Co., proprietors of the "Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Eastern Shore Line of Post Coach Car- riag. s," state that from Fourth street, nearly opposite the old Indian Queen Tavern, carriages will start on Mondays and Thursdays of every week during the winter, at ten o'clock in the morning, and arrive in Baltimore on Wednes- days and Saturdays "in good season for dining." The first stopping point south of Philadelphia was the Queen of France Inn, twenty-two miles south of the city. The line running in competition with the one above mentioned, was that of G. P. Vanhorne, Kerlin & Co., whose advertisement appeared in the Pennsylvania Packet for March II, 1790:
"PUBLIC STAGES-The well established Mail Stages between the City of Philadelphia and Baltimore continue their regular Tours respectively from each place by way of the Susquehannah, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Returning on Tuesdays, Thurs- days, and Saturdays. To facilitate the dispatch and arrival of the Public Mails is an obligation indispensable, and every exertion to accommodate engages the duty and interest of the proprietors. The passengers are therefore requested to be early in their preparations for the stages starting, as the most assiduous efforts are requisite and will be practiced, to render general and complete satisfaction.
"G. P. VANHORNE, KERLIN & Co. "N. B .- Regulations to be seen in the stage office at the George Inn."
Between 1800 and 1830 there were several rival lines of stages connecting Philadelphia and Baltimore, Reeside, Stockton and Stokes, Murdock and
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Nasp, and Janviers. They made their stops and headquarters at the various hostelries along the way, where horses were changed, man and beast fed, and slight rest secured from the wearisome bumping and tossing.
After the completion of the Baltimore, Philadelphia & New London turn- pike, lines of stages began operation thereon, and in 1807 there were several lines on the Lancaster road, passing through Haverford and Radnor, which Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the Treasury, reported to the United States Sen ate as "the first extensive turnpike that was completed in the United States, the first link of the great western communication from Philadelphia." Ches- ter in 1789 attained the prominence of having a line of Sunday coaches running between there and Philadelphia. The former place seems to have been some- what of a favorite as Sunday resort. Week-day travel, however, between the two places was very uncertain. Persons living on the King's Highway, below Chester, and the Queen's Highway, above that town, were never certain of a seat, and often several stages would pass before the belated traveler was placed and carried to his destination. To remedy this, John Pucians started a line of stages between the two places, but the enterprise failed because of the excellent service being rendered at that time by the steamboat lines on the Delaware.
The Delaware river did its full share in providing a highway for transpor- tation, and its broad surface was early marked by the transverse paths of ferries as early as the last decade of the seventeenth century. Some of the earliest boats were the "Perseverance," a passenger and freight steamer, between Philadelphia, Trenton, Chester and Wilmington, during the summer of 1790, seventeen years before Robert Fulton's famous New York to Albany voyage in the "Clermont :" the "Chester Planter," a shallop that carried flour from the Chester mills to Philadelphia, as well as a few passengers; the "John Wall." a passenger and freight boat between Chester and Philadelphia; the "Mary and Louisa," a Chester-Philadelphia packet ; the "Jonas Preston;" the "Mary J .: " and William T. Crook's packets operating between Philadelphia and Chester. These were the vessels whose names were household words and whose every whim and crank was known the length of their run. In later days the larger lines ran more boats, and old-time steamers were relegated to the junk heap, carrying with them all the old traditions and well-known sailors' tales. In modern days, the Delaware is black with the many freighters, coasters and fruit boats that dock along her banks, and with the opening of the Panama canal it is possible that, with Philadelphia as the main port, the river will become the scene of the greatest shipping activity in the world, so vast will be the trade diverted to her bosom.
The first railroad in Delaware county was the Columbia railroad, laid at the expense of the state of Pennsylvania, and passing diagonally through Rad - nor township as well as through a part of Haverford. It was not completed until 1834, when a schedule went into effect between Columbia and Philadel- phia, a distance of eighty-two miles. The cars resembled greatly the old stage coaches and were drawn by horses, requiring nine for the trip, horses chang-
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ing every twelve miles. On Wednesday, February 28, 1834, the first steanı drawn train of cars traversed the distance in eight and a half hours, drawn by an engine named the "Black Hawk." So successful was the experiment that the passing of the horse for that duty was an accomplished fact, and in 1837 forty engines were owned and used by the road.
When the Pennsylvania railroad, on December 25, 1833, opened an exten- sion to West Chester, great rivalry in Chester and the desire for an extension from the city to intersect with the new road at West Chester, sprang into life. The law of April 11, 1835, incorporated the Delaware County Branch Railroad Company, which immediately began work. At a meeting held at the Black Horse Hotel in November, 1833, it was estimated that there was $1,000,000 capital invested in various mills and factories along the proposed route, and that the freight from these industries would justify the building of the spur, eighteen miles long, to cost $20,000 per mile, or, $360,000 as a total. After a survey was made and stakes driven, the project died out because of a lack of stock subscriptions, but was revived in 1848, only to fall into retirement until, in 1869, ably championed by Samuel M. Felton, the work was pushed to completion.
The legislature of Pennsylvania, on April 2, 1831, incorporated the Phil- adelphia & Delaware County Railroad Company, a charter which was unused until 1835, when the company was organized and an election of directors held ; and on January 18, 1832, the legislature of Delaware chartered the Wilming- ton & Susquehanna Railroad Company, with rights to build a road from the Pennsylvania line to the Maryland state line, through Wilmington, towards the Susquehanna river. On March 5, 1832, the Maryland legislature incorporated the Baltimore & Port Deposit Railroad Company, with the same rights as the Wilmington & Susquehanna Railroad Company, and nine days later incor- porated the Delaware & Maryland railroad to build a road from a point on the Maryland and Delaware state line to Port Deposit, or any other terminus on the Susquehanna. In January, 1836, after the organization of these com- panies, the Philadelphia & Delaware County railroad was granted the right to increase its capital, and changed its name to the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore railroad. This company entered into successful negotiations with the Delaware & Maryland railroad, obtaining the right of way from the Dela- ware state line to Wilmington. On December 20, 1837, the road was com- pletely laid from Wilmington to Chester, and on January 15 of the following year it was open for travel from Philadelphia to Wilmington. After the com- pletion of the road, the company's first report showed that the cost of con- struction had been $2,000,000 more than the capital, and dividends were impos- sible for several years. Many of the subscribers were farmers of modest :neans who had believed that their opportunity for sudden wealth was at hand, and had invested their two or more hundred dollars in the stock, expecting immediate and rapid returns. Great was their chagrin when the looked-for heavy dividends did not materialize, and their uncertain faith could not stand the long wait, so block by block their stock appeared on the market, and was
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purchased by eastern financiers. Samuel Felton was elected president of the road in 1851, and under his judicious administration the property was improved, rolling stock renewed, and track relaid. His management increased the value of the stock that its appearance in the market was a rarity. and the large dividends it paid would have satisfied even the most avaricious first investor.
Isaac Hinkley was Mr. Felton's successor, and during his term an im- proved line of railway was laid from Gray's Ferry, passing through Darby. Sharon Hill. Prospect Park. Norwood. Ridley Park, and numerous other sta- tions which had been located along the new road, on which ground was brok- en on November 11, 1870. and first used in 1873. Many wealthy Philadelphia business men have their homes along this line, commuting daily, and the re- gion contains some of the handsomest estates in Pennsylvania. In 1881. the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore railroad was absorbed by the Pennsyl- vania railroad, II. F. Kenney, the superintendent of the former road, being retained in charge of the Delaware & Southern division of the Pennsylvania railroad, including the old Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore, the Chester Creek, the Baltimore Central, and the Philadelphia & West Chester railroads, as well as other Delaware roads.
On January 17, 1852, the Pennsylvania legislature incorporated the West Chester & Philadelphia railroad, and on January 17, 1852, Gonder. Clark & Co., contracted for $500,000, to build the road complete, except laying the rails, $300.000 to be paid in cash, and road stock to be accepted for the remain- ing $200.000. In the autumn of 1855, trains were running as far as Media : in another year travel was extended from Rockdale to Lenni, and by January 1, 1857, to Grubb's bridge ( Wawa). The work was completed in 1858, the first train reaching West Chester by the direct road, arriving November 11. 1859. and was granted a warm reception. In May, 1880, the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad Company purchased the West Chester & Philadelphia railroad, and when the former was transferred to the Pennsyl- vania Central, the West Chester road was also. The Philadelphia & Balti- more Central railroad was incorporated March 17, 1853, and was authorized to unite with a Maryland chartered road by an act of April 6, 1854. Ground was broken therefor on January 3. 1855. in Birmingham, Delaware county, by Dr. Frank Taylor, president of the road, and on Monday, June 1. 1857, track laying began. In 1858 it was completed from Grubb's Bridge (Wawa) to Chadd's Ford, the road later becoming a part of the Pennsylvania Central railroad, after its amalgamation with the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Balti- more.
In 1872, the Chester & Delaware railroad was incorporated under the free railroad law of Pennsylvania, with terminal points at Thurlow and Ridley Creek, a distance of approximately four miles. The incorporators were John M. Broomall, William Ward, William A. Todd, Samuel Archibald, Amos Gartside, James A. Williamson, James Kirkman, William H. Green, and Samuel 11. Stephenson. Prior to incorporation, Broomall and Ward had run
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a spur from below Thurlow Station of the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Balti- more railroad to the bridge works in South Chester to facilitate the shipping from these factories, the rails and cross ties being furnished by the Philadel- phia, Wilmington & Baltimore railroad at an annual rental. Other firms were granted the same privilege until finally the company had a spur running up into South Chester and Chester City. In 1872 the Philadelphia & Reading railroad leased the old bed of the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore from Giray's Ferry to Ridley Creek, and the company, being the owners of a large tract of river land near Marcus Hook, assumed control of the branch of the Chester & Delaware River railroad which had been run up Front street, con- necting it with the branch purchased from the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad Company.
Another important railroad crossing Delaware county is the Baltimore & Ohio, which entered the county with its permanent survey in August, 1883. That line enters in South Chichester township, passes through Chester city, Ridley and Darby, entering Philadelphia, where in connection with the Phila- deiphia & Reading it forms part of a great highway joining Philadelphia, New York and New England with Baltimore, Washington and the South. The other lines mentioned form a part of the great Pennsylvania railroad system, and of another great means of communication between the Eastern cities and states with the national capital and the South.
The Trolleys .- With the introduction of electricity as a motive power came the trolley car to Delaware county. This brought the people of the county into closer relations. and has resulted in the upbuilding of many new communities, peopled by city workers. The lines were at first constructed along public highways, but, with the great increase in suburban population, better service was demanded. The last additions to the trolley lines-the Phil- adelphia & Western and the Media Short Line,-have been built over private rights of way, the tracts brought as nearly to a level as possible, curves also eliminated where feasible, streams crossed on substantial bridges, while over the smooth stone ballasted tracks, cars glide with almost express train speed making connection in a commodius terminal at 69th street, Philadelphia, with the elevated trains of the Philadelphia Transit Company. Many new villages and boroughs have sprung up along these lines, while the older centres of pop- ulation in the county have greatly benefitted by the ease and speed with which they may be reached. The population of these towns are workers, mainly in Philadelphia establishments, who have bought suburban homes, but continue their regular city business. To no one thing can the increase of population dur- ing the last decade be so properly attributed, as to that now familiar mode of transit we know as the trolleys.
Chester is connected with Philadelphia by the lines of the Philadelphia Transit Company, passing through Darby, and by the lines of the Media, Middletown, Aston & Chester Electric railway, with cars between Darby and Chester every twenty minutes during the day and evening. Cars running every twenty minutes connect Darby and Media, Darby and Lansdowne, and every
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thirty minutes cars leave Darby for Wilmington, Delaware, passing through Chester. Two lines connect Chester with Media, while the Chester Traction Company operate their service through the streets of Chester and to suburban points. The Philadelphia & West Chester Traction operate from Goth street, Philadelphia, fifteen minute cars on their Collingdale division, thirty-minute cars on the Media Short Line, thirty-minute cars to West Chester, and fifteen minute cars on their Ardmore division. The Philadelphia & Western railway operates a high speed electric service from both street, Philadelphia, to Nor- ristown, at short intervals, passing through Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Rose- mont and Villanova, with branches to Ardmore, Radnor, St. Davids, Wayne and Stratford. By these roads the greater part of the county is quickly con- nected with each other and with Philadelphia, making Delaware county a most desirable abode, joining as it does. all the beauties of country with the benefits of nearness to a great city.
With the improvement in inter-town transportation, the county public roads have kept pace. Few localities but what have macadam roads, turn- pikes, or modernly built roads of some description, the value of such to any community having become slowly but surely impressed upon the farmer ; good toads and well paved streets existing as a rule in all parts of the county. comparing favorably with the best of modern communities. In fact, in every mode or means of transportation, Delaware county is well supplied.
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