Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Historical Commission to host open houses
John Cadwalader House, Edith P. Moore School House can be toured on April 12
The first open house of the John Cadwalader House and Edith P. Moore School House will be held on April 12.
UWCHLAN » The Uwchlan Township Historical Commission members announced that they are reopening to the public the John Cadwalader House and Edith P. Moore School House.
Because of Easter Sunday the April open house will be held on Sunday, April 12, from 2-4 p.m. After April, the buildings will be open the first Sunday of every month from May through November from 2-4 p.m.
On display in the John Cadwalader House will be McCoy pottery, including some used to contain potted plants. The buildings are located on North Village Avenue in the Lionville National Historic District.
The Lionville National Historic District encompasses areas along both North and South Village Avenues.
A new self-guided tour of the area has been published by Uwchlan Township Historical Commission. It is available at the Uwchlan Township Administration Building at 715 North Ship Road or during the visiting hours at the Cadwalader House or E.P. Moore Schoolhouse.
The Edith P. Moore Schoolhouse is owned by Uwchlan Township and administered by Uwchlan Township Historical Commission.
Various food preservation items such as crocks, jugs etc. from previous centuries will be on display in October at the Cadwalader House.
A Welsh Quaker minister, John Cadwalader, held the first worship services in Uwchlan in 1711 in his home. Two years later, he sold his 250-acre farm, except for one acre. That land was set aside for Uwchlan Friends to erect a meeting house and burial ground.
This 1711 house has not only witnessed the growth of the township, commission members
said, but has been an integral part of Uwchlan’s origins. The house features hand-cut support beams in the cellar and stone walls nearly two-feet thick surrounding the four front bay windows. The bookcases display model buildings of Lionville, created by Robert Gans. He created the models for a window display at the Chester County Courthouse during the Chester County Tricentennial Celebration in 1982.
The John Cadwalader House is at 21 North Village Avenue in Lionville. The John Cadwalader House features the Frances D. Mathews Research Library and is the home of the Uwchlan Township Historical Commission.
Commission members said a casual walk on North Village Avenue leads people along the concrete highway of old Route 100.
The schoolhouse includes the original Lionville Post Office structure that housed the old wood mailboxes. There was no household delivery at one time in Lionville’s history. People would have to go to a store owner in the village to pick up their mail. Location of the Post Office would be at the discrepancy of whatever local political party was in power, commissioners said.
The schoolhouse also houses a science cabinet, a stereopticon viewer and period replica clothing of earlier times that children may try on. In the schoolhouse, the public can read some of the old schoolbooks or browse through albums containing photos of former Uwchlan School District students.
The Edith P. Moore School House has a working water pump and the old school house bell which can be rung. Old text books, desks and benches are still inside the schoolhouse.
For more information, call the Uwchaln Township Historical Commission at 610-280-9522.