Pocopson Township
Chester County, Pennsylvania
 

Meetings held on:
2nd Wednesday at 7:30

Meeting Minutes:

March 12, 2008 meeting was cancelled
• February 13, 2008
• January 9, 2008

Historic Committee News:

The Pocopson Township Historical Committee (PTHC) is renovating the Locust Grove Schoolhouse for the benefit of residents of the Township and surrounding Townships.  Rehabilitation of this historic structure, and its preservation, will provide myriad benefits to these communities:

• Assist school children in the Unionville-Chadds Ford and neighboring school districts in understanding the importance of the history of one room school houses
• Reinforce Village Atmosphere of Locust Grove which is currently being threatened by development, and the General Pocopson Township Ambiance
• Promote Preservation of Historical Sites within the Township
• Expand Current Open Space at Pocopson Park
• Provide a Location for Civic and Governmental Meetings
• Regentrification of a Currently Uninhabitable Building
• Provide a Link to the Past

Locust Grove Schoolhouse has been a fixture in our community since 1865, providing education to the children of the Township for over fifty years, and symbolizes the importance of public education in the development of Chester County. 

PTHC is concerned that future owners may alter or destroy or further degrade the historic integrity of this structure.  This concern is shared by an increasing number of neighboring communities facing development pressures and loss of historic structures.  With this loss of buildings, unfortunately can come community sterility.  Preservation and use of historic sites such as the Locust Grove Schoolhouse can balance the impact of new development.

There are a limited number of opportunities for local government to be involved with historic preservation.  The modest cost of the Locust Grove Schoolhouse, and the willingness of the current owner to participate in this project, makes it unique.  On behalf of the Historical Committee, in the summer of 2004, the Township purchased the Schoolhouse in order to preserve its uniqueness

The Schoolhouse is currently in poor condition and our intent is to restore it as soon as necessary funds are received. The goal of the current project is for PTHC to restore the Locust Grove Schoolhouse on behalf of Pocopson Township through private, state, and Federal funding by 2009.

PTHC in conjunction with the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District has developed a school curriculum to help teachers show children what it was like to learn in a one room school house in Chester County.  We have used the Pennsylvania Department of Education Academic Standards for History for Grade 3 and the recently revised Unionville-Chadds Ford Social Studies Curriculum Grades K-12 as our guides.   The goal is to have the Locust Grove School House to be restored to be available for field trips to assist with this curriculum.  The time period that will be depict in our curriculum and in our restoration is the 1890’s.

The Schoolhouse will also serve as a permanent exhibit of Township historic artifacts and host community programs such as school tours and day-in-the life exhibits.  Also, the schoolhouse will serve as much needed meeting space for Township Committee Meetings and Community Organizations.

We have discovered a lot of information, including photographs, that we intend to share with the Community about our schoolhouse.  We have original teacher contracts, teacher and enrollment lists and minutes from school board meetings.  We also have copies of invoices from the construction of the building.  One of our most famous citizens, Christian Sanderson, was a teacher at the school.

This year, we have added a new cedar roof and bell tower to the schoolhouse with private funding from the Fair Play Foundation. 

Our construction budget for the remaining renovations is $210,000.

For more information or to make a contribution, please contact the Township Office.

To read excerpts from historic diaries of Pocopson residents click below:

Jennie Sellers

Edward Marshall