Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
History Quarterly Digital Archives

Source: January 1979 Volume 17 Number 1, Pages 23–23

Notes and Comments

• Waynesborough Archaeological Survey Sought
• County-wide Inventory of Historic Sites Underway

Page 23

Waynesborough Archaeological Survey Sought

Prior to any new development on land adjoining Waynesborough, George Willman, a restoration architect, has recommended that an archaeolo­gical survey be made, especially in the area just across the stream from Wayne's birthplace.

Willman has suggested that the tannery, the exact location of which has never been established, might have been in this general area, with the added possibility that some of the soaking pits, if not the sheltered area of the tannery itself, might well have been located along the stream. "Generally," he reported, "there were open shelters, because tanneries were a pretty smelly operation. That's why Dock creek canal in Philadelphia was covered up. Early sketches of Waynesborough show an artificial canal feeding down ... in counter direction to the stream... It probably forked into the stream up behind the house. The canal would have run fresh water. The stream, coming down from the tannery, probably wasn't very good water."

Acting on the recommendation, the Township Supervisors have asked Willman to develop a proposal for the study.

Page 24

County-wide Inventory of Historic Sites Underway

The County Board of Commissioners has designated the Chester County Historical Society as director of a county-wide inventory of historic sites, covering all of the county's 73 townships and boroughs. The study, which is expected to require three years, has been made possible by a U.S. Department of Interior grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, matched locally with an allocation from County Community Development Funds, organizational donations, and volunteer hours.

Although there will be some professional coordination, it was noted by Kurt Brandenburg, Executive Director of the Chester County Historical Society, that "the survey will rely most heavily on local volunteers".

For the survey, the county has been broken down into nine regions, with a regional coordinator assigned or to be assigned for each region. Tredyffrin and Easttown Townships, along with East Whiteland and Willistown Townships and the borough of Malvern, comprise Region II, for which the regional coordinator is yet to be appointed.

The results of the survey will be available to various planning bodies, with copies at the Historical Society and in Harrisburg. "In addition to providing credible planning data," Brandenburg has also pointed out, "the survey should stimulate community interest in historic resources, assist local historical commissions and societies in their program planning, dispense preservation information throughout the county, and strengthen avenues of communication among organizations with similar goals."

He described the study as a "first step in developing a positive approach to the protection of our heritage".