Mathias Kerlin — Thomas Hatton — P.E. Sharpless House
This stucco over brick house was originally built c. 1713 by Mathias Kerlin on the western end of the 1682 George Thompson 200 acre land grant. Additions were added to the property in 1787 and 1905. Mathias Kerlin was a tavern owner and one of the earliest settlers in Concord Township. He obtained a tavern license in 1722, and operated his tavern near the intersection of Concord Road and Featherbed Lane. The Hannum Family owned the property and farm from 1761 to 1787, and then again in 1855. The Hatton Family owned the property from 1787 to 1813. The Hatton Family are early settlers in Concord Township and owned several farms. The west end of the land tract contained a branch of Green’s Creek, and they operated a small cotton mill on this farm in the early 1800s. The Johnson and Thomas families owned the property in the later 1800s. The Sharpless Family owned the property from 1893 to 1906. Pennock E. Sharpless gutted the house during his ownership. He removed all corner fireplaces, and added a large pegged barn to the property in 1905 as a supplemental building for his creamery business. The previous barn burned down, and Mr. Sharpless hired Amish builders to construct the new pegged barn. The P.E. Sharpless Company operated a creamery in Ward that produced cream cheese, and was later sold to Kraft in 1924. The Merion Family purchased the property in 1906 from P.E. Sharpless, owned it until 1963 when the Cambridge Downs development was built. This property is a private residence and not open to the public. Concord Township Historic Resource #70
Moses Palmer — William Hannum House
The Moses Palmer — William Hannum house was built c. 1775 by Moses Palmer on the 200 acre John Hubbert-William Oborne land tract. Moses Palmer owned 86 acres of land that was bisected by Concord Road, and built the house on the east side of the road. He farmed 50 acres of land across the street on the west side of Concord Road. The property stayed within the Palmer family until 1844 when William Hannum III purchased it. The Delaware County Republican described the property in 1844 as containing the mansion house, two large barns, tenant houses, two spring houses, “over excellent” springs of water, two thriving apple orchards and one peach orchard. Hannum added the front mansard roof section. The property stayed within the Hannum family until the 1930s. Memoirs from Anna P. Hannum, William P. Hannum, and Joshua Eyre Hannum contain stories of time spent at the farm. The Hannums referred to the farm as “Overfield.” The Peters and McClaskey families owned the farm subsequently. This property is a private residence and not open to the public. Concord Township Historic Resource #95
John Hart House
The John Hart House is a frame Victorian home in Ward Village built c. 1890 for John H. Hart. It is made up of a fieldstone foundation, and originally had a fishscale slate and tin roof. The property at one time contained mushroom houses, a corn crib, and shed. The property still contains some original flooring and beams. John Hart was a blacksmith, and conducted business in the Ward mill complex in the late 1800s. He employed one person for 10 hours a day for only 50 days a year. He produced $1,000 worth of goods a year in 1880. He was one of only five blacksmiths in Concord Township in the late 1800s. The house was owned by the Fiore and Zaber families in the later 1900s. This house is a private residence and not open to the public. Concord Township Historic Resource #104
Brinton J. Heyburn House
This property was originally a barn built c. 1870 by Brinton J. Heyburn that was converted into a house in 1985 by the Hartle Family. James B. Miller purchased 111 acres from Susannah Harper in 1817, and then passed the property on to John Miller in 1843. By 1870, Brinton J. Heyburn owned the property after marrying a Miller daughter. Heyborn built the existing barn structure on the property around this time. J. Willard Brinton owned the property in the 1940s. The property was subdivided after this time, and the barn portion of the property was sold to the Hartle Family in 1981. Brinton J. Heyburn was a veteran of the American Civil War as part of Company D in the 124th Regiment. He served alongside many other residents of Concord Township in this Company, and was mentioned in John Palmer’s letters to his family when Heyburn and Palmer were stationed in Harper’s Ferry during the war. He writes: “There are many graves around us. L. Martin, Wm. & B. Heyburn are on the next spot to where I am stationed. There are in a more unpleasant place. They are right among the graves which are very shallow” (James B. Stabler, ed., “Thy Affectionate Son…”: A Collection of Letters of Three Brothers: John Palmer, William T. Palmer, and Edward L. Palmer from the 1860s, 1993, pp. 15-16). This property is a private residence and not open to the public. Concord Township Historic Resource #93