Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
History Quarterly Digital Archives

Source: Summer 2005 Volume 42 Number 3, Page 74

FROM THE EDITOR

Page 74

Historical atlases and maps were used extensively in the research for all the articles in this issue of the Quarterly. They are a very good way to trace ownership of a property over time and with the Howellville quarries seven different atlases, published between 1873 and 1963, were useful in also showing the rise and fall of the various individual quarrying operations. Aerial photographs are also important because they can help identify the scale and locations of historic sites. There are 3 of them with the Howellville article. The stone crusher aerial panoramic photographs give a sense of the overall size of the Dyer operation. The Blue Stone Farm racing oval could only be identified from the air and the oval could then be precisely located in the 1963 Franklin Survey atlas. The present-day elusive locations of all the previous Howellville quarries were verified with a digital aerial image, reproduced on the back cover, from the Chester County Geographic Information Systems Department.

Verifying ownership through time of the individual Vassar Show Houses is another example of the use of historical atlases and maps. If you wanted to find your way in locating all 8 of them now you would probably need to consult a modern street atlas. The research on LeBoutillier Road cites the use of the 1912 Mueller atlas, an atlas we frequently use in illustrating the Quarterly.

The report of the society field trip to Franklin Maps, a producer of Chester County atlases since 1933, in King of Prussia gives extensive background on how the early atlases were made and used. It ends with a resource list of 21 different local historical atlases published between 1873 and 1969.

Please address all comments and questions about the Quarterly to the Editor, Joyce A. Post, 244 Vincent Road, Paoli, PA 19301

Please join us. Our September 18th meeting features a living history presentation by William Kashatus, educator-historian. This meeting is at 2 PM at the Easttown Library & Information Center, 720 First Avenue, Berwyn. Our October 16th meeting is a field trip to St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley. For further information about meetings contact the President or the Program Chairman.

Authors retain copyright of their contributions.
The Club does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of the information in the articles.

TREDYFFRIN EASTTOWN HISTORY QUARTERLY
Volume 42, Number 3 – Summer 2005

FRONT COVER: Promotional card from Vassar Show House designers Maurice E. Weintraub, architect and Eileen Devine of Devine Designs, Inc.

BACK COVER: The four lakes remaining from the major former quarries in Howellville can all be seen in this 2005 digital image of a Spring 2000 aerial photograph of the Howellville area from the Chester County Geographic Information Systems. North is at the top. Route 202 cuts across the top of the image from left to right. The 2 dark areas in the middle of the south side of Route 202 are the remaining lakes from the 2 Johnson quarries on each side of the old Chester Valley Railroad right-of-way. The dark area in the middle of the left edge is the small lake surrounded by the homes of Daylesford Lake all on the site of the former Dyer/Lavino quarry. The smallest lake, from the former Rennyson quarry, is a little harder to spot. It is on the south side of the curve of Cassatt Road towards the right margin. Courtesy Chester County Geographic Information Systems.