Rose Valley Road about 1910 during rush hour. The exact location is unknown. From an early postcard. Rose Valley Boro will be 100 years old this December.
Note: A 170 plus years ago Rose Valley was known as Rogues Valley,. The area had a number of mills in the area and many of the mills suffered from floods, fires, money problems etc. Locals gave it the name of Rogues Valley because of all the problems. Bishop William White, the first Episcopal Bishop of Penna. lived in the valley and did not like the name, He began to call the area, Rose Valley. In the early 1860" the Rose Valley Mill was founded and the name took off.
CHESTER TIMES
October 28, 1905
ROSE
VALLEY AND ITS PRETTY SCENES
Home of Artists and the Lovers of Nature and Her
Many Beauties
Quaint and Pretty Places
Rose
Valley today is a place of pilgrimage.
Not only does its fine scenery attract the stranger, but there are other
things of interest that draw the people by the scores to the pretty little
artists’ settlement in Nether Providence.
One of the foremost artists of the day, Alice Barber Stephens, has built
her own home here; a small hotel, quaint in its simplicity, has had a
successful season this last year; and several industries that require the most
skilled workmanship are slowly but surely gaining a place in this thriving
community. Rose Valley is talked about
so generally and has brought itself so prominently into public notice that a
brief history of the locality may be welcome to its many admirers.
The spot
was given its attractive name by Bishop White, who had the distinction of being
the first Episcopal Bishop to the state of Pennsylvania. The house where he lived is still standing
and has been occupied this last summer by the instructor in wood carving and
modeling at the Drexel Institute, Philadelphia.
The
ruins of the old mills, now covered with ivy, in all the glory of its autumn
tints, bespeak remarkable activity in the past century. Back in 1789 a snuff mill was built on the
banks of Ridley Creek at this locality and the product carried to Philadelphia
and sold there in tobacco stores. Thirty
years later we find it the scene of a strange industry. The old wheels are grinding medicine barks,
which were eagerly sought for as remedies for man’s ills until quinine
displaced their use.
In 1896
the factory took its place in the long line of paper mills, so many of which
have flourished and have been forgotten in our country in the last hundred
years. Not until 1861 do we find the spot in the scene of its greatest
activity. In that year Antrim Osborne
bought the buildings and rights to the water power, and, repairing the dam and
race, built a three-story stone building, 75x56 feet, and started the operation
of a textile industry.
In a
letter written at that time a description of the factory speaks of its having
1934 spindles, 60 looms, and three lots of cards. A few years later additions were erected;
another decade, and we find the place enlarged to more than double its capacity
in 1861. The products were woolen jeans
and doeskins.
DCHPN Monthly E-Newsletter |
|
|
Happy Black History Month! Happy Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, President's Day as well! Read the announcements below for important information |
|
|
*Thornbury Historical Society Open House Feb 05, 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM Thornbury Historical Society, 8 Township Dr, Cheyney, PA 19319 Join us for our first open house highlighting our new location! Light refreshments will be provided. Exciting items on display, talk to your THS Board Members | | |
|
|
*Public Vigil for St. Thomas Rectory Feb 05, 2:45 PM Historic St Thomas the Apostle Rectory, Valleybrook Rd, Glen Mills, PA 19342 Support Friends of Old St. Thomas in their efforts to save the 1874 Rectory from demolition. Sign the petition and come to the vigil in front of the rectory to show your support. | | |
|
|
*Jazz Vespers Feb 05, 5:00 PM Christ Church, 20 N American St, Philadelphia, PA 19106 A special Epiphany Vespers with Lucas Brown’s jazz trio and Parker Kitterman and the Christ Church Choir. One of people's favorite ways to experience the sounds, talent, and candlelight at Christ Church. All are welcome. | | |
|
|
*Troubled Waters: Disasters on the Delaware River and Beyond- a Virtual History Lecture Feb 06, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM Zoom- registration required This presentation shares the stories of vessels that met tragic ends on or near the Delaware River, as well as some ships with local connections that experienced strange and unexplained incidents at sea. By Jennifer Green | | |
|
|
*The Commanding Presence of George Washington Feb 06, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Swarthmore Public Library, 121 Park Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081 As befitting a military hero, George Washington cuts a formidable presence. A contemporary in the 1750s described him as "measuring six feet two inches in his stockings and weighing 175 pounds”. Join Historical lecturer Michael Jesberger for a discussion on George Washington. | | |
|
|
Speaker Series: Feeding Washington’s Army: The Valley Forge Winter of 1778 Feb 07, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Visitor Center at Valley Forge, 1400 N Outer Line Dr, King of Prussia, PA 19406 Feeding Washington’s Army is the first serious study of the Continental Army’s Grand Forage of 1778. Historian Ricardo A. Herrera uncovers the story behind the army’s fatal crisis and its largest and riskiest operation to sustain itself and prevent starvation or dispersal while encamped at VF.$10-25 | | |
|
|
*Reclaiming Black Spaces Feb 07, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM Zoom- registration required We highlight stories of how Black and African Americans shaped Lower Manhattan as they made homes, businesses, and communities here over centuries. Explore how their experiences were shaped by migration, how Black communities created a sense of home, and how they resisted the racism they faced. | | |
|
|
*China Travels: Part 1-Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Shanghai Feb 09, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM Winsor Room- Radnor Memorial Library, 114 W Wayne Ave, Wayne, PA 19087 In 2018 and 2019 world traveler/photographer Ranjan Mukherjee, PhD made two trips to China, traveling by plane, train and car, experienced their ancient culture, sampled excellent cuisine and visited centuries-old historic sites and jaw-dropping modern marvels. | | |
|
|
*Women in Penn's Woods: A History of Women in Pennsylvania Feb 09, 7:00 PM Aston Community Center, 3270 Concord Rd, Aston, PA 19014 Robyn Young, the "Marker Lady", will discuss her book and the 27 roadside markers for Pennsylvania women in history. There will also be a discussion on a marker for Mt. Hope Methodist Church in Aston. Doors 6:30, see new ATHS displays. | | |
|
|
*Bishop Richard Allen Feb 09, 7:00 PM Zoom- registration required Born a slave in Delaware, Allen would buy his freedom and migrate to Philadelphia, PA and in 1787 in response to racial injustice establish the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), the oldest denomination founded by people of color in the Western Hemisphere. | | |
|
|
My Dear Général- The Extraordinary Relationship between George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette Feb 09, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Gloria Dei (Old Swede's) Church, 916 S Swanson St, Philadelphia, PA 19147 Come discover the inside story of the remarkable father-and-son relationship that developed between the childless 45-year-old General George Washington and the 19-year-old French orphan Marquis de Lafayette. $10 includes drink ticket. Registration required | | |
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment