Our waiter was this nice kid named Sam. He was delightful and hardworking. Lunch was so good I forgot to take food photos! We had burgers, slightly edited because I don’t like cheddar on a burger, and neither of us like eggs on burgers.
Also the makeover inside is lovely. And I say that fully admitting I liked the last interior makeover when it was still called the Eagle Tavern.
But this makeover is so pretty. And great light fixtures and details. The booths are gone and the main dining room is more open.
However ask me what one of my favorite things in the makeover is? Give up? I will tell you: NO TVs IN THE BAR ANYMORE!
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like The Eagle Tavern becoming Bloom, but now I think I do. We can’t wait to try dinner there! Oh and they are one of the few places open for lunch on Mondays. We were actually going to go to the Ship Inn and try the lunch menu, but they are only open for lunch on Friday and Saturday.
Check out Bloom Southern Kitchen located at 123 Pottstown Pike Chester Springs, PA 19425
Yesterday while roaming around Yellow Springs Village checking out the fabulous art show and the village, everywhere we walked there seemed to be this woman.
The woman would not have been memorable or remarkable except for the fact that everyone could hear her obviously very private cell phone conversation. I couldn’t help but hear her conversation because she was super loud, and I say that as someone who has been told multiple times I am too loud on the phone, especially cell phones.
Truthfully I don’t know what it is about cell phones that makes people want to shout. And like I said, I am one of those people who does find it hard at times to modulate the volume while on my cell phone.
Part of me felt badly for this woman because she was obviously upset about something, but she was also incredibly angry about something so everything she said traveled. And she literally was walking around Yellow Springs Village with this conversation.
I really have to wonder if people have such a limited sense of boundaries and personal space these days and etiquette in general that they don’t realize we all really don’t need to listen to her conversation and she probably shouldn’t be so loud that we’re hearing the conversation? Yes holy run on sentence, Batman.
And I think boundaries and etiquette are something they have completely died during COVID-19. Here we are all were suddenly working from home, and it was like the normal rules no longer applied. For some, working from home during COVID-19 is like people can’t catch a break.
It used to be when you left your office you left everything behind until the next workday. But between cell phones and COVID-19 everyone’s world is now everywhere 24/7/365.
I will fully admit I am guilty of loud phone. But having become overly conscious of other people’s cell phone conversations intruding on outings that have occurred so infrequently since the onset of COVID-19, I have made an effort not to answer my phone while I’m out and about. Sometimes I just don’t answer my phone at all even when I’m home.
One of the things I will have liked about COVID-19 to be honest is the break from the world. Our world is not a sunny happy place a lot of the time anymore, and I guess for lack of a better description, I miss simpler times. Maybe it’s just being a grown-up or trying to be a grown-up, but I also think it is because of how connected we are to each other all of the time. Too connected.
I did actually feel badly for this woman because she and her high-volume conversation were oozing negative energy. And I know that sounds really weird to say, but it was like she was a Peanuts’ cartoon character walking around with a dark storm cloud over her head.
And it was such a pretty day out there yesterday. This woman missed all of that.
This made me realize why we all need to unplug sometimes. Part of me hopes that she figures out whatever it is that is upsetting her, and the other part of me hopes she never subjects people out in public to one of her private conversations like this ever again.
And on some level I owe her thank you because it made me realize how disruptive loud cell phone conversations are.
I have loved the historic village of Yellow Springs down Art School Road in Chester Springs for years and years. I was first introduced to the village by my late father. He loved the art show and the antique show the village no longer hosts in the fall (but should.)
We would come out to the village, attend the art show or antique show and have lunch at the now closed Yellow Springs Inn. At first the restaurant was in the building known today as “The Washington”, then it moved to the Jenny Lind House.
I don’t remember who exactly was in the Jenny Lind House before the Yellow Springs Inn went to live there. But I knew a little bit of the history and that it was a boarding house. Run (and built) by a woman named Margaret Holman.
Truthfully the history of Yellow Springs Village is so very interesting. As a related aside, Margaret Holman is but one of many women who played important and pivotal roles in this village over time and throughout its history. Now we add my friend Meg Veno to that list of historically important ladies. With her renovation of the Jenny Lind house and the amazing adaptive reuse that still nods to the past in process, she is bringing new life and a fresh set of ideas to Yellow Springs Village.
The Jenny Lind House when inhabited by Yellow Springs Inn.
Restoring Jenny Lind is so positive for this magical village. And I was so glad to see people out enjoying the art show and picking up their box lunches from at the Jenny Lind today!
The restoration is not complete there are still at least a couple more months of solid work ahead of them. But today I had the privilege and honor to see the progress and how the renovation was coming along. I was literally almost reduced to tears. I had no idea that once upon a time at a Life’s Patina Barn Sale when Meg mentioned to me that she was looking for another project, and I happened to tell her that the Jenny Lind house was in bank foreclosure and the restaurant gone, that this would happen.
I was thinking today when you mention to people that a great historic asset is for sale you never know if anything will ever happen. A lot of times it doesn’t. And this time it has. And the transformation is as magical as it has been watching Loch Aerie come back to life. Completely different periods of history and styles of architecture but both have these spots in my heart.
Oh and the lunches sold are a preview of what we can expect in the cafe to be? Amazing! And it was all environmentally friendly packaging down to the disposable wooden utensils.
I am including photos I took a few years ago of the Jenny Lind when it was the restaurant so you can fully appreciate the remarkable and painstakingly gorgeous restoration. The Victorian decor of the former Yellow Springs Inn was never right for the structure although for years the restaurant was quite good.
Life’s Patina Mercantile & Cafe at the Jenny Lind House is going to be perfection.
I removed the names of those who were on the post. At the bottom of the post are a couple of photos I took in 2009 when I was touring Mt. Pleasant with a friend.
What was I doing in Mt. Pleasant back then? Other than walking the little roads Mazie Hall once walked? It was a haven for student rental slum lords back then. In my humble opinion, Tredyffrin Township spent way too much time looking the other way. I went to see for myself.
But as Bacton Hill has essentially disappeared, Mt. Pleasant in spite of being in a township that I have never thought gave a damn about them and the obstacles like off campus student houses that tend to have little respect, has survived.
But this above? Total bullshit and yes I cursed in a post.
Haven’t we all had enough of this crap yet? Why do we as Americans allow this?
Enough!
This behavior is not acceptable. It terrifies communities and with good reason. Tredyffrin Township is doing what exactly about this? Are they in contact with the pastor?
If you read this and live in Tredyffrin, I would say send this church a donation even if it’s not your church and write your commissioners and demand change.
The Ship Inn in Exton on Lancaster Avenue or Lincoln Highway is beloved to so many. Recently they got a television show makeover courtesy of Chef Robert Irvine and Restaurant Impossible.
I have to say well done! It’s wonderful!
Yes they are essentially getting a rave from me. I loved every minute! But I also have some other observations before I get to that.
The owner is working the floor. He is wound way too tight and he was is charge of the hostess desk when we got there…only we were marooned there for more than five minutes with no one greeting us. He also corrects his staff close to the point of berating them right there on the floor. He wasn’t yelling but the intent was obvious and it’s not something patrons wish to see. Hopefully he finds a competent front of house.
There is new life breathed into main room and the awful little booths are gone. Those booths were super uncomfortable and for a big room it was dark, it wasn’t airy.
Dark room no more. Clean and light and a design that so appeals to me because of the simplicity and execution of the design.
You are greeted crisp white walls with touches of maritime inspired brass rails, white bead board, and “sails” and a singular and fabulous ship cut out. It is this simple ship that is carried through on the tops of the menus and on the wait staff shirts.
At one end is the exposed stone wall with what looks like a semi-gloss clear seal. I love that look anyway and I think it looks fabulous.
The chairs are mid century inspired and SUPER comfortable with great back support while not looking clunky. The tables are very different but I think they will be a lot easier to maintain and they have a very clean look to them. Everything is very well spaced in the dining room it is not cramped.
They have some new cocktails. I chose the cranberry mimosa, which had just the right balance of everything. I enjoyed it. And I don’t drink very much so that’s saying something.
Ordering off the special prix fix menu is slightly rigid but I think post makeover they are getting their sea legs.
I ordered the surf and turf and wanted to substitute shrimp cocktail to start and waitress told me it was too expensive to do that. However I never said I would NOT pay for the up charge substitute, I would expect it. So I ordered shrimp cocktail separately and split it with my family. I love a good shrimp cocktail and it didn’t disappoint. And the cocktail sauce itself was fresh and had just the right bite.
With my entrée, I had the beet salad. Great vinaigrette, lovely greens, and I love beets anyway. The beets were chopped and I would’ve preferred a very thin slice to a little square, but that’s not really a criticism that’s just a personal preference on my part because I love beets. And they were red and yellow beets which are so pretty on a plate.
One thing I found surprising about the show makeover was the ladies room. The ladies room was surprisingly not refreshed. I think it would lend to the cohesiveness of the room makeover. It’s not that the ladies room is bad because it never has been, but I would suggest for the future that they take the design of the redone room and translate it simply into the ladies room. White bead board and white paint with a couple brass accents in that ladies room will really make a difference.
Now let’s talk about the lighting fixtures in the makeover room. Totally TERRIFIC lighting fixtures!! So many places fall short when it comes to lighting fixtures and the lighting fixtures are clean with a classic design that works so well with the room. And the lighting fixtures make you feel like you are on an old-fashioned teak yacht don’t know how else to explain it and I know that might sound weird but they’re great fixtures. The devil is in the details and they are spot on.
All of our main courses were amazing. We had crabcakes, Dan Dan noodles, surf and turf, and the ribeye. Compliments to the chef and our waitress for getting the meat temperature literally perfect.
We had various things for dessert. I had the sticky toffee pudding which I couldn’t finish, so half of it is in my refrigerator. But it was amazing. And sticky toffee pudding as one of those things that if it’s done right it’s just the best.
I went out of my way to take photos when people really weren’t around because I wanted you to see the room versus the people. They had a good crowd inside and out.
The wait staff as always is really nice, and I loved our waitress. She is one of those waitresses that is just perfect giving you the right amount of attention and not being intrusive or overly solicitous. And she’s genuinely nice. And that’s the thing— I always found the wait staff there pleasant and you can’t say that about a lot of places. The staff all seem to be working really well together and things were well-timed coming out of the kitchen and in the beginning our drinks were gotten to us quickly and our water, etc.
It was a fabulous experience as a guest, and we weren’t left hanging —- I don’t know how else to describe it. But you know what I mean sometimes when you go into a restaurant, and you feel like you are almost abandoned. Not tonight at The Ship Inn. They went out of their way to make guests feel special and I appreciate that.
I am so happy to see the new life in the old girl known as The Ship Inn and I wish them continued success from the bottom of my heart and I can’t wait to go back!
Make a reservation and check it out! Thanks for stopping by!
A postscript: The Ship Inn is only open for lunch Friday and Saturday which I do find inconvenient.
The screenshot is from a photo posted on the East Whiteland Fire Co. website. It says Bacton Hill Road?
Someone a while back asked me about Bacton Hill. I don’t remember who exactly so I’m putting this in a post and putting it out there.
When we think of Bacton Hill, we think of Bacton Hill Road. But it actually used to be more than just the name of the road. It was an entire community.
Historically speaking, it was a significant an early free black settlement in Chester County. Which is why in my opinion along with Ebeneezer AME it should have always been in a historic district.
In 2017 I wrote about a gift of history sent to me by way of South Dakota. It was concerning Hiram Woodyard. He was a freed slave and Black Civil War Soldier who resided in the village of Bacton, “Bacton Hisotric District”, AKA “Bacton African American Community”.
In 1991, Jane Davidson, the then Chester County Historic Preservation Officer certified that one of the houses attributed to him on Conestoga Road as a “County Historic Resource”. She said “The events and activities that have occurred in and around the site form a chronological record of past knowledge that portrays a history of the area.”
The historical information listed in some of the paperwork states:
This resource is part of the Bacton Historic District which is a post-Civil War, Afro-American community. This resource is also connected with Hiram Woodyard who was a prominent member of this community….Due to previous development there is an eminent potential to widen Rte. 401,this threat would negatively impact the integrity of this resource.
In other paperwork, the same author continues:
Hiram Woodyard, one of two leaders in the Bacton African-American community, has become a local folk hero in recent years. While part of the timber industry as a fence maker, he also commanded a great deal of respect for his leadership ability, not only in the community, but also in the Union army.
Bacton Hill is fascinating and rapidly disappearing. That is why it would’ve been important to have had this preserved decades ago as it’s own little historic district.
Anyway people always have many things to say when it comes to how an area gets it’s name. And my friend historian an artist and author Catherine Quillman gave me some answers, I would like to share:
📌”Hey, finally got into the Chester County History Center. Bacton was formerly known as Valley View.
In 1871, a branch of the Reading Rail Co. was proposed and a stockbroker complained it was an unnecessary expense (though the rail line would connect to west Chester and Phoenixville). He complained it would just go through “back towns”.
I think Anselma was on that run, and that had a large creamery so it could hardly be a “back town” and the name stuck for Valley View – it officially became Bacton when the little post office which was once there opened in 1887.”📌
So Bacton came out of “back town“ and not “black town” which someone wrote to me once upon a time that I found a little bit offensive, but almost would’ve been understandable for certain times a century and longer ago.
Catherine also reminded me that this area also may have probably seen activity during the Revolutionary War. After all part of the Battle of the Clouds took place near where they have that “Ship Road Park” (West Whiteland), and other battles and encampments occurred close enough by in other municipalities which border East Whiteland like Tredyffrin.
The African American community at Bacton Hill was definitely significant once upon a time. They worked in the local quarries and worked for the railroad and even farmed where they could (A lot of the land there as you know is both scrubby, wet, rocky.)
So yes the little post office back then was renamed Bacton from Valley View. But people also speak of Pickering Valley railroad, but I am told it didn’t climb the “hill” of Bacton Hill. The story of conductor saying “Blacktown” instead of Bacton is probably more local lore and misremembering than fact.
Another aspect of this area that has never really been adequately studied was its relationship to the Underground Railroad. Because there was one, as some homeowners of historic homes alone 401 can attest.
Anyway that is what I have to share with all of you today about this fascinating topic and I do think it’s fascinating. If any of you have other recollections of the area of Bacton Hill or Ebenezer, I love to hear about these things so leave me a comment and write into the blog. I am also always happy to share old photos of the area.
Someone said to me that the greater Philadelphia region spends an inordinate amount of time focusing on the Revolutionary War and not other parts of our region’s history. To an extent, that is true. I think that’s why things like Duffy’s Cut got buried forever as well. It’s not fun for a lot of people to talk about the inconvenient or even uncomfortable aspects of our own history. And I think as complete a picture as it’s available helps all of us.
I was close with what the screenshot is you see at the top of this post. While I was looking for my things on Bacton Hill and Ebenezer I came across this marvelous photo that came out of the East Whiteland Fire Company archives. I don’t have an exact date, but it is always been common practice for fire companies to get their squad practice in by burning dilapidated structures. Is this Ebenezer? I want it to be. It’s just interesting to note that if hindsight was 20/20, would they have chosen to do that knowing the history of the area? I don’t think so.
A reader sent the next screenshot with the following note:
“This is Bacton Hill chapel. The fire was set to provide a drill for the Upper Main Line firefighters association. Summer 1961. My family attended Bacton Hill Chapel in the 1950’s. The new Bacton Hill Church was on Yellow Springs Road. I believe It was destroyed by fire in the late 60’s early 70’s.”
So was there another church or chapel on Bacton Hill Road and if so where?
Thanks for stopping by! This chapel that looks like Ebenezer adds another layer to the community of Bacton Hill, doesn’t it?
So I love Magnolia Cottage Shop and the owner is a friend. And I have to give her credit because she open the store just before Covid hit and she hung in and doubled down and actually moved into a BETTER space across the driveway in the same commercial location.
The new space is filled with light and fun things waiting to be discovered. The wall color is one I am a bit obsessed with. A shade of grey that is just so pretty!
Anyway if you have not been to the new space, check it out! You can follow the store on Facebook and Instagram too!
Magnolia Cottage Shop is located at 288 Lancaster Avenue, Frazer, PA 19355. 484-320-8022.
Great Valley Little League has a sponsor I just can’t get my head wrapped around.
It’s Energy Transfer Partners.
Of course one of the ironies I see is isn’t this the company that caused the destruction of a little league field in its original location in Exton? Or am I incorrect?
Anyway right or wrong, to me, this is blood money. Here’s hoping those parents can find better sponsors in the future.
I was waiting for one of these threatening comments on the West Chester school board candidates post. I don’t even know who this woman Suzie is. But she is referring to these PUBLIC photos that people, MANY people have taken screen shots of including the ones I have shown again below to illustrate. I did her a kindness I did not have to and have not disclosed her email address. Technically I was under no obligation to do so, as she wrote to my site.
Suzie is fussing over screenshots of PUBLIC Facebook posts. Note the little globe. And these are SCREENSHOTS to show origin of a PUBLIC post.
Please note, I did not post photos of her family, private life, or kids. I only posted PUBLICLY posted things.
PUBLIC posts are designed to be SHARED by ANYONE. PUBLIC POSTS CAN BE SEEN BY ANYONE.
Suzie, your posts that you created personally were PUBLIC posts sharing a PUBLIC post. That means they are PUBLIC. If you go to the bottom of the originating posts from the Chester County Coalition of Republican Women you can see the “shares”…It is a public post and you can see who shared it depending upon their privacy settings. YOU had your settings for these posts as PUBLIC which means ANYONE can see them. Those you have different privacy settings you can’t see and that is why there is this nifty bit of verbiage: “Some posts may not appear here because of their privacy settings.”
The other screenshot, also a PUBLIC post I guess has you in it, but again, don’t know you, so I can’t say you are in the photo for sure. Photo was posted PUBLICLY without attribution, so your issue my dear is with the person who POSTED the photo PUBLICLY and she posts pretty much everything PUBLICLY.
Oh and Suzie? I called the Republican Committee of Chester County. Spoke to someone pretty high up. They remarkably did not know who you were. We had a great conversation. I used to be a Republican, and I still have plenty of Republican friends. I owned what I had written about and why. They agreed the school board races had gotten beyond nasty. I told them that if your gals Ada Nestor and Stacey Whomsley had been part of the Purple People Eater Political Party I would still feel they were BAD candidates and the WRONG choice for school board on the West Chester Area School District. We had an awesome conversation, actually.
But Suzie? If you do not wish people to screenshot and share your posts or share posts others share publicly including photos? You need to change YOUR privacy settings which you can do from post to post to either be friends only or friends except (and exclude people). As long as that LITTLE GLOBE appears with regard to Facebook, it is a PUBLIC post. Just like if you do not make your Instagram and Twitter accounts private, everything you post is PUBLIC. The last screenshot is an example of choices for PRIVACY settings on Facebook posts. I hope this clears it up.
@anonymousada you aren’t so anonymous and who are you helping besides yourself? Women can’t support you because of your extremism and how do you not get that?
I can’t even get my mind wrapped around these two. I thank my lucky stars we left the WCASD years ago. This is the school district that caused us to choose a charter school. Bullying, lack of basic textbooks even in elementary schools. I am glad I am no longer in this district.
The candidates to NOT vote for in the West Chester Area School District for school board are Ada Nestor and Stacey Whomsley.
Stacey Whomsley is the more stealth candidate of the two. Media reports have her working for Pfizer which I find very amusing on so many levels. But I think it is because of her career that she is the more tame of the candidates. She is obviously incredibly smart, which makes a person wonder why she would align herself with Ada Nestor aka @anonymousada on Twitter? I also think it’s pertinent to bring up that not so long ago Stacey wanted to start a charter school in WCASD called Skills for Life Charter School that was ultimately denied? As in the potential Skills for Life Charter School was missing some skills?
So Stacey is the brains and Ada? Ada is…well….kind of ummm….cuckoo? Not quite sure how Ada Nestor and Stacey Whomsley got matched together, kind of like the Republican women odd couple, but hey, look who loves them:
File under guess you are no bunny until some bunny loves you?
There is no way to sugar coat Ada Nestor. Here:
Ada Nestor is like West Chester’s own Marjorie Taylor Greene. How quickly can YOU say no thanks?
Stacey Whomsley is probably the more dangerous of the two candidates at the end of the day because she is more on the down low and gosh just wants to help. She led a no more zoom rally in September. She is very against online learning from the media reports. She is very good at blocking people, apparently and well if you are a candidate for public office doing this should we just call you Joe Gale the girl?
Oh and so whole heartedly endorsed:
It makes you wonder if they actually sit down with candidates or they just blindly endorse?Do they want GOOD candidates or just GOP candidates?
Now of course certain endorsements are like traffic studies in development plans and what are they worth except to bamboozle the masses who do no research and just literally vote how they are told, correct? And all I have seen out of the Chester County GOP seems to be desperation and they are running Trump re-treads and I have to ask is that all they’ve got?
There is a non-partisan group, Concerned WCASD Constituents, who is REALLY concerned about these candidates. It was their public posts on Facebook that made me look at these two.
I am appalled by these two women and I am noticing a political trend and political extremism is NOT dead. This is how political extremists wish to get their footholds back: by getting candidates who may or may not be qualified and I think are mostly not qualified into office from these lowly levels. And school board is a lowly political office that is more times than not a spring board to other political aspirations.
Female candidates like this make it harder for every other woman seeking elected office. It is my humble opinion with no horses in this particular race, but merely having a brain that if you want the perennially problematic West Chester Are School District to have even MORE problems, elect these two women whom in my humble opinion are not running for some purported high ideals but for some yet as not apparent personal agendas. And I am entitled to this opinion. These women stepped out into the political arena, thereby becoming public figures.
Women like Ada Nestor can quote Madeline Albright at other women in a passive aggressive guilt ploy all they want. But the truth is if women want women to be supportive, other women have to be able to believe in what it is they are selling. I do not believe in what Ada and Stacey are selling. They are the school board political odd couple to be sure, but is that who you really representing the voices of parents and students in this school district?
I won’t tell you who to vote for here, but I am telling you who I think you should NOT vote for and kick to the curb.
