Tag Archives: Charlestown

whitetail/casella could have killed somebody running that light today on 401.

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That moment when you see a friend post something totally scary.

This is a big warning to everybody who drives a car please look before you go through a green yes green light! at about 2:00 today I watched a very large heavy recycling/trash truck fly through a red light doing about 45 MPH at the intersection of Valley Hill Road and 401 the truck was heading towards RT 202 I was on Valley hill heading towards Bodine road a very small car in front of me was making a rt on a green light and it had not just changed it had been green as I was heading towards the light the car was inches from getting T boned and rear ended this person I hope knows how lucky they were, I my self slammed on my brakes sent all my groceries flying all over the back seat of my truck. For me I was also lucky 2 seconds sooner it could have been me. This light has a warning light telling drivers that the light is red way before they get to the light, there is absolutely no excuse to blow a red light there and at a fast speed in such a large truck. Please tell your kids to always look both ways before going through a green light never never trust another driver will be stopping. Now to try and get my heart rate back to normal. Be safe !!

This company sucks. Even with new owners they suck.

They fly in and out of my street and some weeks I wonder if they are going to end up in our front yards if not worse. I don’t use them. We use Opdenaker and they are terrific and not sloppy dangerous crazy.

My friend went and literally knocked on doors to get security camera footage and she got video. I will share it.

She said to me:

I have a video but it does not look as fast as he was going and you can’t see it was a red light. In the video it took me 6 seconds to cross because I totally stopped and looked at the light to make sure I was not going through a red light. Then I crossed super careful but I was rt behind the car that almost was hit.

She continued:

I am the white truck.

At the point the video catches him he was slamming on his brakes.

Also when I got home I found our recycling can emptied and a bunch of recycling all over the road and also our neighbors recycling the same like 7-9 pieces of trash.

I wonder if it was the same truck.

Well probably at least the same company because that is their usual M.O.

I told my friend to also call the PA State Police because 401 and Valley Hill where this happened is Charlestown Township and well they don’t have local police, they have Staties.

Somebody needs to read Whitetail the riot act.

8 years: say her name and don’t forget it: anna maciejewska

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This morning I devoted my time on WCHE All Politics Are Local with Barry Dee on a woman I never met, but am still concerned about because this could be any woman but I am speaking about Anna Maciejewska.

This is what I said and it will be podcasted later so you can listen if you missed it:

This week I am deviating from some of the usual topics to another topic which I feel strongly about. This week I am devoting my time to Anna Maciejewska, late of Malvern PA.

Specifically Charlestown Township since people from outside of Chester County who speak about Anna and Malvern, think all of Malvern is the main street town of Malvern Borough. As we all know, Malvern falls into multiple municipalities.


Anna Maciejewska disappeared around April 10, 2017. I say “around” because when Anna disappeared, it wasn’t her husband who initially reported her missing, it was friends and co-workers. According to police reports, family last heard from Anna on/around March 30 of 2017.


On March 30, Anna abruptly canceled a scheduled trip to Poland to visit family. It was to be her father’s 80th birthday. Her Polish family at the time said her final text message seemed to be non-native speaking Polish.


When Anna initially disappeared, there was a flurry of media exposure. As time goes by it has dwindled.


Anna was from Charlestown Township which is serviced by Pennsylvania State Police. I can’t think of the last time they updated the public on this case.


This year, 2025, marks EIGHT years since Anna disappeared. There have been 3 Chester County District Attorneys. Tom Hogan was DA when she initially went missing, then Deb Ryan before she became a judge, and now the DA is Chris de Barrena-Sarobe.


I have written about Anna so many times now I have forgotten the number of posts. I did not know her. But now we all feel like she is part of us and still missing.

I remember when I first started writing about her some of the Finding Anna people on Facebook were a smidge obnoxious and a few accused me of putting up a second Anna is missing Facebook page. I had put up no such page, but it was shortly after I was accused of this stupidity it was discovered some man had put it up. I am still waiting for some of those people to apologize. Some did, others did not. They had a page up, they were her friends and co-workers, I would NOT have detracted from their very personal efforts. All I was doing was writing about Anna being missing, and trying to do my bit to keep her name out there, as I continue to do today.


In 2018 I saw her missing start to be referred to as a missing person’s case and presumed homicide. Her husband Allan Gould was eventually named a person of interest.


Back when Anna was first missing, media reports said for more than a week before she was announced as missing, Anna’s mother Janina said she tried to reach Anna her daughter on her landline phone due to poor cell reception in her Malvern home. Once, her husband Allan Gould reportedly answered, saying Anna was sick and would call in a few days.


On Tuesday, April 11, 2017 Janina (her mother) said in an interview around the time that it happened that her son in law said Anna had left for work the day before and never returned.
Anna worked at Voya Financial. I recently discovered that she appears to have been significantly younger than her husband. Her little boy, whose name I think is Andrew was around 4 when she disappeared. So, he’s around 12 now right? What is his life like? He probably no longer remembers the sound of Anna’s voice, or what it felt like to be held by her. Her parents did have to take the husband to court for visitation.


Anna has been the subject of so many podcast things. They range from making sense to wild theories like a recent one where the podcaster named Annie Elise made a stunning pronouncement about obviously Anna being jealous of her then little boy? I mean HUH? She also conflated Malvern Charlestown Township into Malvern Borough. This podcaster also seemed to the visits to Poland were unusual and why? I have three female friends who are Polish nationals by birth although US Citizens for decades at this point, and they are why I first took an interest. My friends ALL go back to Poland to visit. They ALL take their kids, etc. and still do so they also know their Polish heritage.

I also don’t think Anna was going to run away to Poland with her son and ditch an amazing career and house she created. I have always pondered if Anna was getting ready to exit a perhaps no longer so fabulous marriage. It happens.


I think it has been a long time since law enforcement and the District Attorney have seemed to take an interest here, rendering a woman with so much life left to live a cold case.


I get these cases can be impossible. But hi, hello, how about I am missing the feeling that anyone is trying or truly gives a darn at this point.


I think everyone deserves answers, her family and son most importantly. Say her name. Anna Maciejewska matters.

All Politics Are Local

where’s anna maciewjewska gould?

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It has been a long time since Anna Maciejewska disappeared. That was April, 2017. I write about her from time to time as my readers know. I last wrote about her this past April.

I know nothing new, she just happened to randomly popped into my head today. I was looking at some thing that CBS3 Philadelphia does called CBS3 Mysteries. It made me realize while local media is continuing to cover other long term missing persons, Anna once again seems forgotten.

In a local community group, someone else was thinking about her too at the end of July and said in part:

📌📌Anna Maciejewska (wife of Allen Gould) is still missing.

If anyone has any about what happened or suggestions on where to look if foul play happened, please contact the Pennsylvania State Police at 610-486-6280.
A reward of $30K is available.

Anna moved to Malvern (Charlestown township area) from Poland, got married, and had one child. She was employed in the area, and disappeared one day. Her family in Poland is heartbroken over her disappearance. She was first reported missing on 4/12/17 and last seen on 4/10/17. It’s likely she was missing ~2 weeks before this….I don’t want her to be forgotten because her family isn’t here to advocate for her.

#JusticeForAnna

https://www.facebook.com/FindingAnnaM📌📌

Someone did another Anna video a few months ago. I don’t know the person and have not seen the video all the way through. But here is the link: https://youtu.be/yoifDpC_yXE

Obviously Anna is still on all of our minds, still. I wonder what she would think of COVID-19 and the lives we have all led since it entered our world?

I wonder how her little boy is? He’s getting bigger and if he still has memories of Anna, they are fading for sure, aren’t they?

I wonder how Anna’s parents are in Poland and her family there? COVID-19 meant they couldn’t come here and look for her anymore, and I don’t even know how much of that would’ve been possible given the health challenges that have been reported about her poor parents.

And then there is her husband. I kind of dance around the subject of Allen Gould because he’s never been charged has he? He’s still just a person of interest isn’t he? How can he live his state of limbo?

Well that’s it. I just randomly thought of a woman from our own extended community that most of us, myself included, never knew or met. But what happened to her could happen to any of us and anyone we know.

I think part of the reason why I thought of her is as I have said before, I have female friends who were born in Poland. Two of them still have family in Poland. This summer was the first time since before COVID-19 took over our lives that they were able to take their children to Poland to see their family, to see their grandparents.

Local, regional, and national media. There are so many shows that could cover her and this case. I wish they would.

Anyway, Anna we still think of you and pray and hope you will be found. You matter, Anna Maciejewska.

swiss mess

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Swiss Pines is a real Swiss Mess. I wrote about Swiss Pines a few years ago (see along charlestown road and swiss pines.)

Swiss Pines is still a magical place although totally beat up looking now from the road. Last news I heard was that Swiss Pines is saved but I hope to God something happens with it soon.

a good old fashioned crawfish boil…in chester county

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It was a hot and steamy, but beautiful day. We went to a crawfish boil at Chef Paul Marshall’s house. Yes, it was the annual Marshall’s Half Hill Farm crawfish boil. And like everything else Paul and his wife Julie do, it was awesome!

People know Chef Paul Marshall locally because of Farm Boy Fresh. But he is a chef with incredible credentials.

From his childhood on the bayou in rural Louisiana, Chef Paul Marshall always showed a passion for cooking. During seven years under the watchful eye of Fernando Oca he learned classical French technique.

Chef Marshall then returned to his New Orleans roots to work under Emeril Lagasse at Commander’s Palace. There he further developed his passion for “the new” New Orleans cuisine; a melting pot of French, Spanish and American flavors.

Chef Marshall was part of the team that opened the Four Seasons in Florence, the Executive Chef at the Hong Kong Sheraton and Chef De Cuisine of Oscars, the French Brasserie in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel…and now he calls Chester County home.

My husband and I have been really lucky, and have been a guest of the Marshalls at their home. Paul’s wife Julie, has her own amazing credentials in world of food, having been with the James Beard Foundation for many years. She is also a terrific gardener.

So today was all about fun and food and friends and family. It was just so nice. And the food was, as always, off the hook.

The crawfish were flown in live and fresh from Louisiana. They weren’t those frozen little tasteless things that are called crawfish other places. These were fresh and succulent. Lobster’s little freshwater cousins were enjoyed by all!

Thanks for stopping by.

then there is this other stepford mecca being built on white horse road…

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Of course then there is this development on White Horse Road in Malvern.

I don’t even know what this Stepford Mecca is called.

But hell’s bells I guess these local municipalities must really think that we are going to grow our food on top of Whole Foods and Aldi and Wegmans given the rate they are approving developments out of farm land and open space, right?

And when everyone is so surprised when every school district doubles in size splits into two takes land by eminent domain for new buildings, don’t be. This is exactly why it’s happening.

This is also the Chester County Planning Commission and Municipalities Planning Code of Pennsylvania hard at work…for anyone other than the actual residents.

Wake up Chester County. Wake the hell up.

townhouses next to a live quarry, how luxurious, right?

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Perched atop the hill slightly off Charlestown Road is “Pickering Crossing“.

Here is how they advertise themselves:

That’s NOUVEAU FAUX Main Line yo’ because Charlestown Road is NOT the Main Line unless the R-5 Paoli Local is running through that quarry.

But hey in case you were wondering why Great Valley School District is suddenly having meetings about essentially expanding the district. The “community is invited to participate in facilities planning” translates to “there is so much development we need to expand and there go your taxes” correct? Because they don’t hold these lovely little charrettes until they’re getting ready to drop the expansion bomb on you, do they?

But hey these townships just keep approving new construction yupscale ghettos, don’t they?

But this place? A land Stepford built that seems quiet and empty doesn’t it ?

light a candle for the missing

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As 2018 draws to a close, light a candle for the missing. I have lit two bay candles.

One candle is lit for Geoff Partridge of Villanova.

One candle is lit for Anna Maciejewska Gould of Malvern.

They have people who love them and the families deserve the answers they seek. My wish as I lit the candles are for the missing to find their way home.

I know neither of these missing people personally, but this could happen to any family.

Here’s hoping the new year brings answers and the missing do indeed find their way home.

Thanks for stopping by.

development bug growing? wake up great valley school district and residents before it’s too late….

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google2

File under who bought the farm?

Yes. Development whining shall now commence.

If you don’t like it, move off of the page now.

At present, it is a lovely swath of land on Monument in Willistown called Troutbeck Farm. However, as per Willistown’s Planning Commission Agenda for August 8, 2018 it is another parcel up for a cram plan. According to Willistown’s development list on their website it’s up for 35 homes on a 37 lot subdivision.

trout 1w3

Now I know some will say it’s “only” 35 homes.  (Like Willistown’s Paoli Walk is “only” 30 townhomes and the old Daylesford Abbey land development  now the preposterously titled Chapel Hill Paoli is “only” 55 homes)

You can CLICK HERE to check out the Willistown Development List. And I think much like East Goshen, Willistown records nothing so if you do not attend meetings, you don’t necessarily know what is going on do you?

(I am not going into  Easttown’s , Tredyffrin’s or East Goshen Township’s sock drawers at the moment because they aren’t in Great Valley School District.  Doesn’t mean I don’t wonder about development and politics there too, but I digress…)

But anyway…. a lot of us wonder if Great Valley School District has Captain Oblivious at the helm because there is SO much development in various stages in this school district in Chester County.  People always think it’s just East Whiteland, but multiple municipalities make up this district.  And they all are little development islands in a bigger development sea in Chester County.

And no, before all you school district cheerleaders jump all over me, I am NOT questioning how good the district is at present. I am questioning the school district’s perennial lack of interest in a topic which affects all of the families, taxpayers, and most importantly students: DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE DISTRICT.

willistown

According to Niche and Patch as of August 1, 2018, Great Valley is ranked 11th in the state. Think they’ll maintain that if the unchecked development continues? Haven’t they done eminent domain before in this district? How will they remain so good if the schools are so huge we’re ready for Great Valley East and Great Valley West? Are their school board members awake?

I found three documents courtesy of Willistown:

17302 Plans 10 SWM Troutbeck Farms

Troutbeck_Development-Narrative-17-05-05

Troutbeck_Traffic-Planning-3

Apparently this has been going on for a few years?

According to Willistown, Troutbeck Development LLC is responsible for this plan. When you put that LLC name into Google you get:

where is trout llc

When you put the address into Google you get:

moser

Et voilà ! Another development is born in Chester County.  Don’t worry all livestock, horses, and crops will fit nicely on top of all of the Wegmans and Whole Foods Markets. And we don’t need open space.  Just traffic, pollution, infrastructure woes, and over-population issues, stressed out first responders, and school districts busting at the seams.

And what started all of this today?

The Philadelphia Business Journal heralding yet another development plan for East Whiteland in the Great Valley School District:

GMH Capital buys properties along Main Line

By Natalie Kostelni – Reporter, Philadelphia Business Journal
Aug 6, 2018, 1:31pm EDT

 ew yuck

GMH Capital Partners has paid $3.2 million in two separate transactions to buy several properties along Route 30 in Frazer, Pa., for a proposed mixed-use development.

The Newtown Square, Pa., real estate company assembled and bought the parcels as part of its plans to develop a four-story apartment building with retail space. Those plans have been going through the approval process in East Whiteland.

Mind you, East Whiteland seems to love development that comes it’s way (just look at this 2017 list.) Not being mean, this township has earned it’s pro-development reputation, has it not?

The old Frazer Lanes has been closed for a while.  (CLICK HERE for old Loop Net commercial real estate listing. Click HERE for another listing which is where aerial photo came from.)

Google maps gives us another look:

google maps

According to the article it’s the bowling alley, the trailer park next door, and the gas station.  The gas station is 558 Lancaster Ave, Frazer Lanes I think was 554 Lancaster Ave, and the trailer park is Norbros Circle These properties were mention in the 2017 fall issued land assumptions report in East Whiteland. I think they are also somewhere in the Route 30 Corridor Study.

Development, development, development.

Just yikes. But when it comes to this particular development can they build if the Alley Pub stays put? After all isn’t that in between Frazer Lanes and the Pioneer gas station?  The cheese stands alone? Can they withstand a big developer and survive as long as they choose? Here’s hoping the Alley Pub survives, right? It is after all the last of the old school joints in these parts isn’t it?

Speaking of development in East Whiteland, there is a petition circulating which was created in opposition to a development plan over on Flat Road.  The petition is called simply PETITION IN OPPOSITION TO FLAT ROAD DEVELOPMENT.  I am not the creator of the petition, but I feel for these people.  East Whiteland has been lobbing this around for a while. You can read about it HERE and  on HERE. If you want to see the Flat Road plan, CLICK HERE to go to East Whiteland’s site.  It’s “only” 47 more homes, no biggie, right? (There was an emergency meeting of the East Whiteland Historical Commission this evening about this too – the historic Amish Cemetery is over there.)

Wrong. Not picking on any development or developer in general but all of these “onlys” ADD UP, don’t they?

Soon there will not be one blade of grass left that is not planned for something.

And all of these “onlys” do indeed affect school districts. That readers, is what I got on my soap box about.  Every development adds up through multiple municipalities . This affects school districts.  School districts affect taxes, so do you get the vicious cycle?

Remember…is it not true a lot of things get pushed through local governments during holidays and the dog days of summer?  We live in a world where we must sadly remain ever watchful…and involved.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

step back in time this fall for chester county day 2018

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Photo Credit East Whiteland Township from their website.  From US Library of Congress: Michael Gunkle Spring Mill, Moore Road (East Whiteland Township), Bacton, Chester County, PA

Now I make no secret of the fall house tour events I hold dear in Chester County which are the Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust House Tour (I am a sponsor and this year it’s Saturday September 29th) and the tour that started it all for me many moons ago (used to go with my parents long before calling Chester County home) — Chester County Day!

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My books 🙂 

Today I am writing about Chester County Day which began in 1936. I love this event so much, I even have the following books: Forty Years of Days, Chester County & Its Day, and Barns of Chester County Pennsylvania which were  all written by a Chester County treasure named Berenice M. Ball.

The Women’s Auxiliary to Chester County Hospital has been supporting the hospital for 125 years through numerous fundraising activities and events. One of the beloved fundraisers that has stood the test of time is Chester County Day, the longest running house tour in the United States. This year’s tour will be held Saturday, October 6, 2018 from 10 am to 5 pm. Since its founding in 1936, “The Day,” as it is affectionately called, has raised more than $5 million for the hospital, earning $132,000 last year alone.

This year The Day includes tours of 16 homes and six public structures/historic sites in the northeast quadrant, including Exton, Frazer, Chester Springs, Kimberton, and Phoenixville.

The Day will kick off with the pageantry and excitement of a traditional fox hunt. The hunt will set off promptly at 9 am from Birchrunville. At 10 am guests can begin their tour of this year’s selected properties.

The 2018 tour celebrates the traditional, distinctive architecture of Chester County with some twists. There is a beautifully restored home in West Vincent Township which is believed to have been deeded to a Revolutionary War soldier in payment for his service. Also on the tour is a meticulously kept stone home with great antiques, rugs and a lovingly-cared for garden.

A spectacularly restored Queen Ann-style home is one of the stops in West Whiteland Township. The home was designed and built in 1851 by Andrew Jackson Downing, a prominent advocate of the Gothic Revival in the United States. The fountains, gardens, mahogany-lined rooms and diamond lead-paned windows of this house are remarkable. When the owner first purchased this property, oil had seeped into the basement and water leaked from the attic down to the first floor. The renovation of the home has returned it to its original, unforgettable state.  Around the corner is a pristine stone R. Brognard Okie house set on a hill with a beautiful stone-banked garage.

31519628_1871088936264117_8934859288078188544_n

Loch Aerie pre-renovation. My photo.

Loch Aerie Mansion in Frazer will also open its newly revamped doors to the tour this year.  Also featured in East Whiteland? Gunkle Spring Mill!  Gunkle Mill is a nationally registered historical resource. Michael Gunkle built  this his first mill, in 1793. The structure represents post-Revolutionary development in the Great Valley.  By 1872 the mill processed 1,800 tons of flour, feed, corn and oats yearly. At the peak of its productivity, the mill ran 18 hours a day. Gunkle Mill is now owned and cared for by East Whiteland Township. The Mill was placed on the Historic Register in 1978. (Check it out on Library of Congress website HERE.)

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Attendees will also have the opportunity to tour a nearly 200-year-old farmhouse/manor house in Chester Springs that has been lovingly repurposed as a business office. The structure has retained much of its original woodwork, pocket doors, cabinetry, stair railings, fireplaces and a beautiful English knot garden. Tour-goers can also explore the largest three-story bank barn in the county located in Charlestown Township. The home boasts hand-hewn, scored beams.

Phoenixville is represented by a restored farmhouse with a pool house that was once the residence of farmhands. Eighteenth and 20th century homes on the grounds of the former Pickering Hunt are optional next stops for attendees. Two houses will be open in Rapps Corner, with the convenience of parking at one home to tour both. Each of the stone houses has been maintained and updated in very individual styles, while respecting the historic bones of each building.

St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Chester Springs will serve as a lunch stop, where pre-ordered boxed lunches by Arianna’s Gourmet Café will be available.

The Day offers two ticket options, a regular priced $50 ticket or a $100 VIP ticket.  The VIP package includes an invitation to the preview party in September, as well as a gourmet boxed lunch provided by Montesano Bros Italian Market & Catering at an exclusive house tour open only to VIP ticket holders.

With a GPS and a Chester County Day map (that you will receive when you purchase your ticket) the beautiful architecture and bucolic roads of the county are yours to explore!

Event Details:

When: Saturday, October 6, 2018 from 10 am to 5 pm

Where: Northeast Quadrant of Chester County

Tickets: On sale from July 1, 2018 online; September 4th by mail or at the satellite locations listed on their website.

  • $50 purchased via web, phone or in person
  • $100 VIP tickets, which includes a VIP Reception and Preview Cocktail party at Historic Yellow Springs, Sunday, September 23; Otto’s Mini of Exton, PA will provide a Mini Cooper for qualified guests with purchased VIP tickets, while supplies last and a private tour of a special VIP house with a gourmet boxed lunch served by Montesano Bros Italian Market & Catering. VIP tickets are also available at all satellite locations, as well as via web and phone. (See ChesterCountyDay.com for details.)

Contact: 610-431-5054

More Information: Want to know more about the tour? Attend one of the free public preview lectures throughout the county. For a list of dates and locations, or to download a podcast visit: www.ChesterCountyDay.com

ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE:  I am writing this post because I want to and because I attend this event.  I purchase my own tickets and am a grateful supporter of The Women’s Auxiliary to Chester County Hospital.