From the Winter Newsletter:

Over the past few months our Commission has been working to improve the signage in Historic Downtown Thornton. Our goal is to bring back the quaint feeling of the historic town while strongly promoting the businesses within it.

 

There are some very old trees (300 years plus) in our township and we want help identifying them. Detailed information will be in our Spring article. If you feel you have an old tree, contact us anytime.  Call the township or 610 637 2016 or email  emiller@thornbury.org 

 

In keeping with our efforts to educate and bring some of our past into your present we have included a brief history of the Christmas tradition. As always we hope this inspires you to dig deeper into the historical resources surrounding your every day lives and to recognize them for the importance they hold.

 

Christmas in Early West Chester from the 1987 book by Paul A. Rodenbaugh

 Chester County Notebook:

“With the holiday season fast approaching and the Old Fashioned Christmas in  West Chester scheduled for the seventh and eighth of December (1985), many have raised the question “what was Christmas like in West Chester in 1800?” The answer might surprise some people. We have evolved a secular Christmas complete with symbols and traditions which were unknown to the residents of the borough at the turn of the nineteenth century. I doubt whether even one Christmas Tree was found in the village in 1800. Santa Claus or Kris Kringle also was absent and would not appear on the scene for another twenty-five years or more.

The reason for the absence of the Christmas celebration at the time was most of the residents of West Chester were of the denominations which did not accept Christmas as a church holiday. The denominations were the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians and the Society of Friends. The only church located within the borough of West Chester in 1800 was the Catholic Chapel on West Gay Street which was erected in 1793. The congregation was small in 1800. The Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran and Moravian churches had a Church calendar which generally celebrated Christmas. The other groups ignored it. The groups which failed to accept Christmas in 1800 held off for another eighty years before accepting it into the church program.

The largest denomination in West Chester in 1800 was the Society of Friends (Quakers) who worshipped at Bradford, Birmingham or Goshen until their meeting house on North High Street was erected in 1812.  The Friends ignored the celebration of what they called “the day called Christmas” or “Christmas Day so called by the world’s people.” Every day was Holy to them. The stores and schools run by the Friends were open on Christmas until nearly the end of the nineteenth century and they only gave up business then out of a concern for their non-Friend employees. The Quaker First Day School at the Norristown Meeting held the earliest Christmas festival held by Friends I could find record of and that event occurred on December 27, 1876.

The other Protestant denominations, such as Baptists and the Methodists, also ignored the holiday until late in the century. The “ American Republican,” a West Chester newspaper, reported in its December 31, 1867 issue “that neither the Methodist, Baptist or Presbyterian congregations held religious services in their churches on that day’ (Christmas).

Public schools were open in Pennsylvania on Christmas and the State Legislature met on Christmas until 1808. The American Republican attacked the State Legislature on December 29, 1812 for taking a two week recess for the holidays. Christmas came to West Chester after the Civil War.

By the 1880’s many of the local churches were having Christmas celebrations in their Sunday Schools for the children. The Christmas Tree was beginning to gain popularity and the use of greens was catching on among the residents.

Clement Moore wrote A Visit from Saint Nicholas in 1824 and by 1880 it was a popular Christmas story nationally.  The last century has seen the introduction of various traditions.

Now one of the most enjoyable local activities during the holiday season has become a tradition of its own. The evening walking tours, during Old Fashioned Christmas in West Chester, are looked forward to each year. They combine Christmas and the history of three sections of our borough. Try to take advantage of this opportunity for seeing our old neighborhoods by lantern light.”

Please remember within a few miles of our township in every direction, is a wealth of historical resources...Visit www.thornbury.org and go into the links, click on Brandywine Conference and Visitors Bureaus. You will find as much information as you like. 

Remember the Frazer Ruins in Bonner Park..... a good walk on a snowy day. While at the ruins, try to envision living there in 1776........... less our modern conveniences and all the surrounding houses.

Lastly, please support our local area history teaching gems...... Colonial Plantation Farm www.colonialplantation.org  and Brandywine Battlefield www.brandywinebattlefield.org They are both great learning resources.

Our Commission wishes you all the best of holidays and a safe and prosperous New Year.

"When the well is dry we will know the worth of water"

                                                                                      -Ben Franklin

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From the Fall Newsletter:

April 1681, William Penn made his cousin William Markham deputy governor of the Province of Pennsylvania, and sent him to Pennsylvania to take control. Penn, age 38, arrived in New Castle on the ship Welcome in October 1682. A day later he sailed upriver to Upland (now Chester). After conducting a period of business there, he sailed for his first time, to Philadelphia.  Most people coming to Pennsylvania in this time period, landed in Upland, few in Philadelphia, as it was just being established.

Pennsylvania’s first three counties were Chester County founded in 1681, Philadelphia County founded in 1682 and Bucks County founded in 1683.  Historical documents vary on this, some indicating all three founded in 1682.In 1687 The Court of Equity in Chester recognized Thornbury as a separate Township and the Township was incorporated.

Because Delaware County had not been formed yet, our Thornbury was part of Chester County. Delaware County was formed September 26, 1789. Farmers in Thornbury and Birmingham Townships were allowed to choose whether they wanted their farms to remain in Chester County or be attached to the new Delaware County.

Sources reveal at the time of our Township’s incorporation there were only five or six families owning property and living in our borders. Using a median number of five people per family, that would indicate a total population in 1687 of approximately twenty five to thirty people. Our population today is about eight five hundred (8,500).

Within a few miles of our township, in almost every direction, is a wealth of historical resources. If you go to the township website  www.thornbury.org and go into the links, click on the Brandywine Conference and Visitors Bureaus. You will be able to find out as much information as you like. The following links are full of information as well, but the Visitor Bureau will be a more direct route for our historical resource purpose:   www.brandywinebattlefield.org    and  www.ushistory.org/brandywine

You may enjoy local points of interest and upcoming events in this interesting economic environment. Lots of things to do inexpensively.

Colonial Plantation Farm  www.colonialplantation.org    Located in Ridley Creek State Park in Edgemont, on 112 acres, the plantation provides the context of early American History, the setting where the impact of King George’s taxes was felt. The Plantation’s modest role – as a working farm operating with the methods and implements of colonial America – belies its significance as a living example of that period.   Easy to get to, reasonable entrance fees, free parking, educational as well as makes one aware of how easy we have it to day. No hopping in the car and going to Wawa or Acme back then….

Bonner Park / Frazer Ruins…..take a walk and learn more about Revolutionary War figure Persifor Frazer. Our Commission is in its next design stage of rebuilding portions of this historic structure for you to enjoy. We are also in the process of cutting a more direct and time saving trail from the Blossom Hill parking lot to the Ruins.

We hope the information in this article proves to be worthwhile for your continued education of our township and its surrounding areas. These interrelated bits of knowledge helped to form Thornbury. If they light a spark in you to visit and help preserve some of our valued historical resources, that is our intent. Sources for this article (sometimes almost verbatim) come from a large library of books, articles, newsletters and websites.

“When the well is dry we know the worth of water”   -Ben Franklin

 

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The Historic Commission was formed in the mid 1990’s as the Supervisors saw a need for historic preservation in our township. The first historic property requiring attention was the house and barn of Revolutionary War figure Persifor Frazer.Persifor, founder of one of the most prominent families of Philadelphia, was a leading political figure in the resistance against British power in the colonies. 

In early 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, under the command of “Mad Anthony” Wayne, he was appointed Captain of Company A, Fourth Pennsylvania Battalion. Wayne later promoted him to Lieutenant Colonel of the Fifth Pennsylvania Line.

At the Battle of Brandywine, Persifor was captured and eventually held as a prisoner in the Walnut Street prison, in Philadelphia. He was paroled and later appointed as a Brigadier General in the Pennsylvania Militia. During the Revolutionary War, the Thornbury home of Persifor and his wife Mary, was raided by a British raiding party. In a celebrated incident, Mary stood the British down.

After the war, Persifor established himself as a successful iron manufacturer. He owned and operated Sarum Forge, a historical Forge located within our township borders.

The Frazer house survived the war; as did the barn, but many years later fell into disrepair. Realizing the value of this historical property, under the guidance of John Miller, our Commission’s first Chairman, a stabilization program was put in place.

The stonework on the chimneystack of the house was rebuilt and the foundation stabilized. A few years later the interpretive sign project was completed. This was a joint effort between the Thornbury Historical Society and our commission.  In 1998, John Miller received the Thornbury Historic Commission Luckenback Service Award, for his preservation efforts of this site.

Our stabilization efforts under the direction of Ted Jacquet are ongoing. The Frazer Ruins are an important piece of Township and American History that you should visit while you walk in Bonner Park.

Thornbury Historical Society has an exceptional DVD available for a nominal cost. This educational source provides further details of Persifor as well as the extensive history of our Township. www.thornburyhistoricalsociety.org

On May 05, 2009, the Historic Commission’s present Chairman; Geoff Carbutt, became the 20th recipient of the Thornbury Historical Society Luckenbach Service Award. Among his many other historically related projects, Geoff was the driving force behind getting the Village of Thornton listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Please take the time to read the green historic information plaque located in front of the Post Office in our Village.

Important…… Gov. Rendell, in his 2009/2010 budget, has proposed cutting $1.8 million from the $25.8 million operating budget of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. This commission oversees the Brandywine Battlefield and 20 other historical sites in our State.  A counter-plan, passed last week by the Pennsylvania Senate, proposes a more drastic cut of an additional $4.5 million

This action by the Governor has led the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to recommend closing or curtailing operations at Brandywine as well as five additional PA historic sites. Brandywine needs your help. 

Paraphrasing from a Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper article by staff writer Larry King, historians regard Brandywine as a pivotal point of the Revolutionary War. Washington’s defeat there on September 11, 1777, enabled the British to capture Philadelphia, the capital, yet his army remained intact enough to regroup at Valley Forge.   

The site is an important learning tool for our children and us. Not only is this an important piece of American history, it is another important bit of our Township’s history.

For much more detailed information on this please visit the following websites. www.brandywinebattefield.org  or www.savebrandywinebattlefield.com Time is of the essence here as our representatives are set to vote on this within the next few weeks.   

                                         “When the well is dry, we know the worth of water”   Ben Franklin

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Historic Marker Dedication
July 4, 2008

Thornbury Historical Society

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