It will be a big year for Chester County Day, the longest running house tour in the United States, now in its 77th year. This year, the tour will honor the 125th anniversary of Chester County Hospital, which was founded in 1892. In recognition of the anniversary, the tour on October 7, 2017 at 10 am-5 pm will feature 12 homes around Marshall Square Park (where Chester County Hospital first stood at the north side of East Marshall Street) and 13 homes in the northwest quadrant of Chester County.
This year, attendees will be able to tour a total of 25 homes and 4 public structures or sites in West Chester Borough and East Brandywine, Honey Brook, Wallace, East Nantmeal, West Nantmeal, and Warwick townships. House styles from the 18th to the 21st centuries will give tour goers an appreciation of architecture through the centuries. I will admit this is an ambitious house tour every year, so what I do is pick a reasonable amount of homes I wish to visit. It is a fabulous day, but it is a long day, so bring extra water and wear comfortable shoes or even sneakers!
The Day will begin with the pageantry and excitement of a long-standing Chester County Day tradition – a fox hunt. Dr. Addis’ Warwick Village Hounds and the Gable/Swisher Hounds will set off promptly at 9 am from Warwick County Park, 191 County Park Road, Pottstown.
Guests can begin this year’s house tour at 10 am at the location of their choice. A walking tour of the 12 homes around Marshall Square Park will include a VIP house, of which all three floors will be open to VIP ticket holders only. VIP pass holders will be provided a gourmet box lunch by Montesano Bros. Italian Market & Catering and a private tour of this home. (See VIP ticket info below for details.)
You can also start your tour outside the Borough, then Olde Bulltown Village, off Rt. 345 in the northwest quadrant, is a good place to see a brand new home that looks like it has been there for centuries.
Or, you can tour three homes on Warwick Furnace Road, featuring a house that dates back to the 18th century with a 20th century addition that is hard to distinguish from the original structure. Next door is a beautifully renovated, quaint stone cottage. Just down the street is a 1978 home that was lovingly built in traditional colonial style with authentic hardware and design.
There is a barn converted to a contemporary home, complete with original wooden beams and rafters in East Nantmeal. While in the township, stop by an 18th century farmhouse built in two stages 40 years apart. Then tour a gorgeous estate on Rt. 401 that contains portions of periglacial marshlands supporting flora not typically seen in this area. A West Nantmeal home was expanded while retaining its three-story core, complete with wooden beams and original floors. While there, stop at St. Mark’s Church to view its beautiful stained glass windows and purchase a beverage or a few sweets. In nearby Honey Brook, see a charming home with a log-cabin core featuring a well in the kitchen floor, protected by a Plexiglas cover.
Your tour still has more to offer if you proceed to Wallace and view a restored farmstead home, complete with pond and ducks. Down the road in East Brandywine, you’ll find several homes, including a solar design Shingle-style cottage that began life as a poorly designed contemporary. In the same township, you’ll tour a magnificent glass, stone, wood and steel house, which is a departure from traditional Chester County architecture. And finally, Upper Uwchlan offers a restored stone and stucco farmhouse that is worth visiting … perhaps this is where you will start your house tour journey
Refreshment stops, where pre-ordered gourmet boxed lunches by Arianna’s Gourmet Café will be available and found at Warwick County Park and Marshall Square Park in West Chester. Wyebrook Farms is offering a pre-ordered, pre-paid $20 per person buffet. If you do not pre-order, make sure you pack a picnic lunch. You will have to ask the ladies and gents that put this fabulous day together where exactly you may eat your picnic lunches – if they have two parks included in the day, I imagine that is where, but do not know for sure.
With GPS coordinates and a Chester County Day map that you will receive when you purchase your ticket, the beautiful architecture and bucolic roads of Chester County are at your feet.
When: Saturday, October 7, 2017 from 10 am-5 pm Buy tickets off their Eventbrite page!
Where: Northwest Quadrant of Chester County & West Chester Borough
Tickets: On sale from August 15 online; September 5 by mail or at the satellite locations listed on our website.
- $50 purchased via web, phone or in person
- $100 VIP Tickets are available at all satellite locations, as well as via web and phone. VIP package includes a VIP Reception and Preview Cocktail party at French Creek Country Club on Sunday, September 24 and a private tour of a special VIP house with a gourmet boxed lunch served by Montesano Bros. Italian Market & Catering, (See ChesterCountyDay.com for details.)
Contact: 610-431-5328
This is an event I believe in supporting. I am not given free tickets or special compensation for blogging about this event. I write about it because it’s an absolutely glorious day of touring and I have been attending these tours since I was a child with my parents.