Elam

The historic buildings in Elam represent architecture spanning from the early 1720s through the 1880s, and are important to the industrial and religious history of Concord Township. The earliest buildings in Elam were private residences to longstanding Concord Township families: the Palmers, Thatchers, and Hannums. Later historical residents such as the Charles Smith House (c. 1850) represent Victorian-era farmhouses, and still stands today. The Smith family was integral to both Elam Village history and Concord Township history as a whole, and are the namesakes behind Smithbridge Road. James Smith built the Drove Tavern in 1818 near the intersection of Smithbridge Road and Route 202. The Drove Tavern grew to include an inn that operated until the late 1800s.

Elam Village established their own post office in 1864 at the corner of Smithbridge Road and Route 202, with Marshall P. Wilkinson as postmaster, and operated until 1902. According to the 1897 Elam Directory, the village was bustling with business people and tradesmen such as paperhangers, insurance agents, butchers, carpenters, barbers, blacksmiths, stonemasons, general store owners, shoemakers, postmaster, physicians, dentists, and even a veterinarian.

Elam Village also holds religious significance in Concord Township. After the establishment and boom of the Brandywine Camp Summit in the Johnson’s Corner-Beaver Valley area in the 1860s, Elam Methodist Church was established in 1882. The original church was built using stone quarried from the adjoining husband farm. The church solidified itself into the religious fabric of Concord Township, and is still active today.

Currently, Elam Village is home to modern housing developments, retail businesses, and township park space. The historic buildings are primarily private residences.

Approx. 11 Historic Inventory Resources remaining.