IN THE MOOD... JAZZ ON THE PORCH & DANCIN’ IN THE BARN

C o-Chairs Pattye Benson and Judy DiFilippo are excited

about this upcoming Trust event...an event that will be lots of fun and serve a great cause. In the Mood - Jazz on the Porch & Dancin’ in the Barn will be a wonderful evening filled with great live music, food, drinks and lots of fun and laugh-ter! Mark your calendar now for Friday, April 4, 2008.

Cedar Hollow Design Center in Malvern will host this event. It’s a great venue...beautiful com-pound of historic buildings that will provide the perfect back-drop to this fantastic party. All proceeds from the event will support the Trust’s ongoing efforts to rebuild the Jones Log Barn.

In the Mood promises to be a truly memorable evening. Music will be provided by renowned jazz saxophonist and composer Dave Renz along with the 6th Street Quarternion. Their music will get you in the mood for some dancin’ in the barn! Angela McCabe and Wingo Hom, the US Pro-Am Hustle and Swing Dance Champions will show you how it’s done. Handcrafted beer by McKenzie Brew House; wine by Italian winery Principe Vinia and special Cajun-themed menu by Queen of Hearts Catering. Silent Auc-tion of special vacation packages!

Tickets: $100 Jr.Tickets: $60 (30 yrs. & younger)

LOCAL HISTORY 2 COLONIAL RECIPE 2 SUMMER CAMP 2 TREASURER’S NOTES 3 SPRING LECTURE 3 PRESERVE AMERICA 3

4TH HOUSE TOUR 3

FOR SALE - HELP 4

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Onward and (soon) Upward!

I f you ever hear me utter the words “Rome wasn’t built

in a day” when discussing the rebuilding of the Jones Log Barn, please, firmly but gently, escort me out of the township. After all, we’re not building Rome, much less rebuilding it. But we are building a barn, and experience has proven it will take longer than one day to build, but we are getting there!

Recently we made great strides. Earlier this year, we retained the architectural firm of Frens and Frens Restoration Architects of West Chester to develop the construction plans that will guide the rebuilding of the Barn. This was an exciting and major step in the process.

A few years ago we retained the firm to develop the preliminary plan, only to put the project on hold when we realized that we needed far more discussion – and community input – about the eventual reuse of the barn. Good news! We now know how we will use the barn (as a community educational history center) and just as important, we now have a considerable amount of cash on hand to so-licit matching grants to finance the barn’s rebuilding. Frens and Frens are developing the re-quired plans and will begin the process of guiding us through our ambitious project. We are pleased to be working once again with the firm, having gone through an exhaustive

process of developing a design and build scope and selecting the architect.

We thank members of the Trust’s Building Committee for their continued hard work:

Art Blumenthal Mike Fahey Trish Kreek

Neil McAloon Peter Monaghan

Bob O’Leary Bob Purdy

John Sacharok Brad Tiffany

Chip Vaughan Maurice Weintraub

Bob Wise

Please refer to our website, www.tredyffrinhistory.org for updates on the specific building plans. This is an exciting time for the Trust, our supporters and the community as we begin to realize our goal of rebuilding the Jones Log Barn. In the mean-time, when in Rome, go see the monuments. When at Wilson Farm Park, go see the future location of the Jones Log Barn, soon to be our own monument to Tredyffrin’s own rich history.

Bob Wise Chairman

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN

TREDYFFRIN HISTORIC PRESERVATION TRUST

SPRING/SUMMER 2008 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

TRUST NEWS

ENJOY A FUN EVENING OF LIVE MUSIC, FOOD, DRINKS

FUN & LAUGHTER!

Friday, April 4 7:00 - 10:00 PM

Cedar Hollow Design Center

Ticket information: 610.644.6759

Purchase Online at: www.tredyffrinhistory.org

Tickets: $100 Jr. Tickets: $60 (30 yrs & younger)

LANDMARKS OF TREDYFFRIN

DEVELOPMENT

A s the 1960s came into view, land development

was a very big issue. The Board of Supervisors, then situated at the township building on Old Lancaster Road in Berwyn, noted the potential growth in the valley. They had just overcome a petition to Chester County court in 1959 by a group of citi-zens fearing industrial develop-ment who wanted to secede and take their 40% of the township to form a separate borough.

Another issue was historic pres-ervation. In 1964, the Supervi-sors appointed a Sites Commit-tee to identify and evaluate his-toric sites in the township. The League of Women Voters toured some of them that year. In 1966 an ordinance was enacted creat-ing an Historical Review Board listing 26 sites to be protected.

The vacant Cassatt mansion at Chesterbrook Farm (Mrs. Laird had died in 1962) was destroyed by fire believed set by vandals in the early morning of June 15, 1968. A year later, developer Richard Fox of Jenkintown pur-chased the 550-acre Cassatt track, the Yohn property, and entered into an agreement of sale with the University of Penn-sylvania for its land. Together, the three tracts comprised 865 acres that became the nucleus of the new town of Chesterbrook.

The zoning application touched off a six-year legal fight between the community and Fox over how he would develop the land. The court ruled in 1977 ending all pending litigation and the first Chesterbrook house was finished that year. The development,

completed in 1993, took 23 years.

At the time Fox was engaged at Chesterbrook, Willard Rouse and his associates commenced building the Great Valley Corpo-rate Center just down the road in East Whiteland. Other office parks appeared in Tredyffrin along Swedesford Road at Old Eagle School, at West Valley, and at Howellville. In 1993, what was to become the most prestigious of all, the Vanguard Group headquarters, rose at the foot of South Valley hill on Ce-dar Hollow Road.

The center of population in Tre-dyffrin had migrated to the Great Valley and a new, larger, more centrally located township build-ing was erected at DuPortail and Mill Roads on a site donated to the township by Fox. Despite some citizen concerns, construc-tion proceeded and official dedi-cation took place on May 11, 1995.

The next year, the township redeemed its promise in the 1992 comprehensive plan for open space, recreation, and envi-ronmental resources when they secured the 90-acre Wilson track adjacent to Chesterbrook, once k n o w n a s E l d a F a r m . (Interestingly, the tract had ear-lier escaped Fox and had been owned by Rouse, who lost it when he defaulted on his owner-ship obligations in the early 1990s real estate meltdown.) Wilson Farm Park was dedicated on October 2, 2004.

The U.S. Census of 2000 cred-ited Tredyffrin with a population of 29,000, a gain of 13,000 in the forty years since 1960. To-day, the township has a balance of developed and open property,

LOCAL HISTORY NOTES…. FROM HERB FRY

PAGE 2 TRUST NEWS

COLONIAL MOLASSES GINGER SNAPS

3/4 c. shortening 1 c. sugar 1/4 c. molasses 1 egg 2 c. flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cloves 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. ginger

Mix together at 1 time all the ingredients. Form into balls.

Roll in sugar. Place on slightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 min.

For a chewy cookie, bake the minimum time; for a crisp cookie bake for the maximum time.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen.

“The court ruled in 1977 ending all

pending litigation and the first

Chesterbrook house was finished that

year. The development,

completed in 1993, took 23 years.”

TREDYFFRIN HISTORY BITES FOR SUMMER PARKS & RECREATION CAMPERS

I n our continuing effort to help the children of Tre-

dyffrin appreciate what makes our township special, the Trust will bring Tredyffrin Tidbits, true stories about our history, to the Tredyffrin Parks and Recreation summer camps again this summer. A story teller will relate these true tales on several occasions to the children. Sign up, have fun and learn!

Check the Trust website in late spring for further details www.tredyffrinhistory.org

A new feature of the newsletter will be a

special colonial recipe

Hope you will try

Colonial Molasses Ginger Snaps

Trust to Sponsor Summer Camp for

Summer 2008

True Stories About Our History

SPRING LECTURE SERIES

A t the end of 2007, Tredyf-frin’s tercentennial year,

the Township received official notice that it had been desig-nated as a Preserve America Commu-nity. What a wonderful way to end that special year!

The Preserve America program was developed in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) and the U.S. Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and other agencies. The goals of the initia-tive include a greater shared knowledge about the nation’s past, strengthened regional iden-tities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country’s cultural and natu-ral heritage assets. It is also de-signed to support the economic vitality of communities by en-couraging people to experience and appreciate local historic resources through education and heritage tourism programs.

While Tredyffrin itself has not been marketed as a destination for visits to historic resources, the very fact that nearly 40 % of

Valley Forge National Historical Park lies within its borders, we know that visitors are here. The Trust’s House Tours are indica-tive of the area’s interest in our own local historic treasures.

Pattye Benson was contacted by Oscar Beisert of the Pennsylvania Historic Museum Commission who encouraged the Township to consider applying for the des-ignation. The application was completed by Judy DiFilippo in July 2007. Some of the support-ing materials that accompanied the application dealt with the Tredyffrin 300 activities that were being planned. A follow-up letter in October asked ques-tions about the planned events and how the celebration was received by the community. After the response was returned, it was confirmed that the appli-cation was considered complete and that final notification would be coming about our designa-tion. A letter from First Lady, Laura Bush announcing that the designation was approved was received on December 26, 2007.

required to rebuild the historic Jones Log Barn but, we reach our goal small step by small step, dollar by dollar.

The Trust Building Committee will be meeting in February to discuss the re-building details and to provide direction to Frens and Frens, our architects for the project. It is very exciting to have reached this critical junc-ture in our quest. You, our friends and supporters have been so very important in helping us reach this point. We appreciate your support and look forward to your continued par-ticipation and support until we reach our goal - The Jones Log Barn in Wilson Farm Park as an educational history center.

W e are pleased to report that 2007 was a good

year for the Trust. To our suc-cessful Adopt-a-Log program we have added a new Brick by Brick campaign. Our online store www.tredyffrinhistory.org has useful products that make good gifts while providing support for a good cause. One of our most successful products, the histori-cal documentary DVD, Tredyf-frin...The First 300 Years has been extremely popular and is available in local libraries as well as on line. These items may seem to provide small yields in relation to the amount of capital

TREDYFFRIN DESIGNATED — PRESERVE AMERICA COMMUNITY

FROM THE - TREASURER

PAGE 3 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

T he Trust is privileged to have First Lady, Mrs. John

Adams, wife of the 2nd Presi-dent of the United States of America as our honored guest lecturer for the Spring 2008 Lecture Series. “A Visit with Abi-gail Adams” as portrayed by Marianne Connolly will be pre-sented on Wednesday, April 30th at 7 PM at the Historic Chapel New Seasons at Devon, 445 North Valley Forge Road, Devon. Refreshments at 7 PM, lecture at 7:30 PM. During her visit with us, Mrs. Adams will share many special and significant events of her life

and travels and discuss how they related to the times in which she lived. She will speak about her early childhood education, fam-ily life as the wife of John Adams and give us her reflections on the War of Independence and the development of the new nation. Marianne Connelly will be in period costume and present her talk in the first person. Please join us for a unique historic ex-perience. At the end of Mrs. Adams presentation, she will be pleased to answer questions that her fellow citizens and guests have for her.

Adults: $15 Students: 7 years & older - Free www.tredyffrinhistory.org Info: 610.687.2722

“A Visit with Abigail Adams“ Portrayed by Marianne Connolly

Wednesday, April 30 Refreshments: 7:00 PM

Lecture: 7:30 PM

Tickets: $15 Children 7 yrs. & older free

Chapel at New Seasons 445 N. Valley Forge Rd.

Devon, PA

RSVP: www.tredyffrinhistory.org INFO: 610.687.2722

T he Trust is excited to announce our 4th Annual Historic House Tour will be held on Saturday, September 20,

2008. The selection process is underway for choosing special historic homes to showcase on this years’ tour. We are still looking for a “few good houses” . The House Tour has become an extremely popular event for the Trust and we are looking for-ward to another successful year!

If you would consider having your house on our 4th Annual Historic House Tour or would like more information, please call Trust President Pattye Benson 610.644.6759 or email her pattye@greatvalleyhouse.com

Save the Date!

4TH ANNUAL HISTORIC HOUSE TOUR

Saturday, September 20, 2008

OFFICERS

Robert J. Wise Jr. Chairman

Pattye Benson President / Secretary

Trish Kreek Treasurer

BOARD MEMBERS

Judy DiFilippo C. Herbert Fry Glenna Keene Gretchen Kiernan Neil McAloon Colleen McCauley Robert O’Leary MJ Ormsbee John Sacharok Betty Sudmeyer

TREDYFFRIN 300 BANNERS

W ould you like to have a lasting memento of our community’s 300th anniversary? A

limited number of the wonderful green and white banners that were part of the Tredyffrin 300 cele-bration have come down and are available for pur-chase at $35/each or 2 for $50. If interested, call Trust president Pattye Benson 610.644.6759.

TREDYFFRIN...THE FIRST 300 YEARS

T here are copies of the historical documentary, Tredyffrin...The First 300 Years available for purchase at $20/copy on our web-

site, www.tredyffrinhistory.org. In addition, the DVD is available at the Tredyffrin Township Building, Tredyffrin, Easttown & Paoli libraries during regular hours.

All proceeds from the purchase of the Tredyffrin 300 banners and the historical documentary go to the Trust and the rebuilding efforts of the Jones Log Barn in Wilson Farm Park.

Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust PO Box 764

Devon, PA 19333

Phone: 610-644-6759 E-mail: info@tredyffrinhistory.org

Website: www.tredyffrinhistory.org

TREDYFFRIN HISTORIC PRESERVATION TRUST Please Visit Newly Designed Website: www.tredyffrinhistory.org

HELP WANTED

T his is a very exciting time to be a part of the Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust! There are many ways that

you can help -- show your support with a membership in the Trust. Also, we need volunteers to help with various activi-ties including the lecture series, annual historic house tour, grant-writing opportunities, publicity, fundraising efforts, and the list goes on and on. Do you have a few hours a month to spare?

If you have a commitment to preserving our local historic resources and a willingness to volunteer, we could use your help!

Please contact Pattye Benson at 610.644.6759 or via email pattye@greatvalleyhouse.com to discuss current volunteer opportunities and ways that you can get involved.

IT TAKES A COMMUNITY TO BUILD A BARN!