A view of Rose Valley Rd. about 1909, The exact location is unknown, This picture was taken during "rush" hour.
NOTE: Rose Valley was run quite different 100 years ago. See the article below. The boro wanted to stay and look pre 1910. No sidewalks or paved streets etc. in spite of the many rich people who lived there back then. The boro is not the smallest U.S. Boro not even close. Rutledge in Delco is much smaller. The area in the late 19th century was known as "Rogue's Valley" because of the many mills that had failed. About 1900 the name was changed to "Rose Valley" to attract people.
CHESTER
TIMES
August 23, 1930
ROSE VALLEY, SMALLEST U.S. BOROUGH, COLLECT TAXES
The smallest borough in the United
States, where there is no public school; where property owners are forbidden to
lay sidewalks in front of their property; and where the borough council is
composed of very wealthy men, exists in this county.
Rose Valley, three miles from Chester,
with its population of 300, and its background of culture and art, is probably
one of the most unique, as well as one of the most beautiful settlements in
this State.
The colored chauffeur, of one of the
borough’s wealthiest residents, the latter burgess, is the constable and as
such represents the majesty of the law in the town. Stores are absolutely forbidden, paved streets
are banned, and for many years, the taxes collected have remained in a bank
unused.
This modern Utopia was founded as a
single tax colony in 1901 by William Price and Frank Stephens, but after
several years, a difference in opinion regarding the management of the colony
led to Stephens’ withdrawal. He later
went to Arden, Del., and there founded a single-tax colony and carried out his
own ideas.
Price, however remained, a colony of
painters, sculptors, and other devotees of the arts. Two abandoned mills, each almost 200 years
old, became the rendezvous for the Rose Valley Folks, as they call themselves,
and meetings, plays, and social gatherings were held nightly in the old stone
mills.
One day several years later, Jasper
Deeter, a well-known actor, passed through the quaint settlement, and was
struck by the beauty of one of the mills, and the idea of producing plays, with
artistic rather than mercenary success in view, became imbedded in his mind.
With $9 in his pocket and countless
ideas in his mind, Deeter started the Hedgerow Repertory Group, and in 1923 the
first plays were presented to an audience consisting mainly of Philadelphia art
lovers and residents of the Valley. The
company has continued successfully since that time, until today it is known
throughout the country, and has numbered Ann Harding, Emerson Tracy, Eva
LeGalliene, and Paul Robeson, amongst its players.
The theatre is perhaps the outstanding
feature of Rose Valley, today, and the colony has gradually grown up around it,
attracting numerous artists who now make the place their home.
In their efforts to retain the rustic
atmosphere, the borough council of Rose Valley banned sidewalks, businesses of
any description, and even paved streets.
There is no public school within the borough limits, the children
attending the Wallingford school. When
the residents wish to attend church they also have to leave the borough.
Arthur Rich, colored chauffeur for
Maurice Bower Saul, millionaire attorney and burgess of the borough, is constable
and the only law-enforcing officer in the borough. What Rich does when he makes an arrest is
problematical, for there is no magistrate to sentence his prisoner.
The residents emphatically state that
they have no wish to modernize the borough, wishing to retain the quiet
peaceful surroundings, which make the place one of the most unique of
Philadelphia’s suburbs.
DCHPN Monthly E-Newsletter |
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Thank you to all of our Veterans! Happy Thanksgiving! Lots of things happening this month Read the announcements below for important information |
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Please check the websites for updated information before attending and be safe! * Indicates a free event. Some events require pre-registration and close when full. The list includes events in the surrounding areas as well. If you have an event you would like on this list on future e-newsletters, please submit by the end of the month to dchpn_planning@yahoo.com. |
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*2nd Annual Veterans' Tribute at Greenlawn Cemetery Nov 12, 1:00 PM Greenlawn Cemetery- across from Haven, 2500 Concord Rd, Aston, PA 19014 We will be recognizing veterans of all wars as well as several other notable community members presently interred in Greenlawn. The 3rd Regiment of Colored Troops Reenactment group, Exhibits, a Buffalo Soldier presentation, refreshments, flags and more. Documentary on link. | | |
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*Eleanor and Franklin: A Unique Relationship Nov 15, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Helen Kate Furness Library, 100 N Providence Rd, Wallingford, PA 19086 We shall explore a distinctive, historic partnership that changed America and impacted the world. Out of private pain on both sides we shall discuss how Eleanor and Franklin complemented one another and created a different way of governing. Their impact resonates today in the role of government. | | |
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*Digitizing the Records of Philadelphia’s Historic Congregations Nov 16, 1:30 PM – 7:00 PM Athenaeum of Philadelphia, 219 S 6th St, Philadelphia, PA 19106 A five year project to digitize the records of some of Philadelphia’s most historic congregations concludes with a discussion about the more than 80,000 records placed online and nearly 12,000 of those transcribed. Virtual option. Reg. req'd. | | |
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*Lou Scheinfeld, author of Blades, Bands, and Ballers: How "Flash and Cash" Rescued the Flyers and Created Philadelphia Nov 16, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Winsor Room- Radnor Memorial Library, 114 W Wayne Ave, Wayne, PA 19087 Imagine Philly without its beloved Flyers and Spectrum. It almost happened! Until Lou Scheinfeld and Ed Snider, otherwise known as “Flash and Cash,” came together to help save the city from disaster. The book is a heartfelt memoir of an America now gone, a world of local spectacle and national pride | | |
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*Duffy's Cut Update: Tragedy on the Pennsylvania Railroad Nov 16, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Zoom- registration required Join author William Watson, as he discusses the history and archaeology at Duffy’s Cut and talks about the new spinoff site in Downingtown. He will also discuss the site in Spring City where Irish canal workers died under similar circumstances. | | |
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*Changes Over Time: Exploring the Landscape Nov 16, 7:00 PM Zoom- registration required Architectural and landscape historian Emily Cooperman will discuss her research for the Cliveden Cultural Landscape Project, a comprehensive study about the history of the landscape at Cliveden, occupied by the Chew family and their households as a country seat, 1763-1970. | | |
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*History at Work Nov 19, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Newlin Grist Mill, 219 Cheyney Rd, Glen Mills, PA 19342 Get a closer look at trades of the eighteenth century in Newlin’s “History at Work” series. in the Trimble House kitchen with Laura and special guest food historian Marc Meltonville, who is currently writing a book on Richard Briggs! | | |
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Frank Furness: Architect Of The Industrial Age - Beginning Modern at the right time In The Right Place Nov 20, 4:00 PM Grace Rotzel Ctr., School in Rose Valley, 20 School Ln, Rose Valley, PA 19063 James Tevebaugh, AIA, President, Friends of the Furness Railroad District, will discuss Frank Furness and his work for the railroad. Railroad development in the late 1800s provides an excellent description of the transition from Victorian to Modern design during the Industrial Era. $15-20 | | |
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