Yesterday I threw up a post about a problem in East Whiteland with an orphaned railroad bridge/underpass. It was once part of the West Chester Railroad. The structure is dated 1915 and I’m posting photos that a neighbor to this structure took today.
It’s kind of obvious what’s happening. It’s falling apart and it’s dangerous and it needs to come down. Not everything can be saved, not everything should be saved.
Here’s hoping Chester County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania can look beyond their collective navels and assist East Whiteland here .
I would say it was safe to assume that time is of the essence here and people need to pay attention to the fact that this road is closed with good reason. Today, people have a habit of ignoring police barricades and road closed signs.
Yesterday‘s post by me is at the bottom, and this is one of these things that well a local paper used to write about. But who knows what they let our local paper write about most of the time.
Please avoid Ravine Road in East Whiteland and this specifically is why it’s closed. And please don’t start some big thing about “Oh we need to save this structure.” No, we don’t. It’s dangerous. It needs to come down.
Malvern Borough King St – other side from Flying Pig – a lot has been empty for a few years, and now construction fencing is up and it looks like foundation digging?
It used to be before it was an empty lot, a row of buildings. The buildings at the time were historic to the borough, but they were in such bad shape. They had to come down. I do know that much because I remember when they were torn down, but then at one point pre-COVID it was a giant apartment tower thing proposed and then that idea went nowhere, but did it really?
So someone tells me that there’s another kind of apartment thing in the works. Shops below and like 30 apartments above, so it’s another one of these fairytales of live work play because you know you can afford to work minimum wage in the shop below and rent the overpriced department above, right?
I’m sorry did I sound sarcastic? I meant to sound sarcastic. If it was maybe small like a dozen units and stores I would say OK that will be at least in keeping with probably human scale in the Borough of Malvern.
Here’s hoping Malvern can get it together enough to stay on top of this. They have yet another new manager who came in at the end of 2024 and I hope she realizes Chester County is a different beast from Delaware County. She is a commissioner in Upper Chichester and used to be Manager in Darby Township.
Malvern Borough is one of those places where they try to keep things on the down low, nothing to see here. I am a particular fan at the moment of the Mayor of Malvern Borough who liked a post the other day that was literally bashing me on Facebook. That’s so very professional for a man I’ve never met. And the amusing thing is the post was just because, literally…a woman I had never even ever interacted with.
Yeah Mr. Mayor, I see you. Maybe it’s time to just retire completely?
30 apartments is going to be fairly tall. And Malvern Borough seems to forget the last time they got something they didn’t like called Eastside flats which really aren’t wearing very well are they?
Apparently the development has a lot of variances needed so right now they’re just digging a hole in the ground, which of course is very attractive with the bright orange construction fencing, which really isn’t too hard for kids to get into. I might add.
Oh, and the 30 apartments? 31 bedroom units and if you’ve seen most of the one bedroom apartments being built today, they are very urban style. In other words there’s not too terribly much room for you to even change your mind. Nothing is affordable because God forbid you have affordable units as an affordable housing. It helps create and keep a more transient society, which isn’t good for overall areas because people don’t know the history they don’t care about the history they come and they go depending on the rent increases. Ask people in the Summerhill development in West Whiteland for example, ok?
Of course this evening is the public hearing in East Whiteland that you can zoom or attend in person about the repurposed office building over on Swedesford. It is another live work, play fairytale and it’s 220 units.
You know it would be really nice if these municipalities especially when they are in the same school district would actually work together better on how many development units were coming. Between the municipalities and a couple of school districts you have to wonder when Great Valley School District in particular is going to end up like West Chester Area School District , or Downingtown…or huge. And in the case of Great Valley, it’s kind of like Tredyffrin. Where are they going to put more schools? Oh wait in Tredyffrin they repurposed one of these godforsaken obsolete office parks into plans for a school!
So all the people without reading comprehension are going to just say once again I am anti-development across the board. And that’s not it. I am anti-bad planning and I am anti-ugly developer profit driven cram plans.
Communities need to allow for some development to keep moving forward. The problem in Pennsylvania is it’s too much development because the municipalities planning code hasn’t been updated since 1969.
Full notice: EAST WHITELAND TOWNSHIP CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that at its regularly scheduled public meeting on January 21, 2025 at 6:30 P.M. at the East Whiteland Township Municipal Building located at 209 Conestoga Road, Frazer, PA, the Board of Supervisors of East Whiteland Township shall hold a public hearing and may take action to vote upon the application of 52 E. Swedesford Partners, LP for a conditional use pursuant to Section 200-39.D. of the Zoning Ordinance, Permitted uses for mixed use development, to develop the property at 52 E. Swedesford Road, identified as UPI No.42-4-260.4, (“Property”) as a multi-family 1-and 2-bedroom unit apartment complex, with a retail component and an office component in one of the proposed buildings, and passive recreation open space. The proposed development will consist of 220 residential units, a separate club house facility, a separate gym facility, separate garage facilities, approximately 12,000 s.f. of total retail space, approximately 12,000 s.f. of total office space, and passive recreation open space. The Property is located in the Office Business Park Zoning District and in the Corporate Overlay District. The requested conditional use approval includes amendment of the existing conditional use decision dated 7/13/16 issued in favor of Swedesford Square Apartments L/CAL Limited Partnership (then the equitable owner and now the current fee owner, with Atlantic Properties Trust as then fee owner) of the adjacent property, 54/56 Swedesford Road, identified as 42-4-260.4A and now known as the Arlo Apartment Homes. Copies of the application are available to the public electronically on the Township’s website or upon request and may be examined without charge. Arrangements can be made for copies for a charge not greater than the cost thereof to be obtained from the Township Municipal Building, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you desire electronic or physical copies of the application for inspection; require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the hearing; or would like further guidance on how to participate in the hearing – please contact the Township Director of Planning and Development at (610) 897-4265 or zbarner@eastwhiteland.org. Steven Brown Township Manager DLN 1/7, 1/14; 1a
Well, happy new year and East Whiteland continues its path to becoming King of Prussia west.
January 21, 2025 at 6:30 P.M. at the East Whiteland Township Municipal Building located at 209 Conestoga Road, Frazer, PA.
Anyway it’s a Hardy Boys Mystery this one: The A Name Pharma Mysteries.
So what is going on here? Did Chester County ever get any money back? Inquiring minds want to know….
Taa Taa For Now dear readers….
More of the not so distant past on Advaite below and gosh you would think Chester County would have updated residents right? But have they? I can’t find anything recent-ish can you? Will this be like getting blood from a stone for Chester County?
These dogs get out far too often. Maybe people are going to think I’m being harsh but these are dogs that live on a street off of 401. What’s with the humans in the equation?
These pups wander far and wide. They are very friendly, loving dogs. But the owners are being irresponsible because they keep getting out, and I am allowed to have this opinion. If the dogs on an electric fence, maybe they need new collars with longer prongs? Maybe their collars need batteries? Maybe they need to be trained to the electric fence properly? Maybe there’s a break in the electric fence ?
This is of course, assuming there is an electric fence because you don’t know if there is or not. It could be a regular fence. They are getting out of a property which could be completely unfenced.
There could be many reasons why they are getting out but why are their humans not keeping a better eye on them?
Whatever is going on here this is not right. And I would hate to see these dogs get hit or someone to be put through the trauma of accidentally hitting them because they’re running free when they’re not supposed to be.
What is happening is upsetting and I’m posting this because there have been so many instances recently of these dogs getting out day after day and they’re being found in all different parts of Malvern. In one case, my friend‘s daughter helped catch the dogs one of the times they were loose.
Accidents happen, I get that but this is happening far too often. Which makes you wonder is this a pattern?
All we keep seeing in our social media feeds are found dogs and dumped dogs and dumped cats and found cats. I just don’t understand what’s going on in this world in which we live. It makes me very sad.
And I’m sorry if the owners feel like they’re being singled out, but in this case, how many times do their dogs have to get out before somebody looks into the why?
May Saint Francis continue to watch over them until somebody does look at why this is happening and takes steps to correct it.
Hi! Friendly neighborhood blogger here. Reporting live from the East Whiteland Supervisors meeting.
Chair of East Whiteland Supervisors Scott Lambert just announced that PA Governor Josh Shapiro has given East Whiteland a grant check ONE MILLION DOLLARS to add to the Chester County grant already announced for $800,000.
This means a hefty chunk of change going towards the purchase of the Schiffer Farm property along with the open space referendum tax funds. This is AMAZING.
Congratulations East Whiteland!
And East Whiteland? Please buy yourself some new microphones for the podium in the boardroom.
Well it ended up being the worst kept secret in Malvern. Kamala Harris and Liz Cheyney were at People’s Light.
I watched with a friend on Facebook Live and it was impressive. And there were quite a few Republicans in the audience. People don’t want a Trump do-over. I know I do not.
I totally would have gone if invited. Even if I was a Republican.
I already did vote for Kamala. And for Republicans out there? You won’t turn to stone if you vote for her – I didn’t when I voted for Obama. And no one has to know what you do in the sanctity of the voting booth. The real Republican party, the party of Lincoln, no longer exists. That is the long and short of it. So if REAL Republicans want to turn the page? Vote Kamala Harris.
Eight years ago yesterday, my husband and I asked a structural engineer who specializes in historic properties (among other things) to look at the ruin of Ebenezer AME on Bacton Hill Road in Frazer/East Whiteland Township. He reviewed the exterior. It’s not safe to go into the ruin – very unstable.
In 2023 I lamented the state of the ruin and said everything had the engineer told me a few years ago now that I passed along to East Whiteland Township and East Whitehead Historical Commission was sadly happening. The walls have never been shored up, and the development going along around it is taking a toll. Time, weather, and circumstances are not friends to this site.
I also had said then that before COVID hit, there was a lady from the National Trust for Historic Places I had connected with who seemed interested. Her name was Lawana Holland-Moore. I have tried following up since, but nothing, not even a reply. (Sigh.) Who knows? Maybe she will see this post and renew her former interest. There are so many historic places and structures at risk, but I just wish this place would matter for more.
Then last year (September, 2023), East Whiteland erected a local historic marker. It made me hopeful. It was at that ceremony that some members of a local AME Church (Mt. Zion AME in Devon, PA) helping out with saving Ebenezer thanked me for my activism efforts over the years. No one had publicly done so ever at that point. Pastor April Martin and Bertha Jackmon. Coming from them that really meant something special to me.
At the recent October 10th, 2024 East Whiteland Township Board of Supervisors meeting, I was also thanked in absentia by the East Whiteland Historic Commission and the Chair of the Supervisors, Scott Lambert, for my efforts dating back to 2013 or so. These comments occurred in the midst of an update I never thought would happen: funding for stabilizing the ruin of Ebenezer has been found between the township and the AME Church. It sounds like the project will start soon.
I couldn’t zoom or attend the meeting, so it was just today I watched the video of the meeting. I literally started to cry when I heard about stabilization becoming a reality. And I admit to being a little misty eyed over being recognized by my township. I am neither thanked nor recognized positively very often. Usually I am chided and berated and more for daring to blog and have opinions.
Ebenezer is very personal to me. When I first moved to Chester County to be with my husband, I quickly became obsessed with the ruins of Chester County. We drove past Ebenezer often. It was overgrown and tumbling down. I thought it was a farmhouse in decay. Then one day when we were headed towards Elverson to see friends, my husband told me to bring my camera and we would stop for a few minutes.
Stopped we did. I still remember walking through the dead weeds to the rear of what I thought was a farmhouse ruin. Then I saw Joshua. I think I held my breath at first. He was a Civil War soldier. Then I started to look in the weeds around some more, and I realized this was a burial ground. Then it hit me: this must be a church ruin. How could people not care?
That was 2013. And that is when I started looking into what I would eventually learn was Ebenezer AME.
The origins of the AME Church go back to the Free African Society which Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others established in Philadelphia in 1787. Richard Allen was born a slave in 1760 in Delaware. He was owned and then freed by Benjamin Chew, who was a prominent lawyer and Chief Justice of the Commonwealth from 1774-1777.
Ebenezer was a very early AME church, and Bishop Richard Allen was still alive (he died March 1831) when the Quaker, James Malin, probably decide he would deed the land to the AME Church so Ebenezer could be built (June 1831.) Ebenezer is quite literally perhaps the second oldest AME site in the country, except for Mother Bethel AME in Philadelphia. So you can see given the age of Ebenezer AME in East Whiteland, Chester County, PA that it is truly part of the early days of a church and religion founded in Philadelphia. Bishop Richard Allen died in 1831, just months before Ebenezer came to be after Joseph Malin deeded the land. According to the deed transcript, it was for a church and a burial place. My research indicates the first church was built (or finished) by 1835.
Members of this community have been documented as former slaves. Their ability to construct this church demonstrates the prosperity and commitment of this community.
The trustees of the Ebenezer AME church purchased the land in 1831 from James Malin. The oldest gravestones found in the cemetery date from the early 1830’s. The congregation disbanded for a time between 1848 and 1871 during which time the building fell into disrepair. By June 22, 1873 the church had been rebuilt and rededicated. It continued to be used until 1970…Now it is abandoned.
A stone building, dilapidated and crumbling from the outside in, still stands on Bacton Hill Road….The gravestones which surround the building clearly show that it was a church. Nearly all the headstones have fallen downhill and lie, face up crumbling from the wind and rain.
Records show that this church, formerly named the Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church, was built in 1832 on what was originally known as the Yellow Springs Road. A celebrated gospel church, it was regularly attended by Negroes who lived and worked on Bacton Hill. Very few of the lives of these people, who were once a great part of the history of East Whiteland, have ever been chronicled.
Early tax records for Chester County show a listing of “free men”. Actually these “free men” were colored slaves who had been given their freedom from bondage when they reached the age of 38. Later on, the age of freedom was lowered to 23 years of age and finally a state law granted that any person born in the state of Pennsylvania was a guaranteed free man.
The farmers of Valley Hills would often give these free men, after their term of bondage was up, a small plot of land for their own upon the hills in Bacton. On these, the former slaves built small log cabins or stone buildings. Many ran small farms while still working during the day timbering the summit of Bacton Hill and carting lumber down to the Great Valley for the lime kilns.
Think about it: these free and freed men who lived and worked around Bacton Hill built a church, and eventually a stone building was built. In 1989 when the paper was written, 80 graves were documented. When the next Eagle Scout documented graves, I believe he only documented 26. Some of the graves disappeared. Sinking into the murky and often swampy land (several springs are underneath apparently, and there are also interestingly old clay pits somewhere way off to the rear of the graveyard on another property), and it would also sadly not surprise me if other headstones had simply been removed. Yes, people steal from the dead and that includes headstones. That’s why East Whiteland PD has kept an eye on the headstones and grave yard in the past.
Anyway, riots and “disturbances” between 1848 and 1870 caused the church to not be used as much and it apparently fell to ruin the first time. But in 1872 the old church was brought back to life and reopened December 8th, 1872. “Important” clergymen were reported as having been present, and in June of 1873 the church was re-dedicated as Ebenezer African American Methodist Church.
At this point the church remained in use until 1910. Then the church may not have been used again until the 1940s. In the 1940s it was reported to have been some sort of a big thing at the church to celebrate it’s history. It was said people from all over Chester County gathered with “prominent” members of the A.M.E. Church. It is believed that is when the church was electrified. After the church stopped being used, and the woods and swampy marsh grass grew up around it, and a mobile home ended up next to it.
Some of the family names on the gravestones are the same as families still living in Malvern Boroughand in Chester County!
For the past many years at this point, I have been writing about this. I see the importance of this site intertwined with its 184 years of individual history combined with the 200+-year-old history of the AME Church founded by freed slave Richard Allen. (The AME Church as all know celebrated its 200th anniversary this year in Philadelphia.)
The parcel’s 1832 deed of trust transfers ownership of the land from James Malin, a prominent Quaker farmer involved in the Underground Railroad, to three African Americans – “Samuel Davis, Ishmael Ells, and Charles Kimbul” – for the purpose of constructing a church with a burial ground in East Whiteland.
Ebenezer’s floor was a raised platform on stone piers, according to research by archival consultant Jonathan L. Hoppe, for the Chester County Historical Society. Its single room had a door facing the road; opposite was the raised pulpit. The interior walls were covered in wainscoting.
I first photographed Ebenezer in 2013. Then a few more times after that times including in June 2016 when the Inquirer article was in process. Then a second time, October 1, 2016. i placed the Philadelphia Inquirer articles. They are among my favorite articles and Kristin Holmes did an amazing job.
Inquirer reporter Kristin Holmes with former Chair of the East Whiteland Historic Commission and neighbor, Tim Caban. Tim was instrumental in the early days of my ruin obsession. And he has always remained a sounding board and wealth of knowledge.
And we have to speak about Hiram. Hiram Woodyard was a Township resident and former slave who served in the Union Army as a teamster. He was a leader in the African American community and is buried at the Ebenezer AME Church. His home still stands on Congestoga Road. Other homes he built still stand. He was an inhabitant of Bacton Hill.
And we have to talk about friends I made along the way who died before they could see Ebenezer get this far. The late poet A.V. (Ann) Christie and Al Terrell.
Ann I met shortly after I started my vision quest on Ebenezer. She had been battling breast cancer but showed up at my door one day with a boy scout report and the Conestoga Turnpike book written by my friend author, artist, and historian Catherine Quillman who is a true Chester County treasure who shares her knowledge so freely and with an open heart. It is because of Catherine I was able to prove my suspicion that although the property had been abandoned, it really wasn’t and the AME Church and more specifically probably Mother Bethel still owned it.
Ann died in April, 2016. She was so wonderful a human. I actually do have some of her poetry in my personal library. In her obituary story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, John Timpane wrote:
Poet and friend Leonard Gontarek offered a poetic remembrance of Ms. Christie by e-mail: “Like the poet herself, A.V. Christie’s poetry is precise, elegant and generous. In her poems she gives us a model of the universe: If we possess integrity and trust the world, truth will come through. If we know the world deeply enough, we will see the logic of happiness and sorrow. If we listen carefully, we will hear the music coaxed from the dusk and fallen magnolia flowers, the pond, the clouds, and her beloved robins. It will be the music we hear as knowledge becomes wisdom.”
This is a poetry of grace and holy light.
Ann loved Ebenezer, and had at one point lived quite nearby. She grew frustrated with trying to engage people about Ebenezer. She was responsible for organizing and often paying for a few clean ups.
Then I met Al Terrell. He also lived nearby. We became friends after bonding over the same black Civil War Soldiers. He visited Joshua and Hiram too. When and said he was going to get Boy Scouts and volunteers in there to clean up AND would get the AME Church to say OK, I was so glad to hear it, but didn’t hold out much hope. The Boy Scouts were from the Willistown Troop. And there were others. Bible study folks from Al’s bible study and Lee’s Lawn Service. And more. And this was just the beginning. Al threw himself into this the last couple of years of his life. He helped get the Veteran’s Day ceremony November 19th, 2016.
November 19, 2016 is when we held the Veteran’s Day Ceremony at Ebenezer to honor the black Civil War Soldiers there and others. It made front page news of The Daily Local. That was such an emotional day for me at that site, I cried. And I have no ancestors buried there, just my black Civil War Soldier Joshua Johnson whom I discovered one day many, many years ago in a pile of weeds that I thought were surrounding an abandoned farmhouse.
EAST WHITELAND >> During a humble autumn afternoon, a small ceremony paid homage to a long since abandoned graveyard housing African-American Civil War veterans, and others whose names have been lost to time and erosion.
For Bruce Reason and Al Terrell, the sight of the cleaned up Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church cemetery on Saturday was a welcome one.
Reason, 56, of East Whiteland pointed to one of the legible headstones bearing the name of one African-American Civil War veteran, Joshua Johnson, 1846-1916, and said he was related.
“It feels great,” he said about the site of the cleaned up cemetery. “I waited years for someone to come along (and clean up the graveyard).”
The person who came along and led the clean-up effort was Henderson High School sophomore Luke Phayre.
Phayre, a member of the Willistown Boy Scout Troop 78, had been looking for a project to complete so he could become an Eagle Scout….And Terrell, himself a former assistant scoutmaster working on rejoining the troop, suggested to Phayre that he clean up the graveyard as his own son, Andrew did almost two decades earlier.
“I thought it was a great thing to do, to honor the soldiers buried here,” Phayre said. “You couldn’t even see this (gravesite) from the street.”
The gravesite and the ruins of the old church sit alongside North Bacton Hill Road, near where the road intersects with Route 401.
Starting in August, Phayre and other volunteers worked to figure out who technically owns the abandoned property, get permission from the owners, and to clean up the graveyard and crumbling stone church laden with overgrown nature.
His efforts were recognized Wednesday when at 1 p.m., a ceremony led by the commander of the West Chester American Legion Post 134, retired Air Force Capt. Howard Crawford.
The ceremony also served as a way to honor the dead. It included a color guard presentation, gun salute, and memorial prayer.
Members of several different organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Marine Corps League participated in the ceremony. Three East Whiteland police officers were also present.
On that day I do not recall any members of the then East Whiteland Historic Commission or township supervisors, but I will always remember the members of East Whiteland Police Department who showed up to be part of the honor guard and keep the traffic in check…on their own time.
Then things slowed down, and Al Terrell died. I knew that November of 2016 that he knew something was not right with his health but he didn’t speak about it. And then shortly after Christmas that year, Al contacted me and said he wanted me to promise not to ever give up on Ebenezer. He was insistent, and that was not his way. Then one day in January, 2017 when I was sitting in my living room talking with my friend Tom Casey, my phone rang. It was Kimberly Boddy, a wonderful woman I have since lost touch with, but who at the time had helped with research because of other research she was doing.
And Kimberly has a really cool Chester County heritage as she is the granddaughter of the late Lee Carter, who was a self-taught Chester County artist who also had what I think was called the Road To Freedom Museum at one time. The Daily Local wrote about an exhibit of Lee Carter’s paintings in Coatesville in 2015.
I still remember sitting in my living room and saying to Tom, “I can’t believe it. Al can’t be gone.”
Al and I had been talking about trying to get someone with special radar equipment into the graveyard to properly map the graves once and for all those last times we spoke. Ground Penetrating Radar.
I still miss Al. And Ann.
Al in November, 2016 saluting our soldier, Joshua.
Things kind of slowed for a while until new blood and energy on the historic commission reinvigorated them as well as real interest from the supervisors in East Whiteland. Now I will freely admit it has been touch and go with the East Whiteland Historic Commission and me for years. Some people like me, some merely tolerate me, and a couple I have felt quite clearly dislike what they perceive as my interference on their patch so to speak. Then Pastor April Martin and AME historian Bertha Jackmon also had more time for Ebenezer, and now here we are. A historic marker and money for the ruin stabilization. This is a God is Good thing. I spent a lot of years feeling quite despondent about this site, until things started to happen.
I will note that to date I have never ever had a reply to any of the many emails (and some phone calls) sent over time to Philadelphia Mother Bethel’s Mark Kelly Tyler. Shame on him because before Mother Bethel, as one of his callings was Bethel AME in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He has talked a good game in interviews with the Inquirer, etc., but he has apparently never thought humble Ebenezer AME at 97 Bacton Hill Road in Frazer was important enough in spite of the inextricable and irrefutable links to Mother Bethel? Pity. But hey, he’s got his plum now as a newly elected officer of some importance in the AME Church as per the Inquirer this August and allow me to quote with some feeling of irony:
The Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler, pastor of Mother Bethel AME Church in Society Hill, was elected as an officer of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC) at its General Conference this week in Columbus, Ohio.
He was elected to become one of nine general officers: executive director of the Department of Research and Scholarship and historiographer of the AME Church, which has its headquarters in Nashville.
The election took place on Monday. The Tennessee Tribune posted the results, noting that six new bishops and nine general officers were elected. (There are at least 20 bishops in charge of geographical districts.)
“As I step into the role of historiographer / executive director of the Department of Research & Scholarship of the global AME Church, I find this moment to be bittersweet,” Tyler wrote in a text from Ohio Wednesday afternoon….In an interview earlier this month, Tyler said the new position would require him to resign as pastor at Mother Bethel AME, at 419 S. Sixth St., where he was appointed the church’s 52nd pastor in 2008.
He said he would remain at Mother Bethel for at least two to three months until a new pastor is appointed by the church leadership.
In his new role, he will have two offices, one in Philadelphia and one in Nashville…Tyler said he has always loved history, and he hopes to create a major documentary film about the church, possibly with PBS.
Gosh Rev. Tyler, history? Imagine that. So, a reminder that some of the earliest history of your church is here in East Whiteland Township at 97 Bacton Hill Road in Frazer, as well as elsewhere in Chester County. Maybe now you will have time for those emails? Return phone calls? Sadly I have my doubts, but hey, that’s on you. (And yes I am being deliberately pissy and unapologetically so.)
Photo I took years ago at Schiffer Farm on Morstein Road.
When I first moved to Chester County, one of my early favorite roads was Morstein Road from West King Road until Waterford Road. To me it was just so pretty. Houses on generous lots, and a big farm with horses swishing their tails. The Schiffer farm. But anything pretty and bucolic here seems to attract predatory developers.
If you live in the vicinity of the Schiffer farm, you have held your breath for years as various nearby parcels fell to developers. Like what was 1536 Morstein. A pretty little farmette. Just a few acres. Now McMansions on Red Barn Lane. First it was sold. Then the trees came down and the lot was wiped clean. Parcels over on Hershey’s Mill Road nearby as well.
The houses are predictable and these people have like NO trees. No real gardens. How do you live like that?
However, the problem is, places like the Schiffer farm is simply a lot of salivating acreage. To a developer that is dollar sign after dollar sign. That is a cram as much in as possible take the money and run and we as residents of anywhere are left holding the bag. Higher school taxes, higher everything (infrastructure including the human variety of township/EMT/police costs.)
When we all heard that Nancy Schiffer was donating her farm on Morstein as in the entirety of it to the West Chester University Foundation, we were filled with dread. Common sense dictates they wouldn’t keep the land, but would sell it. And sure enough as this land transfer started to happen and developer began sniffing around on about 20 random acres that we mostly in West Whiteland and partially in East Goshen. I wrote about that a few times.
Then we heard something almost miraculous: East Whiteland Township was interested in a nice chunk of acres acres of Schiffer Farm for OPEN SPACE. That would mean a beloved Viet Nam vet and his wife would not have their beautiful 18th century farmette surrounded by development among other things. So some sort of agreement was reached with Nancy Schiffer. Land was donated to West Chester University Foundation with an agreement for East Whiteland to acquire acres.
At first East Whiteland thought their sewer sale proceeds would be the key to purchase. Then the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) filed their litigation against PUC to undo sewer sales to AQUA. East Whiteland Board of Supervisors was disappointed and the board said that the ruling would delay local initiatives and increase sewer rates. One of the local initiatives was this land purchase, sadly. This case is at present tied up in the PA Supreme Court, as a quasi related aside.
So now East Whiteland had to seek alternatives so as not to give up on the idea of some very unique and truly beautiful open space being lost to more plastic mushroom development. In May, Chester County Commissioners awarded East Whiteland a grant of $870,000 towards this goal (see Chester County press release dated May 27, 2024. I think there was another grant but I lost the reference.) But because the sewer sale proceeds are in limbo because of the court case, comes the referendum.
Now cue the referendum on the ballot in East Whiteland, November 5th. It’s for like 30.5 some acres (I might be slightly under, not sure.) The grants and other things will go towards the remaining acreage. The end goal is 50+ acres.
My ballot. I just voted yes proudly.
This referendum seems to be like some giant surprise to people and the misinformation being spread around is staggering. People can’t have it both ways. The can’t constantly bitch about municipalities not doing anything to preserve open space and up comes a once in our lifetimes opportunity and the great uninformed wish to throw the baby out with the bathwater and they make these sweeping pronouncements without doing one iota of research. It’s maddening.
In 2018, the Township began work on a Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan to guide efforts for creating an enhanced system of recreation and open space facilities throughout the Township. The Plan, which was adopted in 2022, contains a Chapter specifically dedicated to Open Space Preservation (see Chapter 4 beginning on page 33). In addition to encouraging the pursuit of the remaining open space opportunities, the Plan recommends that the Township consider a dedicated source of funding to acquire and maintain open space through the adoption of an Open Space Tax (OST).
Process:
On May 8, 2024, the Board of Supervisors held a public hearing to consider an ordinance which would authorize an OST Referendum to be placed on the ballot for the upcoming General Election on November 5, 2024. Following the hearing, the Board of Supervisors approved the ordinance, thereby placing the referendum in a position to included on the ballot.
The referendum would allow individual constituents to vote directly on the question of whether to adopt a “blended” tax increase to both the Earned Income Tax (EIT) and the Township’s portion of the Real Estate Tax (RET) – also known as “property tax.” These funds would then be used to finance the acquisition of properties, ensure long-term maintenance, and cover costs associated with an open space program. The referendum will pose the following question:
“Do you favor the imposition of a tax on the earned income of Township Residents at a rate not to exceed five one-hundredths (5/100th) of one percent (.05%) and an increase in the real property tax at a rate not to exceed 0.45 mills ($0.45 per $1,000 assessed valuation) for the purpose of preserving natural resources, maintaining wildlife habitat, protecting environmentally sensitive areas, and providing recreational lands by the Township of East Whiteland to be used to retire indebtedness incurred in purchasing interests in or acquisition of real property for natural resource protection, open space preservation, and public recreation?”
Stated another way, if the referendum passes, the local Earned Income Tax rate would increase from .75% to .80% and the Township Real Estate Tax rate would increase from .445 mills to .895 mills.
Reports from County and Regional Planning Agencies:
Return on Environment: The Economic Value of Protected Open Space in Chester County, PA (Chester County Planning Commission, 2019)
Webpage (see tabs for Property Value Impacts, Environmental Benefits, Recreation and Health, Economic Activity, Community Const Savings, and Case Studies)
If you have any questions about the OST Referendum, please contact Catherine Ricardo, Assistant Township Manager for East Whiteland Township. Catherine can be reached by phone at 610-897-4280 or by email at cricardo@eastwhiteland.org
Again, for the back of the room: The money raised would also go to existing open space and into a fund for other purchases. It would go to maintenance and improvements on parks and open space already owned. It would allow for a municipal bond offering capability and muni bonds sell in part on their “story” which is open space preservation, which would sell well. And East Whiteland is not buying the entire farm, that is fake news, literally. This referendum is far less expensive than some other Chester County municipalities, and the bottom line is it would be far less long term than if a developer builds because that affects taxes vis a vis infrastructure costs, school districts being over burdened etc.
It’s pretty simple: East Whiteland is trying to do something proactive. Everyone complains they don’t do enough. Can’t have it both ways. Go ahead vote no. It means instant development which costs us more in the end on so many levels. It’s a .445 to a .895 increase. The median appraised value of homes in East Whiteland is still around $200K so that would mean around $90.00 a year. The wording for both the notice and the explanation is based upon some PA law. This would also mean improvements on existing parks and open space and improvement. It would mean a fund that was dedicated to these open space things, a dedicated and distinct fund to allow East Whiteland to compete sometimes in the race for preservation against developers.
If people vote NO it means instant development, more infrastructure stresses, and in the end higher school taxes to keep up with development. You can be pennywise or pound foolish, not both. This is de minimis.
Allow me to share the words verbatim from a gentleman named Tim Phelps who resides in East Whiteland:
Supporting East Whiteland’s Open Space Tax Referendum: A Smart Growth Strategy for a Sustainable Future
On November 5, 2024, East Whiteland Township residents will have the opportunity to decide on the future of their community by voting on the Open Space Tax (OST) referendum. This critical measure will provide much-needed funds to preserve the township’s last remaining parcels of open land for future parks, conservation efforts, and community recreation spaces. By adopting the OST, East Whiteland will secure its place as a leader in sustainable growth while protecting the natural environment that contributes to the quality of life for all its residents.
Why the Open Space Tax Matters East Whiteland has grown into a regional corporate hub, attracting businesses and residents alike with its balanced approach to development and green space preservation. However, with neighboring municipalities starting to adopt their own Earned Income Tax (EIT) structures, East Whiteland could see an impact on its EIT income, which funds much of the township’s operations. A dedicated OST fund would not only help offset these financial pressures but also enable the township to continue investing in green spaces and natural resource preservation, ensuring the long-term health and attractiveness of the area.
The OST referendum proposes a slight increase in both the EIT and the township’s Real Estate Tax (RET). This blended tax will create a sustainable revenue stream, enabling East Whiteland to acquire additional open space properties and ensure they are maintained for future generations. These funds will be dedicated to purchasing land for natural resource protection, wildlife habitat preservation, and public recreation areas—key elements in the township’s Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Plan adopted in 2022.
Learning from Chester County’s Open Space Success Stories East Whiteland is not alone in recognizing the value of open space preservation. Several other communities in Chester County have successfully implemented similar OST programs, creating lasting benefits for their residents. For example, West Goshen Township used its open space fund to expand local parks and enhance conservation efforts, while East Bradford Township acquired critical lands for public use and natural habitat preservation. These townships have found that maintaining a balance between development and nature is essential to their long-term sustainability.
Chester County, according to data from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), is part of a region where open space investments yield significant economic, environmental, and social benefits. The DVRPC’s studies on open space value demonstrate that these preserved lands generate substantial returns through ecosystem services such as improved air and water quality, reduced stormwater management costs, and increased property values.
DVRPC data also highlights the importance of recreational spaces, which boost community health by providing residents with opportunities for physical activity and relaxation in natural surroundings.
Community Health and Social Benefits Beyond the environmental and economic benefits, the social and health advantages of preserving open spaces are undeniable. Access to parks and natural areas has been shown to improve mental health, reduce stress, and foster social cohesion. East Whiteland residents will benefit from additional green spaces that promote an active lifestyle, encourage outdoor recreation, and serve as gathering points for community events. Families will have more options for leisure activities, and future generations will inherit a township that values sustainability and environmental stewardship.
A Vote for Smart Growth and a Sustainable Future Supporting the OST referendum aligns with the principles of Smart Growth, which emphasize sustainable development while preserving natural resources. As development pressures increase, the township must act now to preserve its remaining open spaces. The OST provides a financial mechanism to do just that, ensuring that future generations can enjoy the benefits of well- maintained parks, protected wildlife habitats, and cleaner air and water.
In closing, East Whiteland residents should consider to vote in favor of the Open Space Tax referendum on November 5. This referendum is for the future—one that balances growth with environmental preservation, protects the township’s financial health, and creates a legacy of sustainability. By supporting this measure, East Whiteland has the opportunity to remain a thriving, vibrant community for generations to come. Let’s come together to protect what makes our township a special place to live, work, and play.
For more information about Open Space planning in the Delaware Valley, please visit DVRPC’s website at www.dvrpc.org/openspace/.
Tim Phelps Resident
You know what I see at Schiffer in part? I see a spot for community gardens, something people have asked about for years. Allotments and community gardens do build community. It’s a wonderful thing. This investment on the part of East Whiteland residents will reap dividends long after any of us walk the earth. THAT is a legacy worthy of this referendum.
Please don’t spread false information. If you have questions, the township and supervisors are HAPPY to talk to you. There are THREE supervisors to speak with, and they are all quite approachable. Here is where you go to find emails etc. if you don’t know them: https://www.eastwhiteland.org/214/Board-of-Supervisors
Look it’s a simple equation: a NO vote = instant development. This is a chance to do something worthy in the East Whiteland community. This is East Whiteland LISTENING to residents about preserving open space. VOTE YES!
My last word is if people do not see the forest for the trees here, there are in fact developers waiting to swoop in. These developers (multiple) would be happy to back end run to the West Chester University Foundation and run over East Whiteland. This land is as delectable as a big box of expensive chocolates. Also my opinion has not been particularly delightful when it comes to the West Chester University Foundation because well can you say there is NO emotional attachment to the land, they are just in it for the money honey?
This is actually something where you know for a fact where the money is going. It doesn’t matter if you are a Republican, Democrat, or a member of the Purple People Eater Party, this is something that benefits everyone.
PLEASE EAST WHITELAND RESIDENTS, VOTE YES ON THE REFERENDUM ON THE BALLOT NOVEMBER 5, 2024
Let’s git’ r’ done. Land is not free, and this won’t be available forever.
So hmmm…my opinion (which I am allowed) is this man is officially now the TikTok fall guy. Fall guy much Great Valley School District ? The TikTok principal of Great Valley Middle School took his orders like a good soldier, yes? So why is superintendent staying? I would be curious as to which parents were emailed because parents I know who always look at their email did not get an email they saw this on a social media page.
I feel sorry for this man. Perhaps it’s time for Superintendent Daniel Goffredo to actually go? He’s the top, effective leadership is supposed to start at the top but is it?
Allow me to quote some parents:
I did not receive an email either. Nor did the other mother of my children. And this is why I feel the way I do about these situations. I have to find everything out not from the source. And most of the time my kids know more than I do.
And
BS- there is no email to ‘parents’. I just checked all my folders. I have plenty other emails from them regarding the MS including one earlier today at 11:35 as a follow up to Friday’s incident. But nothing on the 19th, or 18th, or any other day with that information. What a great way to find out because someone else posts on FB….not!
I searched my primary inbox, spam, promotions, social and updates. All my folders, and there is nothing. Just the emails about Friday’s incident, and nothing from the district on the prior days post School Board meeting when they approved his retirement as a no-name employee number xxx (found in the agenda under personnel item 1e I think)… I suspected it that night. Now I know.
And
I didn’t see one. I agree. Fall guy.
And
I DID NOT receive the email that was supposedly sent to families on 9/19. Upon finding out the news tonight on Facebook(of course) in another group where other parents were sharing similar screenshots and saying this is also their first time learning about it, I went digging in my email thinking I missed something. Nope. I checked my primary folder, spam, promotions, social and updates folders. These are all my 5 folders. Nada. Zilch. No such email. None of the MS families who commented in other groups have received the email mentioned in dr Goffredo’s blurb. I had my suspicions during the latest SB meeting when one of the agenda items under Personnel was ‘Retirement Agreement Employee #827867, effective June 30, 2025’. The other staff members were all named in the agenda. Lack of communication, poor communication, conflicting information/communication, too vague and so on- these are just some of the continuous complains from the community when it comes to GVSD. You’d think they would double check that an email was indeed shared with families before posting that claim in an official statement. I won’t say I’m surprised- I’m most certainly not. Dr Souders wasn’t perfect- who is? But to see him go this way is sad.
Update about MS Leadership The Great Valley School District emailed teachers and families to provide an update about leadership at Great Valley Middle School. The email is below in its entirety. September 19, 2024 Dear GVSD Community, This email is sent to update you about leadership at Great Valley Middle School. Dr. Edward Souders will remain on leave for the remainder of the school year and will retire in June 2025. Consistent with our practice, we cannot provide any additional information as we are committed to honoring our employees’ right to privacy. Dr. Sharon Cohen will remain in the interim principal role at Great Valley Middle School and will be supported by Mr. Thomas Mulvey. We will conduct a principal search in an expeditious manner with the goal of naming a permanent principal as soon as possible. You can expect an additional announcement regarding the search in the near future. We are grateful to Dr. Souders for his many years of service to the Great Valley School District and wish him well in his retirement. Sincerely, Daniel Goffredo, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools
And Great Valley School District has person whose job it is to communicate. This is yet another failure to communicate in this school district, sadly. Maybe she should retire too?
Well Great Valley this sure is awkward isn’t it? Should the question actually be should Goffredo stay or should he go now?
