History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Part 146

Author: Ashmead, Henry Graham, 1838-1920
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L.H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1150

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We now resume the narrative of events in the early history of Media. The first of note, subsequent to those which have already been related, was the fixing of the exact site for the public buildings, of which announcement was made by the commissioners on May 15, 1849. The site chosen was that upon which the court-house and jail (presently to be dwelt on at length) now stand. The work of building them was soon commenced.

The first sale of building lots in Providence,-i.e., Media,-of which Joseph Fox had completed the sur- vey and platting July 26th, was held by the county commissioners on Monday, Sept. 17, 1849, and was as successful and remunerative as the most sanguine of those officials could have hoped it to be. Seventy lots were sold at prices varying from $1.80 to six dol- lars per square foot. The sum of seven thousand five hundred and eighty dollars was realized by the sale. This was only one hundred and eighty dollars less than had been paid for the entire Briggs tract of forty-eight acres. Among the purchasers of the seventy lots sold on that day were Dr. George Smith, who bought the first lots offered, Nos. 1 and 2, at three dollars per foot, and also one near the close of the sale. Then follow, in rotation, Gideon Miles 1, Jacob Smedley 3, William Jones 2, J. Morgan Hunter 2, Minshall Painter 8, Jo- seph Hood 1, Capt. William Apple 2, Isaac Taylor 1, Isaac Haldeman 3, George Smedley 2, John Miller 3, James Edwards 2, J. T. Hawkins 1, and John C. Beatty 1. The remaining names of lot-buyers, so far

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

as they have been recorded, are John Hardcastle, William Smedley, Phelin Campbell, Abram Pennell, James Smith, Thomas Pratt, Isaac C. Malin, Charles Palmer, Henry Bowen, Thomas Inman, Isaac S. Williams, Jabez Lawson, James Pennell, and John Hill.

One hundred and thirty-four lots were still in the possession of the commissioners at the time of this sale, the total number having been two hundred. Large reservations had been made for the conrt-house and jail and a market-house. The lots were twenty feet front by one hundred and seventy in depth. At a second sale, on Monday, October 15th, forty of them were sold, and on the same occasion the Briggs farm- house and barn were purchased by Mr. Esrey for fifteen hundred dollars and four hundred and five dollars respectively.

It was indicative of the enterprise and large- mindedness of the people of Media, and prophetic of the beauty of the town that was to be, that the first buildings erected were substantial and tasteful struc- tures. The first building reared after the act of removal was a fine brick store located on the north- east corner of State Street and South Avenue. It was built by John C. Beatty, who commenced it in the fall of 1849 and completed it early in the spring. The lower story was occupied as a dry-goods and grocery store by Ellis Smedley, who afterwards removed to Chester, and the upper story, finished as a hall, was dedicated to the cause of temperance on Feb. 16, 1850. Mr. Smedley's successor in business at this stand was Thomas D. Nelling, who subsequently gave place to Black & Sons, in turn followed by Hawley & Brother. Other buildings were in process of erection before the Beatty block was finished, and soon the locality began to look like a town.

"After the first and second sales of lots," says a newspaper writer,1 "the increase in the value of the surrounding property was so marked and immediate that it became highly expedient that the ground upon which the old almshouse was located should be sold, as it conld be done with great advantage, and par- ticularly was this course of action deemed advisable, as the old buildings were not well adapted to the pur- pose for which they were erected. The amount real- ized, it was argued, would more than pay for a better farm, and more commodious buildings, on a more eligible site. The action taken in the matter resulted in the sale of the old structure, which was purchased by Mr. Primrose, a citizen of Philadelphia, and sub- sequently from him by David Milne, another Phila- delphian, who converted it into lodgings for a large number of colored families. The place soon became known as the 'Continental.'"

In 1851 occurred the first untoward event in the

infant village,-the first fire. On Friday, June 20th, Peter Hill's shingle-factory and a considerable quan- tity of lumber were destroyed by the flames. The factory stood not far from the bridge over Ridley Creek on the Black Horse road. There was no similar disaster until after the lapse of eight years.2

As the village increased in population, and busi- ness lines of transportation and communication con- necting with the outer world were established, Mr. Wesley C. Brodhead early in the history of the new county-seat placed a line of stages on the road, and in August, 1851, as we learn from the following ad- vertisement, which appeared in the Delaware County Republican, he increased the facilities for travel be- tween the old and new county-seats :

"FOR MEDIA .- Mr. Brodhead, the accommodating proprietor of the line of stages between thie horough and Media, will place extra coachee on the route during the session of court. A capacious four-horse omni- bus will leave the depot at half-past eight o'clock in the morning."

Mr. Brodhead made his line of coaches highly acceptable to the public, and continued running them for two or three years, but they were discontinued when the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad was put in running order. In more recent years the stage service was revived.

A line of telegraph was run through Media along State Street, connecting Philadelphia with Baltimore, in August, 1852, and although no office was imme- diately opened in the borough, the people had not very long to wait for electrical communication with the great cities north and south.

During this year there was great interest mani- fested in the building of plank-roads, not only in this neighborhood but elsewhere in the county.

Various improvements were carried on, all tending to increase the beauty and solidity of the town, and enterprising men began to make investments in real estate, in anticipation of further growth. Early in the year 1853, John C. Beatty purchased from the Thomas estate eleven acres of ground, a portion of which was in the borough limits, and about August 1st he bought of the Directors of the Poor and House of Employment forty acres of land attached to the poor-house property, and lying south of the State road. For this he paid two hundred and fifty dollars per acre, a fact which clearly exhibits the increase in the value of real estate by reason of the town's growth. He at once divided a large portion of the tract into building lots for the convenience of those who wished to purchase and establish homes. The movement for church organization and building had been commenced before this time, and the house of worship of the Presbyterian denomination was after- wards erected on a lot in this tract.

1 From one of a series of historical sketches written by Wilmer W. James for the Delaware County Democrat. published at Chester, and ap- pearing in that paper in 1875.

2 The second fire occurred on Saturday night, Dec. 17, 1858, during a terrible storm of wind and rain, and destroyed the gas-house at Brooke Hall. The building was also used for storage purposes, and the truoks belonging to the young ladies and packed ready for shipment to their houses, being in the building, were all consumed. The loss by thie fire was about fifteen hundred dollars.

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THE BOROUGH OF MEDIA.

Building was carried on extensively during 1853. Early in the year Isaac Haldeman began the erection of a large store and dwelling, the former of which was occupied by himself and sons. The third story of this building, on the northwest corner of State and Lemon Streets, has been occupied at various times as a private school-room. Later, in 1853, a fine residence and bakery were erected on the opposite corner by David Middleton, and Nathan G. Shaw also erected a handsome dwelling near Sandy Bank, afterwards occupied by F. Fairlamb.

Having thus far chronicled many instances of the enterprise which operated to build up this thriving town, we may now give the reader a general idea of its condition in 1853. By midsummer of this year there were seventy dwellings in the borough, fifty- seven of which were new ones, that is, built after the site of the town had been surveyed, within a period of but little more than three years. At the time of which we speak four more houses were in process of construction, and eight were under contract to be built in the summer and fall, making a total of eighty- two dwellings, in addition to a school-house, a black- smith-shop, and a coachmaker-shop. The court- house, jail, and charter-house (which for purposes of convenience we have reserved for separate considera- tion) were also finished, and, with a row of offices on South Street, made the total number of buildings of all kinds ninety-four ; not a bad showing, by any means, for less than four years' work.

Entering more into detail, we will say that the town contained two dry-goods and grocery stores, a boot and shoe store, a trimming store, a drug store, a temperance inn, a printing-office, a post-office, and a school-house. The tradesmen then within the bor- ough limits were two tailors, three blacksmiths, one wheelwright, one coachmaker, one tinsmith, one sad- dler, one stone-cutter, one bricklayer, one stonemason, two painters, two cabinet-makers, three carpenters, one plasterer, and one butcher. The professional gentlemen were five lawyers, three physicians, and one deutist. It may be mentioned in this connection that the first attorney who located here was Ezra Lewis, Jr., who took up his residence during the building of the court-house, in 1850. He was soon followed by Charles D. Manley, Edward Darlington, Joseph R. Morris, and Samuel B. Thomas.

In 1854 the energy of the people in no degree abated, but, on the contrary, increased, found activity and expression in new directions. The Media Loan and Building Association (an institution of which we shall give an extended account in this chapter) was or- ganized during the early part of the year. The Metho- dists, Episcopalians, and Presbyterians made strong efforts to build houses of worship, and either par- tially or fully succeeded, as will be presently shown. Preparations were made also for the erection of Brooke Hall and Gayley's Academy (subsequently the Sani- tarium), and the construction of private edifices went

on apace with improvements of a more public char- acter. Thomas Pratt erected five brick houses north- east of Olive Street, and in partnership with Jesse Bishop, Esq., put up the five original offices on the western side of South Avenue. Abram P. Smedley during the fall put up the handsome three-story brick building in which he afterwards lived, and various other embellishments were added to the town. In the mean time an ordinance had been passed prohibiting the erection of frame buildings within the borough limits, which had a most salutary influence both in the way of enhancing the appearance of Media and in precluding in a large degree the possibility of de- structive fires, from which the place has ever been peculiarly exempt.

Of the early merchants we have already had occa- sion to speak, and we again advert to them. Charles R. Williamson had gone into business prior to this period. His store was in the building on the south- east corner of Front and Orange Streets, latterly oc- cupied as a residence by Levis Miller. Thither Mr. Williamson removed the post-office when he was ap- pointed postmaster, in May, 1853. In April of this year Mr. Smedley formed a partnership with Thomas D. Nelling, under the firm-name of Smedley & Nell- ing, and the firm carried on business at the original stand, on the corner of State Street and South Avenue, until the 1st of January, 1854, when Mr. Smedley withdrew, and Philip Nelling and Thomas D. Nelling took the store, under the firm-name of Nelling & Son. The first book-store in Media was started by Mark Packard, at his residence on Orange Street, as early as 1853, but in a year or two afterwards was disposed of to H. L. Rockey, who sold it in 1856 to Joseph G. Cummins. This gentleman made the business a suc- cessful one, and the store became one of the perma- nent institutions of the borough.

A connected account has now been given of the origin and early growth of Media, and it remains to describe the public buildings, which formed the centre around which all of the improvements we have related clustered.

The Court-House and Jail .- The county commis- sioners, after the act of removal, which, as we have before said, became a law April 7, 1848, proceeded with all of the celerity that was compatible with sound business discretion to provide the necessary public buildings for the new seat of justice. They fixed upon the exact site (the present one) on May 15, 1849, and offered an award of fifty dollars for an acceptable plan for the proposed structures. In re- sponse to their offer a number of competitors appeared, and on June 18th they adopted the plan offered by Mr. Sloan, of Philadelphia, at an estimated cost for the court-house of fifteen thousand dollars. On Au- gust 28th they awarded the contract for the erection of the court-house and the jail to Joseph Esrey, John Williamson, and Joseph Lawson, for the sum of thirty- two thousand dollars. Ground was immediately

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

broken, and the work was carried on with commend- able diligence and speed.

The specifications stated that the court-house should be of brick, that above the base-course it should be roughcast and painted, that the roof should be cov- ered with the best leaded tin and surmounted by a cupola and spire, the extreme height from the ground to be eighty feet. The structure was to be two stories high, with the exception of that part occupied by the jury-room, which should be three. The offices were to be one story high and fire-proof, and there were also to be two fire-proof safes on each side of the vestibule. The second floor was designed to contain the court-room and apartments for the jury, witnesses, a law library, and a sitting-room for the judge and associates.

The jail building was to have a house for the sheriff in front of the prison proper, and it was to be twenty- six by thirty-eight feet, and to consist of two stories, an attic, and basement. It was directed that it should contain, besides the usual accommodations for the sheriff's family, a parlor, reception-room, and office. The kitchen was to be in the basement, and the second story and attic were to be divided into sleeping cham- bers. Upon the roof was to be a tank to hold water, which should be conducted to all parts of the house by leaden pipes. On the top was to be an observatory.

It was specified that the prison was to be in the rear of the sheriff's house, and attached to it by a corridor fifteen feet in width, extending also through the entire length of the prison. On each side of this corridor were to be four cells, each eight by twelve feet. There were to be also a bath-room, keeper's room, and infirmary in this part of the building. The second story was to be reached by steps to a gallery extending around the whole of the corridor, opening from which there were to be on each side four cells, each eight by twelve feet as below.

It was provided that a space one hundred by ove hundred and twenty-five feet around the prison should be inclosed by a wall, and that there should be a cov- ered way from the corridor to the exercising yards, of which there were to be six, each nineteen feet wide by twenty-nine feet deep, the whole forming a semicircle, after the plan of the celebrated Pentonville prison, near London, England. The prison was to be built of stone, the roof covered with tin, and the whole structure made as strong and as nearly fire-proof as possible.

The corner-stone of the court-house was laid Sept. 24, 1849, in the presence of a considerable number of people. In the stone was placed a leaden box con- taining a parchment on which was a plan of the town, a description of the public buildings, stating when they were begun and when to be completed, and giving the names of the contractors, together with the names of State and county officers then in service, a full line of the coins of the United States for the year 1849, from a half-eagle down to a cent, copies of the Dela- ware County Republican, the Upland Union, and other

newspapers and public documents. The receptacle was sealed and placed in the stone by Edmund Pen- nell.

The walls of the court-house were up, and prepara- tions for raising the cupola were made, by Aug. 13, 1850. The stone-work of the prison was about com- pleted by that time, and the sheriff's residence was well advanced. By the 1st of November the court- house was ready for plastering, both inside and out, and the jail almost entirely completed. By the 1st of May, 1851, the court-house was pronounced finished, though it was not ready for occupancy on account of the dampness of the walls. At the last term of court held in Chester, which convened May 26th, the offi- cial notice of the completion of the court-house and jail was given in these words, " The Commissioners re- ported to the Court that the County Buildings, at Media, were completed and ready for occupancy, and the Court directed the following minute to be entered upon the record :

"May 29, 1851-The Court of Common Pleas, of Delaware County, are satisfied thet the Buildings, to wit :- new Jail, Court House and Public Offices, in the Borough of Media, ere fully completed according to the true intent and meaning of the act of the Legislature, entitled an Act concerning the removal of the Seat of Justice of Delaware County. Approved the 3d dey of March, 1847."

After the close of this term of court, the last to be held in the old court-house at Chester, the Delaware County Republican alluding to the change, said, " The next term will be held at Media, an order having been issued by the Court to remove the records and other property to the new County Seat, prior to August. Our ancient Borough, which had been the Seat of Justice from the time of the Swedes, will never again, we suppose, be visited by the hurry, bustle and com- motion of Court week."

The removal of the county records from Chester to Media was begun on Monday, June 16th, and by the evening of Wednesday, the 18th, both the records from the court-house and the prisoners from the jail had been placed in their new quarters.

In the mean time the work of paving the square went on, and various details of external adornmeut and internal finishing and furnishing were added. The bell for the court-house, of Philadelphia manu- facture and weighing seven hundred pounds, was re- ceived on August 12th, but was not hung in place in proper time to announce by its sonorous strokes the convening of the first court held in Media, which opened on Monday, Aug. 25, 1851.

It is recorded that on that day the crowd was so great as to fill all parts of the room, including the passage- ways, and, in fact, every spot on which space enough to stand could be had. A writer of reminiscences in the Delaware County Democrat says of this first court, "The business of the term was opened by President Judge Henry Chapman, aided by his Associates, Jo- seph Engle and George G. Leiper. After the charge to the Grand Jury and a neat address to the citizens

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THE BOROUGH OF MEDIA.

of the county by Judge Chapman, relative to their public spirit and liberality in the erection of the public buildings, the first case tried was the Commonwealth vs. John R. Bergen. The defendant was indicted for keeping a tippling-house, and fined thirty dollars and costs of prosecution. Eight additional criminal cases were tried, and other business disposed of, the court adjourning at noon on the following Wednesday,-a two and a half days' session. At this term of court, and on Monday, August 25th, on motion of Edward Darlington, Esq., Robert E. Hannum, Robert McCay, Jr., and Charles D. Manley, Esqs., were appointed examiners on the application of Thos. J. Clayton for admission to the bar of Delaware County. The result of this examination proving in all respects satisfac- tory, he was duly admitted to practice at the next term of court, Nov. 25, 1851."

The court-house served its purpose very well for a number of years, but by 1870 it was found that addi- tional room was absolutely necessary, and preparations were made for meeting this need. It was not, how- ever, until the summer of 1871 that definite action was taken in the matter. The commissioners then advertised for proposals for enlarging the court-house by the addition of two wings, each to be thirty-eight feet square and two stories high. About the middle of August the bids were opened, and the contract was awarded to John Hinkson, of Chester, his proposal for the work being twenty-nine thousand dollars, or nine hundred and fifty-nine dollars below that of the next lowest bidder. As a matter of curiosity, it may be stated that the bids were as follows: Taylor & Worth, of West Chester, $49,677; Staunton & Mc- Garry, of Philadelphia, $40,000; S. P. Rush, of Phil- adelphia, $35,471.90 ; Churchman & Morrow, of Media, $35,500 ; Kirk & Henderson, of Media, $33,021 ; Isaac Worrall, of Media, $32,670.70 ; Simon Litzenberg, of Chester, $32,430; David S. Kendell, of Philadelphia, $32,500; Isaac N. Flounders, of Media, $31,903.64; Joseph Wells, of Thornbury, $29,959; John Hink- son, of Chester, $29,000. Chalkley Chalfant, of Media, contracted to do the painting for $1350. The work was duly performed according to the contract, and some slight improvements have been made upon the building since, rendering it a court-house of which Delaware County may well be proud.

An awe-inspiring incident occurred in the court- house at the March term, 1878. Thomas Townsend, of Lima, while passing along the aisle in the court- room, apparently in the best of health, fell to the floor and expired instantly. The cause of his sudden de- mise was apoplexy.

A singular escape of prisoners occurred from the court-room on Dec. 3, 1883. John Williams and James Clark, who were on trial for burglary, as court was about to adjourn concealed themselves under a bench inside of the dock, and the sheriff absent-mind- edly leaving the room and not thinking of them until he got to the jail, returned to find that they had fled

the building. They were soon recaptured, explained their shrewd but simple means of making their es- cape, and subsequently were sent to the Eastern Pen- itentiary.

Concerning the history of the jail subsequent to its completion, there are a number of interesting items. It is recorded that on Tuesday, April 18, 1854, the last of several prisoners, who had for some time been confined within its walls, was discharged, and that for nearly a week the prison was without a solitary inmate,-a condition of things which seldom if ever occurs nowadays.

During the first few years after its completion es- capes of prisoners from the jail were frequent occur- rences. John Cope, a colored man, regained liberty by scaling the wall, on Ang. 22, 1851. Seven days later, Robert Lees hung himself upon the door of his cell by means of blankets torn into strips and twisted into the form of a rope. He was discovered by fel- low-prisoners, who gave the alarm. He was taken down and handcuffed to prevent his trying further suicidal experiments. He complained of being de- prived of his usual exercise, a privilege which the sheriff had deprived all of the prisoners of after Cope's escape over the wall. Thus the liberty gained by one man brought about more rigorous confinement of the many.

On Dec. 29, 1851, two prisoners escaped from the jail during the absence of the sheriff. One of them was recaptured, but the other, although closely pursued, could not be caught.

John Doughty not only escaped confinement, but passed from it into the great unknown, dying in his cell on Feb. 13, 1852. This was the first death in the prison.

On Nov. 30, 1860, David Mulley, who was impris- oned on the charge of attempting to shoot a man, es- caped, but was recaptured. He was a desperate case, and made a second escape on March 6, 1861.

Christian Heff escaped over the wall on Feb. 18, 1861, by means of a rope made of blankets. Just be- fore the prisoners were locked up he had concealed himself in the yard, and when all was quiet he man- aged to fasten his rope on the wall, and, climbing it, had only to drop down on the outside.

Three persons broke jail on Oct. 1, 1861.

James War made his escape March 24, 1865, and William Waln, a horse-thief, regained his liberty July 19th of the same year.

The frequency of escapes by prisoners and other causes led the commissioners to make improvements in 1868. One of the county papers thus speaks of the work in a July issue: "The prison at Media has re- cently undergone considerable improvement, an addi- tion having been built of forty-three by forty-eight feet, the height to the square being thirty-eight feet. There are now forty cells, all of which are properly ventilated and secure. The iron-work of the prison was done by Messrs. Jaggers, Coverdill & Co., of

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History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Part 146

Author: Ashmead, Henry Graham, 1838-1920 Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L.H. Everts Number of Pages: 1150

Author: Ashmead, Henry Graham, 1838-1920
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L.H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1150