Thomas McCall – Reese Pyle House
The McCall – Pyle House was built c. 1814 by Thomas McCall with an addition built in 1890. The house sits on an original 500 acre land grant to Dennis Rockford from his father in law Thomas Herriot. Herriot died at sea in 1682 while aboard William Penn’s ship. Thomas McCall purchased 17 1/4 acres from John Bale, and built the front portion of the current house. Reese Pyle purchased the property in 1831. Pyle increased his landholdings to 65 acres. The property stayed in the Pyle family until 1934. Mrs. Crawford Pyle, who owned the home from 1913 to 934, was strangely struck by lightening in 1921 while sitting in the home’s kitchen. She recovered from the event, but the house was slightly damaged. Ed and Susie Dowden purchased the home in 1973, and removed the exterior stucco in 1986. They also discovered a large, stone-lined ice house underneath the floor of the garage workshop. Also on the property is a barn, garage, and various outbuildings. This property is a private residence and not open to the public. Concord Township Historic Resource #86
Lewis Palmer House
The Lewis Palmer House, once known as “Wyndblough,” sits high on a hill on the eastern end of 100 acres originally purchased by Thomas Hall from George Strode in 1686. The stucco-over-stone house was built c. 1860 by Lewis Palmer, a descendant of the original Palmer family members that settled in Delaware County in 1685. Lewis Palmer was a farmer by trade, and applied progressive agricultural techniques on his farm. The Palmers were Quakers by faith, and were heavily invested in peace work and education. Lewis Palmer was a public school director for 6 years, and was responsible for the erection of many commodious school buildings within Concord Township. He was a charter member of the Delaware County Historical Society, member of the Delaware County Institute of Science, and director of the Famer’s Market of Chester. He was also responsible for publishing the Palmer-Trimble Genealogy, which included over 1,000 pages and 3,000 names at the time. The Lewis Palmer House and property was used as a farm for raising horses and dogs in later years, and now belongs to the Willcox Family. Concord Township Historic Resource #137
John Palmer – William Hannum House
The John Palmer – William Hannum House was built on land from an original 1688 grant from William Penn to John Palmer. John Palmer came to America from England as a “Redemptioner,” and had to pay for his passage through years of labor. The original building was constructed of fieldstone and plaster. The present-day family room contains the large cooking fireplace with the original crane. All of the floors on the first floor are original and made of oak. John Palmer passed the estate to his grandson, Moses Palmer, who enlarged the house in 1740. The house was acquired by William Hannum II in the 1800s, who further enlarged the house in 1840. A summer kitchen was added to this wing, complete with stone walls and 18 inch deep window sills. “Graffiti” from the Hannum Family in 1878 can be found on the walls of the 3rd floor. Also on the property is a building once used as a saddlery by the Palmers. It is also believed to have been a schoolhouse at one time. The original Palmer Barn was remodeled, and is now a private, separate home. Concord Township Historic Resource #97
No. 1 Schoolhouse
The No. 1 Schoolhouse at 816 Baltimore Pike in Concordville Village is a Greek Revival style schoolhouse, with 2-3 one-story additions in the rear. The school features a date stone in the center of the second story and reads “Concord Public School No. 1, 1874.” The schoolhouse also boasts a large, vented cupola at the top of the roof ridge facing Baltimore Pike. This schoolhouse was built in 1874. Before the construction of this building, all schools in the township were located on private properties. According to Henry Ashmead’s History of Delaware County, the first school board meetings about school construction began around 1860. Construction on the new school building did not commence until 1873, and E.O. Taylor was given the contract to build the school on a parcel of George Drayton’s land. By 1874, a two-story brick building was completed at $3,798.75 (approximately $105,000 today). This building replaced the former No. 1 schoolhouse on Spring Valley Road. In 1882, the No. 1 School had 39 out of 162 total students in the township. This was the largest amount of students over the five schools in the township. By 1876, the District Superintendent was required to visit every school monthly for half a day and report to the school board on the condition, order, and progress of each school. In 1882, William Gamble and Samuel Hill said to the school board that all schools in Concord Township were satisfactory, except for No. 1, due to a lack of “order.” However, the following April 1883 saw an improvement in the school. In 1869, Concord Township schools ran sessions beginning at 8:00 AM, an hour break at noon, and concluding at 5 PM. Twenty days constituted a school month, with teachers operating “in service” days every other Saturday. The Concord Union Lodge No. 1258, a temperance movement group, held their meetings on the second floor of the No.1 School beginning in 1877. They met every Monday night weekly and paid $20 to the school board for use of the building. The Concord Grange 1141 first met in the No.1 Schoolhouse at the turn of the 20th century before moving to Darlington Hall. In later years, the Ennis Oil & Burner Service owned and used the schoolhouse. Concord Township Historic Resource #160