USA > Pennsylvania > Delaware County > History of Delaware county, Pennsylvania, from the discovery of the territory included within its limits to the present time > Part 43
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" By line and rule works many a fool."
Until a very recent period, no religious sect had a place of worship in Chester except the Friends, (who now have two,) and the Episcopalians. In 1834, the Methodists erected a small church building, which was much enlarged and improved in 1846. The Catholic church (St. Michael's) was dedicated in 1843, and that of the Presbyterians ten years later. The African Metho- dists also have a small place of worship in Chester.
It has been mentioned that the first newspaper, called the Post Boy, was published at Chester on the 8th of November, 1819. Joseph M. G. Lescure purchased the Post Boy estab- lishment, and changed the name of the paper to the Upland Union in 1825, which was published under that name until 1852.
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
In 1827, the Weekly Visitor, a third paper, was started by William Russell, Jr., and edited by Strange N. Palmer, and af- terwards by Thomas Eastman, but was discontinued in' 1833. Mr. Y. S. Walter, who had commenced the publication of the Delaware County Republican at Darby, on the first of August, 1833, removed his establishment to Chester some years after- wards, where it is still continued. In 1835, the publication of a sheet called the Delaware County Democrat, was commenced and continued a year or two. Since that time several other ephemeral papers have been published.
Up to about the period of the removal of the scat of justice to Media, the growth of Chester had been remarkably slow. From that time the improvement of the place has been as re- markably rapid. The adjacent grounds have been laid out with streets, and many buildings erected within the past few years. Public attention has been called to the advantages of the place for manufacturing purposes, and a large number of manufacto- ries of different kinds have been erected. Chester now bids fair to become a manufacturing town of no mean pretensions.
Gas was introduced into Chester in 1856, since which time the town has been well supplied with that necessary article, but water has not yet been introduced.
Upland, the neatest manufacturing village in the County, and perhaps in the State, occupies the site of the ancient Chester mills. But little remains about. the premises to connect the place with olden times, except the dwelling occupied by Caleb Pusey while he had charge of these early erected mills. This humble mansion of the active partner of the concern occupies a position upon the present race-bank, not very distant from the site of the first erected mill. It was built at two different times -the older part doubtless very soon after the erection of the first mill. It is now the humblest mansion in the village.
Upland has sprung into existence within a few years past. In 1845, John P. Crozer, Esq., purchased the mill property from the heirs of Richard Flower, deceased. The place now contains three large cotton factories, with unusually neat and comfortable dwellings for all the operatives, and the necessary mechanics ; the elegant mansions of the proprietor, his two sons and others ; a neat and elegant Baptist church, and a well finished public school-house.
Upland Normal Institute, erected by Mr. Crozer in 1857, is located on an eminence south of the village of Upland. The building is very commodious, and was erected at a cost of $45,000. The objects of the Institution, as set forth by its founder, "are to furnish at a reduced cost, a comprehensive, thorough, and practical education, for business, teaching, college, and any lite- rary and professional pursuit."
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UPLAND
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The Indian name of the place now occupied by Chester was Mecoponacka, that of Chester creek, Mecopanackan.
CHICHIESTER.
Both townships bearing this name will be considered together, as they both constituted but one municipal district for many years after the establishment of Penn's government. In 1722, the terms Upper and Lower Chichester were in use, but they were then assessed together as one township. In 1735, they were assessed separately.
The original township was named after Chichester, an ancient city in the county of Sussex, England. That city was formerly called Cissancester, that is, the city of Cissa, because it was built by Cissa, the king of the South Saxons.1 On the 20th of April, 1682, at the request of the inhabitants of Marcus Hook, Gover- nor Markham granted them authority to change the name of their town to Chichester. This is the first appearance of the name in our records. On the 27th of the 4th mo., (June) 1683, William Hewes was appointed constable for " Chichester liberty," which probably meant the township of Chichester, as it had been laid out by Charles Ashcom.
" Marcus Hook is doubtless a corruption of Maarte-hook, the name of an Indian chief who probably resided at that place."2 It at first was corrupted to Marreties Hoeck, and then to its present name, which the authority of two Governors has failed permanently to change to "Chichester." The author has in his possession the copy of a draft of "Chichester Town," made by Jacob Taylor, Surveyor-General. It is without date, but must have been executed in the very early part of the past century-probably in 1701, the time when a grant of privileges from Penn was made to the town. (See Appendix, Note E.) In this early draft are laid down Broad street, Market place, Discord lane ; about a dozen dwellings, mostly fronting the river, and the names of a number of the lot owners.
Some of the dwellings at Marcus Hook bear the same vene- rable appearance as the oldest in Chester, and are doubtless co- temporary in age. Some late writers confine Finland of the Swedish government to a space between Marcus Hook and Ches- ter, but this space is too limited for the Finnish settlements. They doubtless extended into New Castle County.3
The growth of Marcus Hook has been exceedingly slow. Since the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad
1 Phillips' New World of Words, (1671).
2 Ferris' Early Settlements on the Delaware, 135. Hudde's Report, 439. Mr. Armstrong regards Marettie and Marcus as distinct titles, neither being a corruption of the other. See his Note, Upland Court Rec. 135.
3 See Hudde's Report, 429.
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
was constructed, a village has sprung up near that road, and some improvements have been made in the old part of the town. During the fishing season large quantities of shad and herring are sold here as well as at Chester.
The first establishment of St. Martin's Church at Marcus Hook has already been noticed. It did not bear the name of St. Martin's till 1760, when that name was suggested in inci- dental commemoration of Walter Martin, the donor of the lot upon which it stands. In 1745 the first erected frame church was replaced by a brick edifice, which in its turn, after under- going various modifications, was replaced by the present credit- able building in 1846. In this church-yard is the tomb of Elizabeth Smith, who was born in 1699 and died in 1802, aged- 103 years. She saw parts of three centuries.
Besides the Episcopal church there is a neat Baptist church constituted in 1789, and a Methodist church located at Marcus Hook, and two Friends' meeting-houses in Upper Chichester.
BETHEL.
Bethel is the smallest of the original townships, and is yet the smallest township in the County except Tinicum. The name of the township, for anything that is known to the con- trary, was imported directly from Palestine. The word is said to signify "House of God," Beth being the name of the second Hebrew letter, which is made after the fashion of a Hebrew house.1 Bethel Hamlet had an existence at a very early date, and was probably composed of the first rudely constructed dwellings of the early immigrants, who built them near together for safety.
In 1683 a constable was appointed for "Concord liberty." This included Bethel, which is first named as a township that year. The two townships constituted one municipal district for several years, and it is difficult to ascertain the precise time when Bethel was organized separately. There are two churches in Bethel, both belonging to the Methodists. .
CONCORD.
This township was originally laid out in a rectangular form, and the author has not learned when or for what reason the irregular portion to the S. W. was appended. The name pro- bably had its origin in the harmonious feelings of some of the first settlers.
The land for a Friends' meeting at Concord and a grave-yard was conveyed, or rather leased to trustees . by John Mendenhall
1 Philip's New World of Words.
.
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
in 1697, they paying "one pepper corn yearly forever." A meeting-house was erected that year or the next. This meet- ing-house was destroyed by fire about the year 1787. In the apartments in which the congregation assembled for worship there was no place for fire ; but before meeting assembled in cold weather, those who desired to make themselves comfortable, resorted to fires made in open fire-places in each end of the attic. From one of these the building took fire. The present large meeting-house supplies the place of the one destroyed, and since the division of the Society a second has been erected on the same lot.
Though an Episcopal organization had existed in Concord from the commencement of the eighteenth century, it was not till 1727 that effective measures were adopted for the erection of a place of worship. From a draft found among the papers of Isaac Taylor, County Surveyor, it would appear that a church lot, containing one acre, was surveyed in 1724, but from an entry in the vestry book it may be inferred that no purchase was made till 1727, when, probably, a temporary church edifice was erected. A "brick end" was built to the church in the year 1773, partly out of the proceeds of a lottery. The present church edifice of St. John's was erected in 1833.
In 1729 a tract of land was purchased by Thomas Willcox from Thomas Jones, on which Ivy Mills now stand. It is pro- bable that the first paper mill was erected that year, or very shortly afterwards. In 1739 Thomas Willcox released one-half his interest in a small piece of the land purchased from Jones, upon which the mill had been erected, to one Thomas Brown, and took that gentleman into partnership with him in the busi- ness of making and selling paper-Brown to furnish one-half of the capital and to be at one-half of the expense, but to receive only two-fifths of the profits. Thomas Willcox received a larger share of the profits on account of his knowledge of the business, but he covenants to "use the utmost of his endeavours to teach and instruct the said Thomas Brown in the trade or mystery of a Paper Maker." Shortly afterwards, Thomas Willcox pur- chased out the interest of Brown, since which the business of paper making has been continued by his descendants, of the name of Willcox, to the present time. The business is now mainly conducted at Glen Mills, only a few hands being now employed at the old Ivy Mills, where paper is still exclusively made by hand. The paper used in this work was made at the Glen Mills, and was furnished by the present firm of James M. Willcox & Co .- the map paper being the product of the old Ivy Mills-the second place at which paper was manufactured in Pennsylvania, the first mill being that of the Rittenhouses near Germantown.
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
Concordville, at which the Friends' meeting-house is situated, is a beautifully located village. A building designed for a board- ing-school was erected at that place the present year.
DARBY.
Both Darby and Upper Darby constituted but one township up to 1786, though separated previously to that time for many purposes. Under Penn's government, the settlement of Darby commenced in 1682, and progressed for a time more rapidly than any other settlement in the County. It is first recognized as a municipal district in 1683, when Thomas Worth was ap- pointed constable by the Court. The ancient district of Calcon Hook was annexed to Darby in 1686. It then contained six settlements, viz., those of Morton Mortonson, Peter Peterson, Hance Urin, Swan Boone, Hance Boon, and Matthias Natsilas.
Perhaps the opinion is universal, that our ancestors, who came from the county of Derby, in England, corrupted the spelling of the name of their former place of residence when they, in kind remembrance, adopted it for their home in America. The cor- ruption, if it be one, was effected in England before our ances- tors migrated to America. In the "New World of Words," published in 1671, Darby and Darbyshire are given, but not Derby nor Derbyshire ; and in the certificates brought over by early Friends, it is almost uniformly spelled with a instead of e. The author of the work referred to, makes the name of the English town a contraction of the word Derwentby, "because it standeth on the river Derwent." This would make the proper spelling of the name Derby ; but it is clear that our ancestors brought the name with them as it was generally written when they migrated to America, and so it has remained, notwithstand- ing some fastidious persons have made efforts from time to time to change it.
Some specimens of legislation by the early town meetings of Darby have been given. The following is another specimen :--
" Agreed at a town meeting 1697, that all plantations, ye lands not Joyning upon the road, that four of the Neighbours shall be chosen to lay out a convenient way as they shall see meet to the next convenient road, and being so done, shall stand firm and not be blocked up with trees or plantations.
" Signed on behalf of the " Town by " THO. WORTH."
And again, in 1715, the town meeting, after having directed a tax of a half penny in the pound to be levied on the township, enacted the following humane ordinance :-
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
" That travellers having nothing to defray their charges at the public Inn, shall be allowed ten pence a night (if they are first allowed by the overseers of the poor.)"
In 1747, the township was divided by the authority of a town- ship meeting for every purpose except the support of the poor. The dividing line of this temporary division was farther south, (at least in part,) than that which now separates the two town- ships. A permanent division of the township was agreed upon at a township meeting in 1786, and the line recommended by the meeting was confirmed by the court as the dividing line be- tween the two townships; the part north of the line taking the name of Upper Darby.
There are now in the possession of John Andrews, of Darby, the grave-stones of Edmund Cartlidge, the early Quaker im- migrant. That portion of the head-stone intended to stand above ground is represented in the annexed cut. It will be re- membered how pertinaciously Friends, for many years, in- sisted upon the removal of all grave-stones. Many were put out of sight by being buried, and those under notice were only recently disinterred in digging a grave in Friends' THEMEMORYOF burial-ground at Darby. The elaborate carving on this me- CARTLIDGE mento shows that Friends had run into a little extravagance in the erection of monuments FACED SAMFAR'S to their dead, to restrain which there was a real neces- sity of some action on the part of the Society. If, however, the only object of Friends was to restrain extravagance in this matter, it is really difficult to see the propriety of the action of the meetings that resulted in the exclusion of every mark set up to indicate the graves of their departed members.
The mills at Darby were erected about the year 1695 or 1696. In a deed executed in 1697, they are mentioned as "three water grist mills and fulling mill." It is not known that a full- ing mill of an earlier date had been established in Pennsylvania.
For some time after the flour mill at Darby was first estab- lished, the boulting was not done in the mill, but some distance from it, and probably on the opposite side of the creek. It ap- pears to have been a separate business, and was carried on by parties not concerned in the mill.
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
Till within a few years past, the town of Darby presented but few features of recent improvements. The construction of a plank road, and subsequently a passenger railroad connecting it with the city, has infused new life into the venerable hamlet, and has surrounded it with many superb country residences of wealthy Philadelphians. Still a few old dwellings remain in the low part of the town, that would probably date back nearly a century and a half.
Sharon Boarding School for young ladies, near Darby, estab- lished by the late John Jackson, is a large building, well located, and is provided with every comfort and convenience proper for such an establishment.
" The Burd Orphan Asylum of St. Stephen's Church," now being built, when completed, will be the most costly edifice in Delaware County. It is located on the West Chester road, in Upper Darby. This institution will be established in pursuance of the last will and testament of Eliza Howard Burd, the widow of Edward Shippen Burd, in honor of whom it was named. The testatrix gives to the institution two-tenths of the residuary estate left to her by her husband, and makes it the sole residuary legatee of her own. The endowment is munificent, and it is understood to 'be ample for all the contemplated objects of the institution. As pointed out in the will of Mrs. Burd, "the ob- jects of the said Asylum shall be, to maintain, educate, and at a suitable age and time, (to be judged of and determined by those to whose management I have entrusted the Asylum,) to place out to be instructed in proper employments, first, the white female orphan children of legitimate birth, of the age of not less than four years and not more than eight years, who shall . have been baptized in the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the city of Philadelphia ; secondly, the same class of children, bap- tized in the same Church, in the State of Pennsylvania; and thirdly, all other white female orphan children of legitimate birth, not less than four years of age and not more than eight years, without respect to any other description or qualification whatever, except that at all times, and in every case, the orphan children of clergymen of the Protestant Church shall have the preference. *" Mrs. Burd further direets " that in the building erected for the Asylum, there shall be an apartment prepared and set apart as a Chapel, to be kept saered for the worship of Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in con- formity with the rites and ceremonies of the Protestant Epis- copal Church," and she positively enjoins, " that all children received into the Asylum shall be faithfully instructed, as a part of their education, in the principles of the precious Gospel of her God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, as they are held and
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THE BURD ORPHAN ASYLUM OF ST STEPHEN'S CHURCH.
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KELLYVILLE.
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
taught by the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States, and that no other system of religion shall be taught there; and moreover, that all the worship held therein shall be according to the ritual of said Church and no other."
But one-half of the estate devised and bequeathed can be ap- propriated to the purchase of grounds and the erection of build- ings, under any pretence whatever, the balance to be invested, as directed in the will, for the support of the Asylum. The control and management of the institution is entrusted to the Rector, Church Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Stephen's Church ; with the Bishop, for the time being, of the diocese that includes Philadelphia, as a perpetual visitor.
Kellyville is an extensive manufacturing village on Darby Creek, where it is crossed by the Delaware County Turnpike, and West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad. It has a population of about 500. The Catholic Church (St. Charles) at this place is a neat and substantial building. From a short distance below Kellyville, for more than a mile up Darby Creek, there is almost one continuous village. Between these points, including Mr. Charles Kelly's large cotton factory, there are six manufactories of cotton, or of cotton and wool, and two of paper.
Clifton is a pleasant village at the intersection of the Turn- pike and Springfield road. On the high ground west of Clifton, overlooking the Delaware, is located Clifton Hall, a private In- sane Hospital, under the direction of Dr. Robert A. Given. It is a commodious building (90 by 64 feet), and occupies a healthful and commanding position.
The Friends' Meeting-house at Darby is a large and substan- tial building. Another meeting-house was erected in Upper Darby, after the division of the Society, by those termed Or- thodox. The Methodists have one church in Darby and one in Upper Darby, and the Presbyterians two churches in Darby township. There is also a New Jerusalem Church in Upper Darby, the only one of that denomination in the County.
PROVIDENCE.
From Chester, settlements very soon extended into Providence, there being at first but one township of that name. At the October Court, 1683, " the inhabitance of Providence make ap- plication for a highway to the town of Chester," which is the first appearance of the name in the county records. The name, doubtless, had its origin with some of the early immigrants, and was given as a manifestation of their gratitude for their safe deliverance from the perils they had encountered in crossing the ocean. It was not organized as a township till 1684, when
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
Thomas Nossiter was appointed constable. The division between the townships of Upper and Nether Providence is laid down in Holme's map, and each is marked with its appropriate name. In 1686 Upper Providence is recognized as a township by the appointment of a constable, but up to 1722 both townships were assessed as one municipality, and at that time the whole number of taxables in both was only forty.
Todmorden, formerly Crookville, situated on Ridley Creek, chiefly in Nether Providence, is a manufacturing village of some note. There are two large woolen factories at this place, and two on the creek a short distance above, in Upper Providence, the property of Samuel Bancroft, and conducted by him. The whole together constitutes one of the largest woolen manufac- turing establishments in the United States.
Media, the present seat of justice of Delaware County, located chiefly in Upper Providence township, has been noticed else- where. Besides a Presbyterian, an Episcopalian and a Method- ist church, there are two well-established boarding-schools at this place-one for each sex. The classies are taught at the boys' school, while in the female seminary, known as Brooke Hall, young ladies are thoroughly instructed in all the useful and ornamental branches. Chestnut Grove House, beautifully located near the railroad depot, is a very large and tastefully fitted up summer boarding-house owned by a company. The town is supplied with water, but not as yet, with gas.
Not long after the removal of the seat of justice to Media, the establishment of the "Upland Union" newspaper was re- moved from Chester to that place and continued there about two years. In 1855 "The American and Media Advertiser" was commenced, and with its name changed to "Delaware County American " has been continued to the present time. It was at first edited by Cooper and Vernon, but for a year or two past by the latter partner alone.
RIDLEY.
Under the government of the Duke of York, the municipal district of "Calkoen's Hoek," embraced not only the neck of land known by that name, but also Amer's Land, or Amos Land and Tinicum. In 1682, John Simeock located one of his large purchases of land, (2875 acres,) immediately north of Amer's Land and named it Ridley, after the place in Cheshire, England, from whence he emigrated. This large traet, for the most part, remained unimproved, and hence the old district was for a time continued ander the name of " Amos Land and Calcoone Hook." In 1686 Calcon Hook was annexed to Darby township, and the
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VIEW OF MEDIA FROM THE SOUTH WEST.
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year following Amos Land and Tinicum were included in a new township, then first organized, named Ridley. The name was sometimes applied to the creek before the township was or- ganized.
Calcon Hook is a corruption of the Dutch name Kalkoen Hoek, that is, Turkey Point, Kalkoen being the Dutch word for Tur- key. It was probably applied to the place on account of the large numbers of wild turkeys that frequented it. The name Amers, or Amos Land, is said to have originated from the circumstance, that in very early times it was the residence of a celebrated nurse-amma being the Swedish for nurse. Amos Land ex- tended about a mile north from Darby Creek, and westward from the Mucanippitas nearly to Stone Creek. Calcon Hook was east of the Mucanippitas, and extended nearly up to the post road, but not to Darby Creek above its junction with Cobb's Creek.
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