So does this mean this is being gutted and rebuilt, or is this just a prelude to a demolition?
Tag Archives: East Whiteland
so who was looking at the shame of east whiteland today?
I was stopped at the 352 traffic light earlier today and noticed this man poking around Linden Hall/Wayne Tavern. This guy was peeking in windows and jiggling the door handles on those two doors which can be seen in the photo.
The phone number on the sale sign is 856-778-4900 – it goes with a site called Retailsites.net. Of course they are paying real attention to detail on their website where they call this location “Lancaster Ave & Sproud Road”. They have a flyer on it and they list it as 8.7 acres of vacant land/ 4 “Pad” sites like a historic structure doesn’t sit on it. Here is their “concept” plan, which contains (hold me back) a convenience store (because the giant Wawa and other places within spitting distance aren’t enough, a proposed bank (the new nail salon), and a proposed restaurant. And wouldn’t it be nice if they could keep the site tidy and free of debris and unnecessary signage?
What I don’t get is why no one tries to work with existing structure in this case? It is a building that spent what? Close to 200 years as an inn? And face it, an inn with a restaurant would be welcome because as far as lodging close by, what is there? And how many chain restaurants or bad pizza places are needed?
Again I lament the lack of vision with municipalities in Chester County when it comes to their commercial corridors. And East Whiteland has definite issues in this area. Look at the United Artists Movie Theater which is supposedly closing? And for what? A used car dealership or something? How unappealing is that and isn’t Jeff D’Ambrosio’s unattractiveness enough right there?
Again I note East Whiteland ironically lists this home as a historical site on their website. Apparently they value these structures, only they don’t seem to push them towards permanent preservation?
But hey what do I know? I am but a mere mortal .
duffy’s cut
2/20/2013 UPDATE:
Main Line Suburban Life > News
Burial in Ireland planned for Duffy’s Cut victim
Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2013
By JIM CALLAHAN
jcallahan@journalregister.com
Duffy’s Cut victim John Ruddy, late of Chester County, is to be buried after services March 2 in County Donegal, Ireland.
Ruddy was one of up to 57 Irish immigrants who died of cholera and probable mob violence at an East Whiteland railroad construction site known as Duffy’s Cut.
Ruddy and the others are believed to have died nearly 181 years ago in the last two weeks of August 1832. Ruddy was 18.
His are the only remains thus far identified from an incident that was successfully hidden from the general public until recent years.
Professor William Watson of Immaculata University released details of the funeral arrangements. Services are set for 3 p.m. at Holy Family Church in Ardara, Donegal. Burial will be in the church cemetery.
PREVIOUSLY:
A week or so I happened to be passing by the Duffy’s Cut historical marker (I got a historical marker approved a few years ago and it is a lot of work to get one of them) and stopped to photograph it. Given the clouds of mystery and intrigue still surrounding Duffy’s Cut, I think the foggy afternoon was perfect. I also think that given the development occurring in Malvern (borough and East Whiteland) by developers who don’t truly give a rat’s fanny about the area, the history, or the current residents (they care about building and selling projects) it is also appropriate to remember the history. You can never truly move forward into the future if you can’t honor the past, or that is just my opinion as a mere mortal and female.
I have always thought the tale of Duffy’s Cut to be a huge part of the history of Malvern. The Duffy’s Cut Project is housed at Immaculata. You can go see it.
The Smithsonian Channel has a special about it – called the Ghosts of Duffy’s Cut.
Duffy’s Cut is a big deal. What was Duffy’s Cut?
From Immaculata’s web site:
In June, 1832, a group of 57 Irish immigrants from Donegal, Tyrone, and Derry arrived in Philadelphia. They were brought to Chester County by a fellow Irishman named Philip Duffy as laborers for the construction of the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, Pennsylvania’s pioneering railroad. Within six weeks, all were dead of cholera and possibly violence, and were buried anonymously in a ditch outside of Malvern.
Two brothers, Frank and Bill Watson have done yeoman’s work on this topic of Duffy’s Cut. Read about them in the Wall Street Journal:
The Mystery of Duffy’s Cut
Historians Dig for Truth About What—or Who—Killed Early Rail Workers
April 14, 2011 By PETER LOFTUS
MALVERN, Pa.—Frank and Bill Watson recently led a group hoisting shovels and pick axes into a wooded hollow here in Philadelphia’s suburbs.
“Let’s find some bodies,” said Bill Watson, a professor of history at nearby Immaculata University.
Two children playing nearby scampered away before the men led by the Watsons—twin brothers and historians—started chipping away at a hillside hemmed in by two housing developments and busy railroad tracks.
The Watsons are on a macabre mission that began with a file of railroad company documents left behind by a grandfather and curiosity about what exactly happened at this spot—known as Duffy’s Cut—nearly 180 years ago.
This much is clear: Nearly 60 Irish laborers died here in 1832 as they built a land bridge for what became the thriving railroad that lent its name to Philadelphia’s affluent Main Line suburbs.
Their bodies were believed to be buried in a mass grave next to the railroad line, used today by Amtrak and local commuter trains. Tales of ghost sightings nearby were passed down through generations of area residents.
Cholera seemed the most likely culprit. Newspaper reports from the time reported that the disease killed several of the laborers at Duffy’s Cut. And an 1833 letter written by a superintendent of a precursor of the Pennsylvania Railroad said the contractor who hired the workers, Philip Duffy, lost “nearly one half of his men” to cholera. But early in their research, the Watsons began to suspect there might be more to the story….
In 2009, they began finding skeletal remains of at least four people. While many questions linger, the Watsons have become convinced at least three of them didn’t die of cholera.
One skull has holes with traces of lead on the edges, indicating a bullet’s entry and exit wounds, as well as a narrow slit that appeared to be delivered by an axe or hatchet. Another has a compression fracture suggesting it was caused by a blunt object. The third had dents in the skull indicating violence….
The work at Duffy’s Cut has received media attention in Ireland, and the Watsons have told the story to Irish heritage groups here. Michael Collins, the Irish ambassador to the U.S., has visited Duffy’s Cut twice.
“I was really struck by the human tragedy of all these young people dying so soon after coming here, and family back in Ireland never knowing what happened to them, or even knowing that they were dead,” he said. “Their story needs to be told.”
Unfortunately as of October 31, 2011 from what I can tell the archeological digs stopped. It seems AMTRAK had enough. I am not surprised. I made a bit of a project out of them once upon a time and they are souless money grubbers who are horrible neighbors, charge ridiculous amounts for often dirty, smelly trains and piss poor service, so why would I be surprised history was also not their forte? The short answer is I am not.
I have not found anything more recent than a 2012 YouTube video put out by The University of Pennsylvania. Of course one would think our Congressman Jim Gerlach and our US Senators, State reps, State Senator Any Dinniman, and Gov. Corbett might show an interest in getting whatever that is left to be done gets done? But until they do, I daresay the ghosts of Duffy’s Cut will wander.
Duffy’s Cut dig ends as Amtrak refuses mass grave excavation
Lynch mobs killed 1832 Irish railroad workers say historians – VIDEOS
By JAMES O’SHEA,IrishCentral Staff Writer
Published Monday, October 31, 2011, 7:07 AM
Updated Monday, October 31, 2011, 10:50 AM
PHOTOS – Duffy’s Cut – Irish labourers burial site in Pennsylvania slideshow
The dig for Irish remains at Duffy’ Cut in Pennsylvania has come to an end.
Frank and Bill Watson, the historians who first located the remains of Irish railroad workers, many of whom are believed to have been murdered in 1832, say that the mass grave they have been seeking is unreachable
It has been located 30 feet underground but too near to an existing Amtrak track to unearth it. It is said to hold the remains of up to 57 Irish emigrants from Donegal, Derry and Tyrone.
The Watsons, believe most of the Irish were likely victims of lynch mobs driven by anti-Irish sentiment which was widespread at the time.
The discovery of the mass grave came when geophysicist Tim Bechtel used updated equipment electrical imaging and seismic surveys, to discover the mass grave 30 feet below the surface.
It’s also on Amtrak property. They will not permit any digging because of its proximity to the tracks, spokeswoman Danelle Hunter told Associated Press.…The mass remains are of Irish immigrants, mostly from Donegal, who were building the railroad near Philadelphia when they all mysteriously died….
Frank and Bill Watson with the help of volunteers and archaeologists proved via DNA and testing that most of the Irish had been murdered and did not die of cholera.
“Since the beginning, we have seen it as our job to get their story out of folklore and into actual history, and we hope we have done that,” Bill Watson told Associated Press.
A local monument stated the men had died of “black diptheria” in 1834 but it is known they died two years earlier.
Soon after they started digging they found the remains of six people and a nearby shantytown.
University of Pennsylvania anthropologist Janet Monge found proof of savage violence done to the remains including a bullet wound to the head of one of them.
Many locals had been sceptical that anything would be found. East Whiteland Township Manager Terry Woodman told AP.
“Some people thought that this was lore, a story that through the telling had been exaggerated,” Woodman said. “There was a lot of skepticism.”
The rest who were killed were ordered buried in a mass grave and their shantytown burned to the ground.
One victim was identified victim as 18-year-old John Ruddy, based on his bone size and the passenger list of a ship that came from Ireland to Philadelphia shortly before the men died.
The brothers plan to bury the remains found in a suburban Philadelphia cemetery around St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.
Dennis Downey, a history professor at Millersville University, said the work done has been invaluable.
So Malvern, as you look at the developer tarting up one end of the town to sell his project, remember what happened in the East Whiteland side of Malvern. Here’s hoping some day the dead there can all rest. They certainly didn’t get what they deserved coming to America looking for honest work.
bones
East Whiteland has some tremendous beauty in it, and then there are all the properties that seem to be rotting within it….bones of past lives….history…pity…
as seen in east whiteland
Image
snow idiots
I somehow thought in Chester County there would be fewer snow idiots on the roads. Apparently not. Just did the four-wheel drive crawl down Route 352 which is a total mess between Immaculata and Route 30.
I passed either three or four cars on Route 352 which were either stuck or spun out. The road is slick, which by my humble estimation means SLOW DOWN.
I have a special shout out to that hot footed mama in the maroon Honda mini van who was behind me after she came flying out of Immaculata’s driveway: if you wanted to sit in my lap, you should have asked.
Another shout out in general to the folks from Immaculata who don’t seem to understand they are supposed to stop and look, and maybe use a turn signal before entering the roadway on Route 352.
There was another stuck mini van on the hump of the overpass.
People, we all know PennDOT has selective road treating at best in a nuisance storm like this, so please, slow down.
It is slick out there right now.
Road whiner over and out
chester county vatican?
Ok, I am sorry but it is a little freaky amusing to discover that Immaculata has its OWN zip code.
I used to joke about Hershey’s Mill being the retirement Vatican of Chester County because it is like its own city-state with its own roads, security (complete with sirens), personal entrance to the mall where the Giant is, etcetera.
So I read a blip on Malvern Patch about Immaculata and their acceptance letter tweets and went to check out their twitter page. It says:
Immaculata, PA? HUH? It might be Malvern, some call it Frazer, but is Immaculata in fact Chester County’s true Vatican? In Chester County do all institutions get their own zip codes? Wow Cabrini College and Eastern University, which are in Radnor and St. David’s PA respectively are going to get jealous and make demands on Delaware County! Do we think Cabrini, PA and Eastern, PA have nice rings to it?
Immaculata lists their legal mailing address as: Immaculata University | 1145 King Road, Immaculata, PA. 19345
So does that mean that people who live in the residential neighborhoods along King Road adjacent to the school don’t live in Malvern, PA (zip code 19355) they live in Immaculata, PA (zip code 19345)? So does Immaculata have their own post office and police force and fire departments and all the other services that create a city-state, borough, township? Where is their town hall? When do they have supervisor meetings?
Is this because Cheyney has their own zip code too?
I find this all VERY confusing. Hope the schools have paid for this privilege as opposed to taxpayer dollars funding their independent zip code. With the U.S. Postal service in such a shambles is this in fact just a way for them to generate revenue? But again, what about those people near Immaculata, on the same road and in the same area as Immaculata who think they live in Malvern, PA East Whiteland Township?
Are they in fact living in Immaculata, PA?
But hey, maybe if they are handing out zip codes I can apply for one and we can all live in chestercountyramblings, PA? It might be fun and there would be lots of great recipes and photos of barns!!
Are we to assume vanity zip codes are the new vanity plate?
Happy Friday people!
chester county and development…not so perfect together?
Today when the news came that Brian O’Neill was continuing with Uptown Worthington’s next phase, I was not one of the ones cheering. First I thought of my former township (Lower Merion) and the O’Neill projects in moth balls and sites looking shabby. Then I started to think about the development I have seen since I moved to Chester County, and I am concerned.
No one wants to turn their back on progress, but at what price comes progress? For example, let us not forget Malvern Borough’s $60,000 mistake on East King Street. You know? Eli Kahn’s New Urbanism Fairy Tale? In July, Kahn and his partners David Della Porta and Gary Toll did the old soft shoe and a rah-rah ground breaking.
With regard to Malvern, I will say again, You know what I think Eli Kahn and Jack Loew’s 
project is going to be like when it is done? A super-sized Charleston Greene. And over the years, how has Toll’s Charleston Greene worked for you ,Malvern?
A friend said to me a little while ago “You can’t spend other people’s money and
generate prosperity. ”
There is food for thought. Also to think about quite seriously is what Tredyffrin did last night other than not apologize for cyber-bullying the delightful and devoted and hard working community champion Pattye Benson. They approved the C-1 Zoning Change. Now, basically, a LARGE death farm, excuse me, senior assisted living facility will grow on a rather SMALL site on Lancaster Avenue. You know, where Jimmy Duffy’s Catering Company used to reside?
Interestingly enough, this new development is from a Tredyffrin resident who put the residents of Bala Cynwyd through the ringer for another awkward site senior assisted living facility around 2009. Main Line Media News said at the time:
Further township discussion of a controversial Bala Cynwyd development plan has been postponed until next month.
Developer Ed Morris of Traditional Properties LP had hoped to take his new plan for an assisted-living facility at 27-33 Old Lancaster Road to Lower Merion commissioners this week….Morris got zoning-hearing board approval in late July of a special exception to build a “home for the aged” on the parcels, which today are occupied by two single-family homes. The stone colonial houses would be demolished.
The plan was a switch from development plans approved by the township in 2006 for a four-story, 21-unit condominium building. Morris has said that marketing efforts to sell units in the proposed building were not successful as the housing market stalled….A number of residents in surrounding neighborhoods in Bala Cynwyd and Merion objected to the change in direction, saying that the assisted-living facility is a more commercial use, out of character with the area.
Oh my goodness! Is this not an eerie sense of déjà vu? Don’t I remember original plans for the Jimmy Duffy site being different, albeit equally unwelcome to neighboring Daylesford residents? (And Ed Morris like Brian O’Neill was featured in an article a few years ago in Main Line Today called Condo Mania)
How many developments do we need? Does Chester County want to end up a congested mess with limited open space like much of the Main Line?
I noticed on Malvern Patch that a lot of people are excited by the idea of MORE mall at Uptown Worthington based upon the comments. I, on the other hand, am concerned.
It wasn’t too long ago that this developer was embroiled in nasty, nasty litigation over this site. And how will this phase of construction affect people? Remember the first phase? And look at the 100 year PennDOT 202 project right there right now. It really isn’t a 100 year project, but given how PennDOT does business it might as well be.
Then there is the thought of how many malls and mall like places do we need? Exton is but minutes away with the Exton Square Mall, Main Street at Exton and the countless other smaller strip malls in and around it. King of Prussia is also fairly close with the giant King of Prussia Mall and all the other various and assorted strip malls and sub-developments in the vicinity. (And don’t forget that charming casino because you know nothing says U.S. history like a slots parlor next to where George Washington literally slept.)
In addition to these larger malls and newer strip malls are all the other strip malls and often funky shopping centers on Route 30, Paoli Pike, Route 3, pick a road.
Really Chester County, how much development do you want? How much development do we need as residents? Are we actually getting new stores or are businesses just hop-scotching between retail developments, moving every few years to whatever the next sweetest deal is? And do you want a steady stream of fill-in-the-name-big-box-retailers and chains? What of the independent local business where they know their customer base and might be your neighbors?
I saw the development of Chester County in a most unusual way on my 9/11 hot-air balloon ride. I saw the development from the air. From high up in the sky it looked like miles and miles of Legos – developments all cookie cutter.
Chester County on a county level needs to get a real grip on the future. The economy is not recovering, and still these developments proceed. Developers will say they bring jobs, but once you get beyond retail shift work and minimum wage, what is there? And you need more than that to fill up the condos, town homes perched on formerly rural highways, and the communities of McMansions. (Don’t forget about the fact they are trying to supersize Birchrunville in West Vincent. And then there is other potential residential development in the future, right?)
Once the open space is gone, it is not coming back. Once the charming cross-roads towns are gone and the farms are gone, they are also not coming back. That’s all. Just think about it.
My wish for Chester County is a revolution of common sense.
is east goshen getting rid of police force?
Life gets busy, and I missed something I should have posted a couple of days ago, and I am truly sorry. And I am torn how to present this, because no matter what is said, this is a very difficult subject. (So if you have a comment or clarification to what I am posting, PLEASE post a comment.)
When I was at East Goshen Day this summer, a friend of mine told me there was a rumor that East Goshen was dissolving their police force. Based on a letter a friend from outside Chester County forwarded to me, I would say it wasn’t just a rumor.
I am going to say that the only criticism I had with East Goshen prior to this was the fact that they neither stream their meetings on their website nor put them on Public Access TV. After getting this letter forwarded to me, I can see there might be a real need for meetings to be televised and/or streamed on their website.
Now as for the whole get rid of the local police department of it all, I find that distressing and this all appears at first look to have roots in some sort of labor dispute. Communities need their police force in addition to other first responders. This police force at present is like a twinned parish – it is shared with a neighboring municipality – Westtown. (Hence their name Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department.)
Having a community without a police department in my humble opinion is like trying to walk without legs. Maybe that is overly simplistic, but police aren’t an optional accessory in a community, they are a necessity. They know their residents, the roads, local ordinances, etc.
Additionally, I am always leery of paid consultants who come into a community to tell the community about where they live. My experience is, having seen millions of tax dollars flitter away in consultants’ pockets where I used to live, is ask the residents FIRST. About EVERYTHING.
East Goshen, please do the right thing here. In this economy, spending $65,000 on an outside consultant doesn’t strike me as the best use of taxpayer dollars. Please. It is as much as anything else, a question of public safety. I hope my post isn’t coming after some decision was made. (and hopefully the idea of a pricey outside consultant was tabled for now?) Of course (again), this is why, it would be helpful to stream meetings on the website or utilize public access television and broadcast the meetings.
I am posting what I currently see on East Goshen’s website, and my concern is it won’t reach everyone who lives in the township, so how else is it being distributed? See East Goshen Website:
Latest Township News & Events
The Board of Supervisors will be holding “Police Services Options Workshops” at 7:00 pm on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. These workshops will be devoted solely to the review and discussion of the police service options available to East Goshen Township. All residents are invited to attend and encouraged to participate in the discussions. Regular Township business will not be conducted at these workshops. By way of background, East Goshen and Westtown Townships jointly created the Westtown East Goshen Regional Police Department (WEGO) in 1981. WEGO is one of 35 regional police departments in Pennsylvania and it provides police service to Thornbury Township on a contract basis. As the current labor agreement with the Police Association is set to expire on December 31, 2013, it is incumbent on the Board of Supervisors to explore all available options moving forward. While WEGO has provided excellent service for over 30 years, the substantial and ever-increasing cost of this service presents a serious challenge for current and future residents of the Township as the financial requirements of the current labor agreement are not sustainable. More information available here
Below my final comments is the letter I received. Please read it. Please let East Goshen know how you feel about this. I find the trend of discussing getting rid of local police forces truly alarming. This is being tossed about in Malvern Borough too. I found online an article Malvern Patch where it was reported August 20th with regard to East Goshen that :
East Whiteland Police Chief Eugene Dooley might soon be spending more time in East Goshen, according to a report in the Daily Local News….
The temporary assignment would come amid broader changes within Westtown-East Goshen Police Department. Thornbury Township has indicated it will not renew its contract with the regional force when it expires at the end of 2012.
Twitter user Leo Sinclair pondered the possible implications of Dooley’s temporary assignment, asking “First indication that East Goshen Twp plans to merge with East Whiteland Twp Police?”
So what is going on? Will our police be merging with yet another municipality as a cost saving measure? Or will East Goshen be served by State Police? Or a professional for hire don’t know what else to call it except rent a cops?
I doubt anything will happen quickly, but I definitely think a pause button is in order.
To be fair, my final comment is to the police force: if this situation has a basis in a contract/labor dispute I have not read up on, but I bet a lot has to do with benefits, as that seems to be a common theme today, where is a middle ground? I mean no disrespect, but we live in a different world than our parents did and probably even different from when we grew up. I am one of the millions of people who is self-pay on healthcare benefits. It just is what it is – after all in the private sector not all companies provide benefits, and it is also the sole option in most cases for the self-employed. My point is I manage. And I managed even with breast cancer.
So as I am posting the letter below, I am going to make a plea to both sides to find a palatable middle point. Because in this kind of tug of war, the ultimate losers are the residents. I hope both sides can resolve this and save the police force.
Again, here is the letter:
September 4, 2012
Dear East Goshen Resident,
As you may know, members of the East Goshen Township Board of Supervisors have rejected a number of proposals to extend the contract for local police service provided by the Westtown – East Goshen Regional Police Department. Now, it appears that the Township is intent on dissolving our local police department. In fact, at tonight’s East Goshen Township Supervisors meeting, supervisors appear prepared to vote to recommend that the township pay a consultant $65,000 in taxpayer funds to study the township’s options with respect to future police services.
This action comes on the heels of a number of local residents speaking out in opposition to the Township’s proposal to eliminate our current regional police force. But our Township Supervisors appear unwilling to listen to the views or wishes of local residents. In fact, last week, supervisors said that the cost of surveying local residents for their opinion on whether to retain our current police force was “too expensive.”
In reality, sending a mailing to every household in the district with a response card would cost less than $6,500. That is less than 10 percent of the $65,000 that supervisors are on the verge of recommending be spent at tonight’s meeting to hire a consultant. Wouldn’t it make sense to determine whether residents support dissolving our police force before spending $65,000 on a consultant to tell them how to do it? Not only is this action fiscally irresponsible, it also seems to indicate that our elected officials do not care what “we the people” who they are elected to represent have to say.
In addition, the Westtown – East Goshen Regional Police Department is not aware of any Request for Proposals or public bidding process for the professional services that this consultant would provide. Failure to solicit proposals from multiple sources – who could potentially provide better value and expertise –raises serious ethical questions and would appear to violate government procurement policies due to the large size of the contract.
Please contact the township and supervisors prior to tonight’s meeting to tell them this $65,000 contract should be rejected until after local residents have been surveyed and the consulting services have been competitively procured through a public procurement process. I would also encourage you to share your concerns publicly at tonight’s meeting at 7 p.m. at the Township Building to help prevent this vote from occurring. They represent us and need to hear from us, so please pass this on to your friends and neighbors as well.
The township’s phone number is 610 692-7171 and the supervisors’ emails are also provided below.
Senya D. Isayeff, Chairman – sisayeff@eastgoshen.orgThom Clapper, Ph.D., Vice Chairman – tclapper@eastgoshen.org
Carmen R. Battavio – cbattavio@eastgoshen.org
Charles W. Proctor, III, J.D., C.L.T.P. – cproctor@eastgoshen.org E.
Martin Shane – mshane@eastgoshen.org
Tom Haws – thaws@westtown.org
Carol DeWolf- cdewolf@westtown.org
Charles Barber- cbarber@westtown.org
This push to approve a $65,000 consultant contract to examine options for doing away with our police department – which is not supported by local residents –and with no known public procurement process raises serious concerns about our Township’s supervisors commitment to transparency, fiscal responsibility, and a representative government.
Thank you for your ongoing support, and please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Anthony RuggieriPresident
Westtown-East Goshen Police Association
what exactly does “coming soon” mean?
Is a bulldozer coming soon or what? This property is beyond unkempt and the way this historic structure is being left to rot via demolition by neglect is almost criminal (not that any of the multitude of other old and historic homes I see rotting along Route 30 are any better – I think the abandoned and derelict what looks to be 18th century farmhouse next toe Clews & Strawbridge looks like a giant vine now).
So this is Linden Hall, and since we were driving by today I thought I would take some additional photos. East Whiteland are you just blind to how bad parts of your commercial corridor look?
