Joseph Trimble originally purchased the land in 1782 from William Trimble, and was living in a 40 x 20 foot two-story stone house by 1798. The present house was built c. 1848 for Jesse Palmer. Palmer purchased 126 acres and the original stone house in 1843. Palmer likely tore down the original 40 x 20-foot house and used the stone to make the current home. It is also believed that he incorporated the original stone kitchen into the south side of the present house. Jesse Palmer was a farmer and owned over 100 acres of cultivated land. The property also consisted of a two-story barn with a wagon house and stabling for 40 heads of cattle, a smokehouse, a hog house, a stone springhouse, and various sheds. Jesse Palmer hired an apprentice farmer, Daniel Green, who ran away from the farm in 1848 at age 16 and advertised a six cents reward for his return.
Alexander Scott purchased the home in 1856 and stayed with the Scott Family well into the 20th century. Alexander Scott owned and operated the thriving Alexander Scott & Son lumber and coal yard in Ward Village with his son Norris J. Scott. The Scotts were Quakers and staunch advocates against slavery. Norris J. Scott operated a haven out of his home for the Underground Railroad.
Scotland Farm is an example of a typical mid-19th century farmhouse in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The earliest known picture of Scotland Farm appears in Ashmead’s History of Delaware County, published in 1884. An illustration of the Alexander Scott & Son mill complex can also be seen in Ashmead’s History of Delaware County. The property backs up to the Newlin Grist Mill park, overlooking Ward Creek and Valley. The house received extensive restoration in the 20th century by E. Mortimer Newlin and his wife, who founded the Newlin Foundation, which oversees the Newlin Grist Mill property.
This house is a private residence and is not open to the public.
Concord Township Historic Resource #148
