East and West Pikeland Townships
The Anselma Mill
"The milling of flour, corn and clover was an indispensable element of Chester County’s economy right up to the Second World War. Mills were designed and built to last and the local miller was an important person in each community. Because they were built well, mill buildings can still be found throughout the county, although almost all have either been abandoned or re-purposed as homes or businesses. Today, Chester County still has an operating grist mill employing 18th and 19th century machinery in the Oberholtzer Mill at Anselma. The mill is on Conestoga Road in Chester Springs. It dates to 1747 and operated until 1982 although its last owner Oliver Collins probably earned as much from barbering and repairing things as from milling. The mill operates today as an historic site and grinds its own grains for sale. Historian Estelle Cremers indicates the mill exterior is little changed since the date constructed."
- Mark Ashton, Chester County: A Modern History
Yellow Springs as a Resort
In May 1722, a newspaper in Philadelphia said the spring might be a place to visit to restore one’s health in Summer. In the 1750s a tavern license is secured and barns were erected to stable horses for visitors. While the place became popular, it appears to have been financially unstable based upon many advertisements throughout the 18th century offering the property for sale or lease. The American Army camped here on September 16, 1777 after the aborted Battle of the Clouds.
After the war, the Yellow Springs has a succession of owners. In 1822 Margaret Holman begins to manage the property after husband Frederick died. Under Margaret’s management, the Yellow Springs became a destination of consequence, where hundreds of people stayed to “take the waters” emitted by iron, sulfur and magnesium springs. Holman employs Thomas Ustick Walter to design buildings which remain standing today. The village features hunting, fishing, ten pin alleys, fine wines and foods in addition to the restorative chalybeate waters. As early as 1818 a stagecoach line is established to carry passengers to the Springs from the Shakespeare Hotel near the State House in Philadelphia out today’s Route 23 and then west through Kimberton. P.T. Barnum dispatches opera singer Jenny Lind and the Siamese twins Chang & Eng Bunker to amuse guests.
Emmor Kimber's School for Girls
"Emmor Kimber was born in Philadelphia in 1775 and, became a member of the Pine Street Quaker Meeting. He became a preacher, a teacher and a stationer in Philadelphia. In 1816, he left the city with his wife Susanna and opened a boarding school on the French Creek in a village that today bears his name. The school he founded was for girls. Kimber’s students were offered the basics and “refined aesthetic” education but he also offered courses in botany, geography, astronomy and chemistry. The school operated until 1847 and attracted students from across America and the Caribbean. The school stands today as an apartment building."
- Mark Ashton, Chester County: A Modern History
Read his letter written to Thomas Jefferson in 1816 HERE!