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Our Next Meeting
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This Society meeting will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday September 17, 2023
at, and co-sponsored by, Easttown Library in Berwyn, Pa.
Advance registration (no charge) is suggested.
Participation is limited,
so prompt registration is recommended if you are interested.
Use the following link to register in advance for this event:
https://ccls.libcal.com/event/11290155 .
The featured presentation will be:
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Abolition & the Underground Railroad in Chester County
presented by Mark Lanyon
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Mark Lanyon is the author of Abolition & the Underground Railroad in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
His book captures the rich history of antislavery activity that transformed Chester County into a vital region
in the nation's fight for freedom. He will talk about his book and related subects, and will be signing books after the lecture.
Chester County was home to a diverse patchwork of religious communities, antislavery activists and free Black populations,
all working to end the blight of slavery during the Civil War era. Kennett Square was known as the "hotbed of abolitionism,"
with more Underground Railroad stations than anywhere else in the nation. Reverend John Miller Dickey and the Hinsonville
community under the leadership of James Ralston Amos and Thomas Henry Amos founded the Ashmun Institute, later renamed
Lincoln University, the nation's oldest degree-granting Historically Black College and University.
The county's myriad Quaker communities fostered strong abolitionist sentiment and a robust pool of activists aiding runaway
slaves on their road to emancipation.
Mark Lanyon is a member of many societies and organizations including the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR)
and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Since retiring, Mark has been able to concentrate his research
on the rich history of antislavery activity in Chester County; including the Underground Railroad, the Abolitionist Movement,
and the founding of Lincoln University.
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2023 Member Excursion
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On Saturday, 10 June 2023, all current Society members were invited to join us for
our Annual Member Excursion, which this year took us to
The Mill at Anselma in Chester Springs.
Nestled along the Pickering Creek in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, the Mill at Anselma
is an extraordinary historic site demonstrating over 250 years of Chester County's industrial history.
The 22-acre property and surviving historical buildings demonstrate a heritage engineered to last.
The Mill retains its original Colonial-Era power train, as well as multiple layers of industrial equipment ranging from the late 1700s to the mid 1900s.
A National Historic Landmark since 2005; an operational Mill before the United States of America; an independent, non-profit historic site today.
The workings of the Mill at Anselma in Chester Springs are a valuable window into how a colonial era grist mill was built and functioned.
We were be able to see the Mill's water wheel in operation during our tour, as well as learning about the history and context of farming,
milling, and shipping Pennsylvania flour around the world.
The staff of the Mill provided us with a guided tour, after which we enjoyed some light refreshments and an opportunity to converse.
As with other recent excursions, we were open to being joined by members of the King of Prussia Historical Society.
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Important — RSVP To assist us with planning for the event,
we asked that participants let us know that they were planning to attend.
The Society covered admission fees for all pre-registered members. Others were advised to expect to pay the regular admission fee ($10 for adults, $5 for seniors
(age 62 and over) and youth (age 4–14).
Our tour started at 1 PM. Appropriate health and saftey precautions were expected.
When:
1:00 – 3:00 PM, Saturday, 10 June 2023
Where:
1730 Conestoga Road
Chester Springs, PA 19425
610-827-1900
The entrance is just west of Rt. 113 on Rt. 401. Directions from your location may be obtained from the LOCATION section at the bottom of the
Mill at Anselma website
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Links to Recent Online Presentation Videos
Society Presentations
Chester County Historic Preservation Network 2021 Spring Workshop (6 March 2021)
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Past Special Events Sponsored by Other Organizations
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Tredyffrin Community Day
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The Society exhibited again at the 2022 Tredyffrin Township Community Day
— on Saturday 8 October 2022 from 2 pm until 6 pm at Wilson Farm Park in Chesterbrook.
We enjoyed talking with the many people who stopped by and visited us.
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Mt. Zion AME Church
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170th Anniversary — Mt. Zion AME Church celebrated their 170th Anniversary
on Saturday 21 September 2018 from 10 am until 4 pm at 380 North Fairfield Road in Devon.
PA State Senator Andy Dinniman presented a proclamation at 10 am, and members of the 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops (USCT)
Reenactors presented a 21-gun salute and played "Taps," followed by tours of the historic church and cemetery, and a special service and banquet starting at noon.
Historical Marker — A state-sonsored historical marker commemorating the "Berwyn School Fight" of 1932–34 was dedicated
on Saturday 21 November 2020 with a distinguished group of invited speakers in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
A large audience attended and the proceedings were video-recorded.
Graveyard Project — A front page article about the ongoing research and conservation and research project in the historic cemetery
was published in the 29 January 2021 Daily Local.
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Paoli Battlefield Heritage Day
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The Society exhibited again at the again at the 2022 Paoli Battlefield Heritage Day
on Saturday 17 September 2022 from 11 am until 4 pm at Paoli Memorial Grounds in Malvern.
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Historic House Tour
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On Saturday 28 September 2019, the Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust
held their 15th Annual Historic House Tour from 12 until 5 pm.
The proceeds support the rebuilding of the historic Jones Log Barn and the proposed Living History Center at Duportail.
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Paoli Blues Fest
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The Society exhibited in past years at the Paoli Blues Fest, but for various reasons, did not exhibit at the 2018 event,
and will not attend the 2019 event to be held on Saturday 28 September 2019 from noon until 6 pm at Paoli Presbyterian Church.
See more about the Society's past involvement here.
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Our Most Recent Meeting
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This Society meeting was held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday May 21, 2023
in-person at Easttown Libary in Strafford, Pa.
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Breadbasket of the World
presented by Jennifer Green
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The Mill and Spring House at Anselma
Nestled along the Pickering Creek in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, the Mill at Anselma
is an extraordinary historic site demonstrating over 250 years of Chester County's industrial history.
The 22-acre property and surviving historical buildings demonstrate a heritage engineered to last.
The Mill retains its original Colonial-Era power train, as well as multiple layers of industrial equipment ranging from the late 1700s to the mid 1900s.
A National Historic Landmark since 2005; an operational Mill before the United States of America; an independent, non-profit historic site today.
The workings of the Mill at Anselma in Chester Springs are a valuable window into how a colonial era grist mill was built and functioned.
Jennifer also discussed the history and context of farming, milling, and shipping Pennsylvania flour around the globe.
Please note that the Society plans to visit the Mill at Anselma on our Annual Member Excursion on Saturday June 10, 2023.
More details available here.
Jennifer L. Green currently serves as the Director of Education at the Chester County History Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania,
and is the author of
Dark History of Penn's Woods: Murder, Madness and Misadventure in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
She has written articles for the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia as well as ExplorePAHistory.com.
Jennifer L. Green graduated from University of Delaware with majors in anthropology and history,
and earned her Master's degree in American History at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
She has conducted research and written for websites like ExplorePAHistory.com and the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia,
and has worked at historic sites throughout Chester and Delaware counties. She lives in northern Delaware with her husband and one very fluffy dog.
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Society Special Events
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"Behind the Doors"
The original Tredyffrin Easttown History Club occasionally held meetings at the various historic Inns in the area,
as noted in this quote from an article about the history of the Club found in the October 1965 issue of the Quarterly
(v.13 no.4, pg. 80):
On March 7, 1939 the first annual Banquet was held at the Windmill Tea Room
(the General Jackson Inn) at Paoli.
Originally the Club had these affairs at some historic inn. To date the following Inns have played host: The King of Prussia (once),
Ye Old Bull Tavern (three times), General Warren (twice), Wayside Inn (General Jackson) (Five times).
Starting in 2013 this tradition was revived. So far we have visited two inns,
both with tours and history presentations followed by a delicious five course food and wine pairing dinner.
Both events were a great success and we look forward to more in the future.
For more information, view the individual invitations for these events:
A portion of the proceeds from these events benefits the Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society.
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TEHS Programs on Tredyffrin Township TV
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A selection of pre-recorded programs featuring presentations from past meetings of the Society are available for viewing on
Tredyffrin Township Television, found on Comcast Channel 15, Verizon Channel 24 and
On-Demand.
We are looking for volunteers who would be willing to assist with the recording of our presentations for later broadcast.
Free training is available to township residents at the Greenwood Studio facility in the Township Building.
Please contact us or Studio Manager Gene Donahue if you are interested.
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Program Schedule:
- 7 am on Sunday and Monday
- 1 pm on Monday
- 7 pm on Thursday and Saturday
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TEHS exhibits at local public libraries
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Did you know? The TEHS maintains a display case of local history materials in the Local History Room at the Tredyffrin Public Library.
The current exhibit highlights Herb Fry's book collection.
C. Herbert Fry was an active contributing member and officer of the Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society for over thirty years.
Herb gave numerous talks and wrote over two dozen local history articles for the Society's History Quarterly periodical.
He and his late wife Barbara amassed a collection of historical photographs, books, articles and other research materials that filled two closets.
Following his death in July 2018, all of his local history materials came to the Society. One of his special interests was Valley Forge,
and his books on the subject numbered over forty. Eight of these are displayed in this case.
Another example is this book by Frank Resavy & Tom McNichol.
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During the month of April 2018, a display case in the main entry hall of the Easttown Library in Berwyn
contained an exhibit featuring nine historic photos of Berwyn with intriguing captions, testing the viewer's knowledge of the area.
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S. Paul Teamer Awards
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As we passed the milestone of our 75th anniversary as an organization in 2012, it seemed fitting to establish a new annual award to recognize
the especially significant contributions made by some of our members over the years. In considering what name this award should have we
decided to reach back to the very beginning of what was then The Tredyffrin Easttown History Club and to founder and first
president S. Paul Teamer. It is certainly worthwhile to look back at those first few volumes of the Quarterly and rediscover
the noteworthy articles written by Teamer and his colleague Franklin L. Burns, among others, who set a high standard for those who followed.
S. Paul Teamer Award Recipients
(† posthumous, * since deceased)
| 2012 | Sue Andrews, Herb Fry*, Joyce Post* |
| 2013 | Bob Goshorn†, Mike Bertram |
| 2014 | Franklin L. Burns†, Roger D. Thorne |
| 2015 | Barbara Fry†, Mary Robertson Ives*, Clarissa F. Dillon |
| 2016 | John O. Senior |
| 2018 | Tim Lander, Cheryl Leibold, Michael Morrison* |
| 2019 | Jim Brazel, Heidi Sproat |
| 2020 | Bart Van Valkenburgh |
| 2021 | Meg Wiederseim |
| 2022 | Mary Robertson Ives† |
| 2023 | Marianne Hooper Furman |
At the January 2012 Annual Meeting, we were pleased to present the S. Paul Teamer Award
for outstanding contributions to the Society to the first three recipients: Sue Andrews, Herb Fry, and Joyce Post.
At the January 2013 Annual Meeting, we were pleased to announce the names of the next two recipients of the award:
Bob Goshorn (posthumous) and Mike Bertram.
Since Mike was unable to attend this meeting, his award will be presented at a future meeting.
At the January 2014 Annual Meeting, we were pleased to announce the names of the 2014 recipients of the award:
Franklin L. Burns (posthumous) and former president Roger D. Thorne.
At the May 2015 Meeting (rescheduled from the January 2015 Annual Meeting cancelled due to adverse weather conditions),
we were pleased to recognize the 2015 recipients of the award:
Barbara Fry (posthumous), Mary Robertson Ives (emeritus), and Clarissa F. Dillon.
At the January 2016 Annual Meeting, we were pleased to present the award to:
John O. Senior.
(L-R): Roger Thorne and Society President Michael Morrison
with 2016 award recipient Vice-President John O. Senior
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Society President Michael Morrison with 2012 award recipients
(L-R):Joyce Post, Morrison, Herb Fry, Sue Andrews
Society Vice-President John O. Senior with 2014 award recipient Roger Thorne and President Michael Morrison
(L-R): Roger Thorne (on behalf of Mary Roberson Ives), Herb Fry (on behalf of Barbara Fry), President Michael Morrison,
and Clarissa Dillon
receive the 2015 awards
For several reasons, the award was not presented in 2017, but at the January 2018 Annual Meeting,
Michael Morrison, Tim Lander, and Cheryl Leibold were recognized as new recipients.
2018 award recipients Michael Morrison, Tim Lander, and Cheryl Leibold with President John O. Senior
(Note: The Philadelphia Eagles were playing for the NFC championship later that day, so John was wearing the team colors.)
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At the January 2019 Annual Meeting,
Heidi Sproat (unable to attend) and Jim Brazel were recognized as new recipients.
At the January 2020 Annual Meeting,
Bart Van Valkenburgh was recognized as the new recipient.
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At the January 2021 (Online) Annual Meeting,
Meg Wiederseim was recognized as the new recipient.
The January 2022 Annual Meeting was not held, but
Mary Robertson Ives was recognized as a posthumous recipient.
At the January 2023 Annual Meeting,
Marianne Hooper Furman was recognized as the new recipient.
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2019 award recipient Heidi Sproat
with John O. Senior
2019 award recipient Jim Brazel
with Roger Thorne
2020 award recipient Bart Van Valkenburgh with John O. Senior
2023 award recipient Marianne Hooper with John O. Senior
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