Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
History Quarterly Digital Archives

Source: Winter 2006 Volume 43 Number 1, Page 39

Notes and Comments

Page 39

Church Dedicates New Sanctuary

With a post office address of Wayne, the locality of Valley Forge in its name, and overshadowed by the size of the adjacent Chesterbrook development, many persons fail to identify the United Church of Christ at Valley Forge, located at 45 Walker Road, with the local Tredyffrin community. The first worship service at what was then a new mission church took place on June 27, 1959 in a house, purchased for that purpose, at the corner of Walker and Valley Forge Roads. The denomination itself had just come into existence two years earlier with the merger of the Evangelical and Reformed Church—strong in Dutch country Pennsylvania—and the Congregational Christian Churches—strong in New England.

The growing congregation, led for the past 25 years by pastor Frank Pennington, celebrated the dedication of a new sanctuary ornamented with beautiful wood and glass on September 18, 2005. The sanctuary is part of a major building project that also added extra administrative and Christian education meeting space, a library, and playground space for youth of the church and preschool children in a weekday program conducted by Cabrini College.

Changing of the Guard in Tredyffrin

The November 8, 2005 contested general election, a rare event in Tredyffrin Township, brought new faces to the Board of Supervisors. For the first time in memory, Democrat candidates were victors. Mark DiFeliciantono won an at-large seat, while Paul Drucker won the Third District seat from Republican John Petersen, who had been appointed to the board a month earlier after Guy Ciarrocchi resigned. Republican Chairwoman, Judy DiFilippo retained her at-large seat for a fifth term, leaving Democrat challenger Keith Isleib and long time board member Republican Paul Olson trailing in the count.

On December 19 at his last board meeting, a large gathering of township citizens paid tribute to Mr. Olson, who was leaving the board after 30 years of service to the community. Supervisors closed the ceremony honoring Olson by presenting him with a painting by local artist Linda McNeil of the Knox covered bridge, the township's symbol.

Easttown Identifies Special Capital Projects

In connection with publishing its 2006 budget, the Easttown Board of Supervisors noted three unique projects requiring capital fund expenditures in the previous year. They were: (1 ) replacement of the Beaumont Road bridge over Darby Creek and reopening the road, closed by high water damage during the hurricane season of 2004, (2) work on Hilltop House—the mansion adjacent to the township municipal building—to make it ready for rental as a community center, and (3) costs associated with litigation arising from the resolution of problems with the library roof.

Requiem for a State Senator

Although not a local resident, State Senator Robert J. Thorrpson represented constituents in the 19th Senatorial District in Harrisburg. Sen. Thompson died unexpectedly at age 68 on January 28. 2006, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania of complications from pulmonary fibrosis, a disease he was diagnosed with last year. He served in the Pennsylvania State Senate for the last 10 years – the last five as chairman of the powerful appropriations committee.

One local newspaper editorialized, “Robert J. Thompson knew everybody and everybody knew him ... [He] touched many different lives in many different ways. The one constant was that he always seemed to change people's lives for the better.”