Bush Hill Farm
John Palmer purchased 100 acres in 1688, and went on to become Constable of Concord and played an important role in the development of the township. He and his descendants owned property throughout Concord and were prominent members of the Quaker community. Joseph Palmer, the great-great grandson of John Palmer, purchased 95 acres along the Concord-Bethel border from his father, Moses Palmer Jr., in 1789. He then sold 26 acres to his son Wilson Palmer, who was a weaver by trade. Wilson built a farmhouse on the property in 1834. However, he lost the property in 1844 at a Sheriff’s sale because of an outstanding debt. Charles Williams bought the property in 1846. Until Bethel Road was constructed c. 1875, the lane to this house came off Garnet Mine Road near the Joseph Palmer House. The Coburn and Pyle families farmed the land from the 1870s until 1944 when it was sold to a veterinarian. Much of the house was modernized after this sale. Concord Township purchased the 24 acre property in January 1999 to be kept as open space and to be used by the residents of Concord Township for park and recreation. The farmhouse unfortunately burned down in 2017. The springhouse and barn remain. The barn is presently used by Pepper’s Promise, a 501 (c)3 non-profit animal sanctuary for goats, sheep, and ponies. The name Bush Hill comes from the wooded area from Featherbed Lane to Garnet Mine Road which the Rose Tree hunt named when they would fox hunt in the area. It was this with underbrush, making good ground cover for foxes. This property is public open space, and includes walking trails, dog parks, and bucolic open fields. Concord Township Historic Resource #72
Pennell Peters House
The Pennell Peters House is a Southeastern Pennsylvania stucco and stone farmhouse built in 1833 for Pennell and Rebecca Peters. The house has features a later kitchen addition, but remained relatively unchanged throughout the years. George Lea received 200 acres from William Penn in 1704. The land was later sold to Nathaniel Newlin then back to Lea and then on to Ralph Eavenson. By 1739, Daniel Pyle purchased 130 acres of the original 200 and willed 13 acres in 1833 to his daughter Rebecca Peters, wife of Pennell Peters. Pennell and Rebecca built the existing house, and it remained in the Pyle Family until 1935. Richard and Patricia Mendenhall owned the property in the 1970s. Patricia was a longtime Concord Township resident, and thoroughbred horse trainer. This property is a private residence and not open to the public. Concord Township Historic Resource #62
William Willis – Basil Clare House
The house is on the east end of the 1683 William Bezer land grant of 300 acres. William Willis purchased 15 acres from Isaac Kimber in 1798. The original 2 1/2 story 18’x24’ house was built by William Willis in 1802. Willis was a tailor by trade. In 1836, he sold the property to George Walter. In 1838, Walter sold it to Isaac Williams, a shoemaker. During Isaac Williams’ ownership it is alleged that runaway enslaved people were hidden in the cellar of the home and then taken to Philadelphia. Historians have also been told of graves on the property that belong to enslaved people who became ill and died during their journey to freedom. The graves are allegedly located to the left of the barn area close to Bethel Road. The Baldwin Family owned the property from the 1890s through the 1930s. The Basil Clare Family purchased the property in 1950, and sold it to the County in 1975. The Berkeyheiser Family, which includes the Concord Township Historical Society’s own Vice President, became the owners in 1995. A small stone addition was added, and then two wings were added by Basil Clare in the 20th century. A notable amount of beams, flooring, and woodwork came from other historic homes. The house received the Preservation and Rehabilitation Award in 1998 from the Heritage Commission of Delaware County. This house is a private residence and not open to the public. Concord Township Historic Resource #71
Thomas Marshall – Ellis Marshall House
By 1718, Thomas Marshall Sr. (1694-1741) owned 250 acres and built a house over a spring on the western end of the land. In 1727, Marshall and his wife Hannah Mendenhall made the center section of the house. The original mansion house was described as a 36 x 22 feet, three-story brick home with an attached 15 sq. Ft. Brick kitchen. In 1802, the property consisted of a frame barn, granary, stone bark mill, and a tanyard. A bark mill is used to grind roots, branches, and barks of various trees to form a powder that assists in the production of leather goods in a tannery by yielding the necessary amount of tannin used for the tanning process. Thomas Marshall III (1756-1844), who inherited this property from his father, died in 1844 and willed his estate to his two grandsons, Ellis Pusey Marshall and Thomas Marshall IV (1818-1880). Thomas Marshall IV sold his 75 acres to Ellis in 1847, and by 1850, Ellis P. Marshall and his wife Anna Bartram were living on 120 acres and the mansion house. Their farm was incredibly successful, and Ellis cultivated all 120 acres of land. In 1850, his farm produced 60 tons of hay, 700 bushels of corn, 200 bushels of oats, 200 bushels of wheat, 7 bushels of grass seed, 60 bushels of potatoes, and an orchard producing $10 worth of fruit. The farm was valued at $12,300. Ellis P. Marshall’s daughter, Anna Marshall, married Ralph Marsh Harvey in 1868, and their son Bartram R. Harvey eventually purchased the Marshall property in the early 20th century. The Marshall-Harvey Family descendants continued to farm and live there into the mid1900s. The Thomas Marshall – Ellis Marshall House springhouse was removed in 1977 and restored and rebuilt on the Newlin Grist Mill property, where it can be seen today. This property is now part of the Fellowship Church in the Industrial Park along Fellowship Drive. Concord Township Historic Resource #134