Peters Family House

Valleybrook Road

c.1790 Local farm and mill. Last family there was Henry Harvey family in 1950’s., House sold to a relative of the DuPont family in 1950’s. The house was relocated and now sits on Hillendale Road in Chadds Ford, near Hickory Hill Road.

Peters Family House

Entry Hall

Peters Family House

Parlor

Peters Family House

Master Bedroom

Tenant House for Peters Mill

More recently owned by Herbert H. and Josephine Breneman. The had a wildflower preserve which the Brandywine Conservancy used for flower samples.

Survey Code 045-CS-43 PA Historic Resource Survey

Tenant House for Peters Mill

See description for previous photo

Peters Mill and covered bridge at Valleybrook Road

Later called Johnson’s Mill. This aerial photo was of the mill and the covered bridge. The mill is on the West Branch of the Chester Creek below the junction of Green Creek

Peters Mill and covered bridge at Valleybrook Road

Postcard of Peters Mill. In 1733-1735 he constructed a dam, built a mill race, and developed a thriving fulling mill and later a saw mill and grist mill business. By the 1760s he had a total 398 acres. His son later joined as a partner. By 1826, the grist mill was grinding between 6,000 and 10.000 bushels of grain a year, and the saw mill was producing over 50,000 board feet of lumber per year.

Valleybrook Road before creek leading to intersection with Bodley Rd.

William Peters moved to Aston in the early 1730s where he decided to create a milling business on a branch of the Chester Creek known near Green's Creek.

Covered Bridge over West Branch of Chester Creek

Valleybrook Road at West branch of Chester Creek, near when it intersects with Green Creek, near Bodley Rd. This and many historic photos were taken by Harold Hormann.

Quarry Ruins at Bodley and Valleybrook Road

c.1920 O.P. Adams was the owner, taking from 1934 altlas. There is still a shelter in the rear of the property.

Gilbert Woolman aka John Lindsay House

253 Bodley Road. c.1725, 1752. Current owners Jerry and Mary Allen. Historic survey # 045-CS-46

John Lindsay Barn

253 Bodley Road. Across from this house was a barn. The Strongrom Family had a dairy there in the 1920-1930’s, then moved the business to Valleybrook Road at the second house from Ivy Mills Road.

John Lindsay Barn

253 Bodley Road

John Lindsay Barn

253 Bodley Road

Shelter near John Geisler

254 Bodley Road

Pedlow House

Birney Highway (aka Llywellyn Rd) at Bodley Rd. Marion Pedlow lived with her son Colin P. Kelly Jr. who was son of WWII’s first hero, who dived his plane into a Japanese ship. President Franklin Rossevelt gave a recommendation that Colin Jr. be admitted to West Point

High Point Farm aerial view 1937-1954

Lenni Road - Owners were Herbert and Gilbert Pleet, also owners of the Yorkshire Worsted Mills in Lenni

High Point Farm

Lenni Road - view of fields

High Point Farm

Lenni Road - view of fields

High Point Farm

Lenni Road - Barn

George Wilson's House

Lenni Road - Wilson Auctioneers is on Valleybrook Road.

Diamond House

Lenni Road - As a young boy George Wilson turned the heat up on the chicken coop’s incubator, and killed all the chicks!

John Lundgram House (Stone Haven)

Lenni Road, opposite New Road - c. 1799 1 of 3 houses. This is the house on Lenni Road. He built a large stone paper mill which operated from 1798-1845 and was destroyed in a fire.

045-CS-51

John Lundgram House (Stone Haven) House #1

Same as previous photo

John Lundgram House (Stone Haven) House #2

This house is slightly to the rear of the two previous photos. A third house was removed in the 1980's

William Griffith house

95 Lenni Road - Owned 200 acres and ran a sawmill,and sold his land to John Lundgren. Now a park.

045-CS53

Rose Hill

320 Birney Highway (aka Llewellyn Road) Built in 1850 as a summer residence and bought by the Bond Baking Company in 1900 as an executives summer retreat. 1921 Anne Pope purchased it and estaplished a private boarding school for mentally handicapped from 1927 on. Nephew William Fager managed the family business which is still in operation.

Rose Hill

See prior photo caption - This view is from the front driveway

Rose Hill

Side view of the main building, taken in 2007

Rose Bill

Rear view of the main building, taken in 2007

Dr. Mattson's Farm

Llewellyn Road – 3^{rd house past school on corner of Valleybrook Road (same side of road as school) - Built by F.K. Ward in 1892. Dr. Mattson lived next door. Jim Ross, a well known scout leader, resided there recently.}

Yerkes House

Llewelln Road, across from Mattson House - Built in 1875 by L. Pyle on 12 acres. It was later owned by the Smitheman famil.

Chester Heights School House

Valleybrook Road at Llewellyn Road - Built in 1907 to replace a previous school known as the Martin School c. 1870.

Chester Heights School House

As it appears today

Chester Heights School House

Closeup of date stone

Jimmy Curran’s Store

Valleybrook Road at Llewellyn Road - c. 1926 known to many locally as “The Stand” later, and currently, owned by the DiSalvo family.

Chester Heights Camp Meeting

320 Valleybrook Road (at intersection of Smithbridge Road) Originally incorporated in 1872 as the “Philadelphia Campmeeting and Excursion Association of the Methodist Episcopal Church” - c.1872 148-160 acres. Now 30.9 acres with 65 Victorian cottages, a tabernacle, dining hall, dormitory for 60 and a large performance gazebo. Still in operation with summer concerts and an annual Christian revival

045-CS-37

Chester Heights Camp Meeting

Gravel roads, circa 1900

Chester Heights Camp Meeting

Ladies at festival event in front of tabernacle c. 1900

Chester Heights Campmeeting

Victorian cottage when new, c.1900 There were over 85 cottages built around that t ime, 65 of which remain today

Chester Heights Campmeeting

Cottages gradually replaced tents with wood floors at camp meeting from 1872 to 1900

Chester Heights Campmeeting

St. Johns Avenue c.1900-1910

Chester Heights Campmeeting

1 of 65 cottages at camp meeting in 2008

Chester Heights Train Station

Valleybrook Road between camp meeting and Wilson’s Auction. - The one-car train was known locally as “the Dinky”

Chester Heights Train Station

Crowds of daily excursionists traveled by train from Philadelphia to camp meeting

Thomas Hance House

Valleybrook Road, next to train tracks - c. 1860 formerly known as Groff Antiques, and currently Wilson’s Auctioneers

Thomas Crawford House

Valleybrook Road next Wilsons Auctioneers - c.1892 Now known as Parastudy

George Drayton house

Valleybrook Road, next to Parastudy - 17, 19^{th century estate. Home of 19th century lumber magnate George Drayton of Drayton and Sharpless Lumber company on Smithbridge Road. Current home of John and Carol Tucker family. #045-CS-35}

St. Thomas the Apostle Church

Valleybrook Road - 1729-1852. Worshipers gathered in 1729 under the sponsorship of the Willcox Family owners of the Ivy Mills paper Mill in Concord.

St. Thomas Cemetery

Valleybrook Road

Former St. Thomas Rectory

Valleybrook and Ivy Mills Road - M. Reed c.1930’s built this house, which was used for a while as the rectory.

Wawa Dairy Farmhouse

Wawa Road - c.1802 House of Emmor Williamson

Wawa Dairy Farmhouse

(see previous photo) - Closeup of the date stone near top of roof gable

Blossom Hill

Wawa Road - c.1916 Graham Woods house. Family started the Wawa Dairy

Tennant House

Wawa Road - c.1820

Wawa Railroad Station

Station Road, Wawa - Replaced by smaller station, which is now also gone. 1971 RR branch line of Baltimore & Ohio was put out of commission.

Railroad Turnstile

Off Baltimore Pike - The turnstile was balanced and allowed two men, on opposite sides of the circular device, to turn the train around for its return trip. The excavation hole for the turnstile can still be seen.

Little Forge Hill

Baltimore Pike - 1790,1812 Enos Thatcher built this house. He was a tilt mill foreman and owner.

Forge Hill

Baltimore Pike - 1780, 1812, 1936 built by Joseph Thatcher, a well known 18^{th century coachmaker. He also erected a tilt mill prior to 1811 on Chester Creek 100 feet north of Baltimore Pike.}

Locust Hill Farm

Baltimore Pike - c.1786 This house was owned by the Thatcher family. The western part of the house was an early tavern.

Locust Hill Farm

Rear of Home

Locust Hill Farm

Front elevation

Locust Hill Farm

Barn behind home

Locust Hill Farm

Springhouse between house and barn

Mardon

Baltimore Pike - c.1880 The home was built by Dr. Ellwood Wilson. It was featured in Ashmead’s History of Delaware county in 1884.

Mardon

Newspaper article

Red Roof

Baltimore Pike - c. 1892 “Red Roof.” Home of the Wawa dairy headquarters – Front elevation

Red Roof

Baltimore Pike - side elevation

Red Roof

Outbuilding from main house

Hamanassett

725 Darlington Road -

Hamanassett

725 Darlington Road -

Hamanassett

725 Darlington Road -

Hamanassett

725 Darlington Road - rear view

“Hill of Skye”

Walnut Hill Road - Barn ruins, part of John Chamberlain and Joseph Pennell.

“Hill of Skye”

Walnut Hill Road - Barn restored into home by Tom Gillespie; front view

“Hill of Skye”

Walnut Hill Road - Barn restored as residence – side view

“Hill of Skye”

Walnut Hill Road - c. 1722-1898 part of John Chamberlain and Joseph Pennell. Main house of the barn shown in previous photos. Mark Pennell, son of Joseph, founded the Rose Tree Hunt. Anne and Agnes Dickinson were recent owners

Crier in the Country

Baltimore Pike - 1740-1860 – John Pennell/John Powell. Baltimore pike originally ran along the West side of this structure. Henry Salinere, another founder of Rose Tree Hunt, lived here in 1913.

Pennell Tenant House

490 Valleybrook Road and Old Baltimore Pike - Baltimore Pike was on the south side of this house. It came up from Darlington Road and US Rte. 1 . Now owned by the Kent Frederick family.

Pennell Tennant House

490 Valleybrook Road and Old Baltimore Pike - The Pennell Tenant house was the Logtown Post office during the 18 & 19^{th century. The 2nd floor bedroom is reputedly haunted by 1770’s highwayman Captain Fitzpatrick aka “Sandy Flash.”}

Benjamin Palmer house.

Old Baltimore Pike (access via a driveway South of 490 Valleybrook Road) - 1750-1875 Benjamin Palmer near Old Baltimore Pike. This was used as the “Toll House” where fares were collected from travelers. Further down Old Baltimore pike, before arriving at U.S. 1 as it exists today, was the site of the old Darlington Dairies.

Jesse Wallter House

Valleybrook Road, near West side of WaWa Road - c. 1814-1881 – There was a large barn on the property at one time.

Strongren’s Dairy

Valleybrook Road - c. 1940 This dairy was originally operated on Bodley Road and the business relocated to this location.

Tenant House for Thomas Martin property

Off Ivy Mills Road, behind Thomas Martin house on Valleybrook Road - Built over a spring

Tenant House for Thomas Martin property

Same as previous photo - Front View

Thomas Martin House

Valleybrook Road - c.1750-1790 Also called “Sprucehaven Farm”

P.R. Smith House

Valleybrook Road - c.1880 Water Schrader’s home when he operated the Richardson-Schrader Lumber Yard on Smithbridge Road

Chester Heights Market

Valleybrook Road at Smithbridge Road - In late 1800’s, it first housed the “Camp Meeting, PA” government post office and was owned by the camp meeting at that time.

Chester Heights Market

Valleybrook Road at Smithbridge Road - Historic photo of original building

S.H. Loose House

Smithbridge Road - c.1870 – Mr. Voigt, the first local policeman, lived in this home.

Garage of S.H. Loose

Smithbridge Road - A branch of the “Maplewood Institute” operated from the second floor of this garage. This school of higher learning had its main branch in Concordville on Thornton Road at Baltimore Pike.

R.N. chambers

Smithbridge Road - c.1892 More recently owned by the Ward Family of the Chester Heights Fire Company

The Lumberyard

Smithbridge Road - c.1875 Sharpless/Drayton original owner, then Rhodes and Carson c.1892. The last lumberyard owner was Richards and Schrader.

The Lumberyard

Smithbridge Road

The Lumberyard

Smithbridge Road

Inventor of “The Slinky” toy.

Valleybrook Road opposite Sadie Kerns house, 2 doors from School

Inventor of "The Slinky" toy

Newspaper article

E. W. Bacon

Valleybrook Road, two houses South of School House - Before 1934 – locally known as Sadie Kerns house. She provided the catering at Wilson Auctioneers.

Rural Valleybrook Road

c.1900 Photo by Howard Hormann

Home of William Hannum, Jr.

Valleybrook Road - c.1811

Springhouse

Valleybrook Road

Mattson

T. Pierce farm, buildings since removed.