Alexander Scott & Son Mill Complex
The beloved Il Granaio restaurant in Ward Village, formerly Richards & Schrader, began as the Alexander Scott & Son mill complex in 1884. Alexander Scott and his son Norris Scott established a saw and grist mill along Concord Creek (also known as Ward Run), and later a built a lumber yard. In 1916, Taylor Richards and Gilbert Schrader purchased the property and kept the lumber yard, and added a coal yard and feed business. Lewis Schrader and Walter Schrader joined the firm, and bought Howard Brown’s lumber, coal, and feed business in Chester Heights and conducted business at both places under the name Richards & Schrader. The original building was destroyed by a devastating fire in 1936, but was rebuilt. The Richards & Schrader feed building was sold in the 1960s, and went through a variety of different businesses and ownerships until it became the present restaurant, Il Granaio. Concord Township Historic Resource #110
Newlin-Johnson House aka Nine Tun Tavern
The Newlin-Johnson House, also once known as the Nine Tun Tavern, was built on land purchased by Nathaniel Newlin from William Penn in 1682. Nathaniel Newlin III built a stone house on the corner of the Wilmington-West Chester Pike, formerly known as the King’s Highway, in 1732 that passed to Pennsylvania politician Nathaniel Newlin IV, who served in the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention, state assembly, and state senate. He converted the building into an inn for the nine tun wagons traveling down the pike. It served as a public inn from 1748-1776 as the Nine Tun Inn, and through the early 1800s as Newlin’s Tavern. The name “Nine Tun Tavern” is a reference to the massive wagons traveling along the highway carrying goods between Delaware and Pennsylvania. The tavern was purchased by the William Johnson family, the namesake for the historic area “Johnson’s Corner,” in 1832, who then closed the business and instead enlarged the house to become his home in 1840. William Johnson owned the largest farm in the Beaver Valley area, and represented the top quartile of wealth distribution in the township. It remained a private residence and farm until the 1950s. The building fell into disrepair, but underwent an extensive rehabilitation in the early 2000s. Several organizations used this building such as Delaware County’s Brandywine Conference and Visitors Bureau and the Mickey Vernon Sports History Museum, before becoming the present day offices for PA Representative Craig Williams. Concord Township Historic Resource #16
Robert Wilson House and General Store
The Robert Wilson House and general store is a stucco and brick 2 1/2 story house located within the Clayton Park historic area in Concord Township. Robert Wilson, a successful merchant, purchased 9 acres from Joseph and Sarah Way on January 28, 1732. Mr. Wilson operated a general store in the basement and main level of the house, and lived on the second floor. The basement of the property contained several arched brick storage chambers, and housed goods such as rum, cider, molasses, and sugar. The Wilson General Store was noted by Henry Ashmead that “all business transactions were conducted in an honorable and straightforward manner.” There was a neighboring general store owned by John and Simon Gest located only 300 feet away from the Wilson store, and the two were highly competitive. The 1766 valuation of both stores were around 200 pounds, with the Wilson store valued slightly higher than the Gest store. The property was sold to John Peters in 1766 after Wilson’s death, and it is noted that John Peters also purchased the inventory for the store, indicating he continued operation of the business. By 1799, Caleb Perkins purchased the property, and also likely continued operation of the store. This house is a private residence and not open to the public. Concord Township Historic Resource #91
Isaac Cornog General Store & Post Office
This modest stone and frame shingle building was built c. 1870 as a grocery store for Isaac Cornog along Baltimore Pike/Route 1. In 1898, when Isaac Cornog assumed the position of postmaster, the post office moved to his grocery store which sat to the east of the Concordville Inn. In the 1920s, the building then passed hands to the Robinson family, where Paul and Bessie Robinson owned and operated a grocery store and the post office. Bessie Robinson became postmaster in 1935, and served as postmaster for almost half a century. Presently, the building is used as a custom embroidery retail store. Concord Township Historic Inventory Resource # 167