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Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
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Source: July 1989 Volume 27 Number 3, Pages 93–101

A Collection of Springhouses: A Pictorial Portfolio

drawings by Meg Fruchter

Page 93

In I Remember America, Eric Sloane commented, "I went to visit the Andrew Wyeths one time and never did reach their home because there were so many extraordinary examples of early springhouses in and around Chadds Ford that I spent the whole day collecting them in my sketchbook."

His observations would have been equally applicable to both Tredyffrin and Easttown townships. On the following pages are sketches of some of our springhouses, drawn from recent photographs.

One of the things that early settlers looked for in choosing a homesite was a good spring. Walled in, with a springhouse built over it, it provided year-round refrigeration for the family. The springhouse was usually made of stone rather than wood, as stone maintains the low temperature more satisfactorily than wood does. In many cases the ledges and other fixtures inside the springhouse were also made of stone. As a result, a number of early springhouses still survive while other outbuildings have rotted away and deteriorated.

For the same reason, food and beverages were often put in earthenware or stoneware crocks or jars when they were put into the springhouse. While produce and eggs were usually stored on a built-in ledge, cans of milk or tubs of butter were frequently placed directly into the walled-in spring. Sometimes a second floor was added to provide a drier storage space for products affected by too much dampness.

On a hot summer day the springhouse was also the coolest place on the farm to sit and rest!

Page 94