Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
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Source: July 1995 Volume 33 Number 3, Pages 125–128


Notes and Comments

Page 125

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St. Isaac Jogues Church Marks 25th Anniversary

On June 3rd this year St. Isaac Jogues Roman Catholic Church of Valley Forge commemorated its 25th anniversary. A highlight of the celebration was a Mass at the church, conducted by the Rev. Msgr. James T. McDonough, the regional vicar for Chester County, to which all present and past parisioners, including twenty former asistant priests of the parish, were invited.

The parish was formed on June 3, 1970 by the Rev. Thomas Lawlor, by decree of John Cardinal Krol, Archbishop of Philadelphia, with its membership drawn from St. Monica in Berwyn, St. Norbert in Paoli, St. Anne in Phoenixville, and St. Teresa of Avila, Port Kennedy. In a spirit of ecumenism, in its early months the members met first at St. Matthews Methodist Church on Walker Road, and then at the now Valley Forge Middle School, until their own church building was built at the corner of Walker and Valley Forge roads in Devon.

The congregation held its first services in its new home on Christmas Eve in 1971.

Less than three years later, in October of 1974, after reading Paul's words to Timothy, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith", Fr. Lawlor collapsed to his death. He was succeeded by the Rev. Msgr. Hugh Nolan, who had been chairman of the theology department at Immaculata College for the previous twenty years.

Page 126

It was during the Rev. Msgr. Nolan's pastorate that the parish experienced its greatest growth as Chesterbrook developed nearby and many new families moved into the area. He continued as pastor until his retirement in 1989. (He passed away this past February.)

He, in turn, was followed by the Rev. Msgr. Joseph C. Cunningham, now in his seventh year with the parish.

In conjunction with the silver anniversary, a 72-page parish history is being developed by a group of parisioners. It will include not only pictures and stories of the parish in its early days, but also the story of the Jesuit martyr St. Isaac Jogues from whom the parish took its name.

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New Township Municipal Complex Dedicated

More than 900 persons were present on May 11th when Tredyffrin Township's new municipal building complex on DuPortail road was officially dedicated. Taking part in the ribbon-cutting ceremonies were Governor Tom Ridge, State Representative Carole Rubley, all three Chester County Commissioners and other state and county officers, as well as a number of local government officials from Tredyffrin and neighboring townships.

"This structure," Governor Ridge told those present, "reflects the community's leadership, its dedication to excellence, and the commitment of the people who serve you."

The 45,000 square-foot complex, which cost $7,000,000 to build, includes an administration building and a public works complex. The administration building not only provides offices for the township's administrative personnel and "state-of-the-art" facilities and equipment for the police department, but also a large multi-purpose meeting room capable of accommodating approximately 100 people, three smaller conference rooms, a central archives room for the storage of the township's records, and a cafeteria.

Page 127

The public works compound comprises two garages, one heated and one not heated, and a shed for the storage of salt and sand. Parking space at the complex is available for 174 cars.

The architect for the project was the Vilei la Group, Inc.

All residents and taxpayers of the township were invited to an Open House on June 10th to inspect the new facility and meet and talk with members of the Board of Supervisors, township administration, public works department police department, and members of both the Berwyn and Paoli fire departments, which also had some of their equipment on exhibit. On the occasion, John Shirmak, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, again noted, "While there are still some finishing touches to be completed outside and inside the building, the people who serve you are now in a facility which reflects the community they serve today."

The new, more centrally-located complex replaces the municipal building on Old Lancaster Road in Berwyn, enlarged three times since its original construction in 1941 but still over-crowded and without space for further expansion. When it was built, the population of Tredyffrin Township was about 6260, less than a quarter of the total 27,840 in the township fifty years later.

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The Linton Homestead

In mid-May we received a note from Barbara Craver, who lives in Glassboro, New Jersey. She had visited our area earlier in the month in search of the home of her grandfather, Samuel Linton, which we were able to locate for her in a 1933 atlas.

"Thank you so much," she wrote, "for your help in finding the Latch-Linton property. We indeed found it with no difficulty and spent such a wonderful afternoon with the owner, Gretchen Buehler. She showed us through the house and garden and explained that her mother had spent a lot of time researching the house and the Lintons. She had compiled quite a lot of information about it before she died. Gretchen is about to put the house up for sale as it is in dire need of repair and renovation. She seems eager to have someone else live there who will take an interest in the history of the home and its owners. Thank you again for your assistance."

Page 128

The property is located at the southeast corner of Old Lancaster Road and Old Valley Forge Road in Devon, kitty-cornered to the east from the old Lamb Tavern, now known as "Roughwood". According to Bob Ward, the grey stone house is one of the oldest houses still standing in Devon.

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New Logo for Tredyffrin : Part 2

In our January issue we noted that the Tredyffrin Board of Supervisors had invited artists and residents to enter a contest for the design of a new logo or seal for the township. In response, eighteen artists submitted more than thirty designs.

The winning entry was the work of Trevor Reed, of Coatesville, a 24-year old student majoring in design at West Chester University. His design, shown below, features the Knox covered bridge across the Valley Creek at Valley Forge, one of the better known historic landmarks in the township.

 
 

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