Womens Right to Vote – Virginia DeNenno
Virginia Merion DeNenno Ginny developed a passion for our local history, and through the years collected books, photos and other artifacts with a vision of a museum where these could be shared with the public. Ginny was born January 18, 1933 as the fourth generation of Merions who farmed in Concord Township and went to the #5 one-room school on Kirk Road where her father had attended. She graduated from Media High School in 1951 as Concord had no high school at that time. She married her high school sweetheart in 1953 and she and Harold made their home on the dairy farm next to the one room school on Kirk Road. She developed an interest in our local history, becoming one of the founders of the Concord Township Historical Society in 1967. Through the years, Ginny amassed a vast collection of documents, photos, memorabilia, furnishings and other objects of local interest, which forms the basis of our museum on Smithbridge Road, named The Virginia Merion DeNenno History and Educational Center at the Pierce-Willits House in 2009 in her honor. This was the culmination of what she envisioned as she began to collect items that represented our historic legacy. She was a contributor to Prosperity and Progress: Concord Township Volume 1 the Colonial Legacy published in 1983, and co-author of Concord Township: Progress and Prosperity in the Nineteenth Century published in 1998. In the early 1980’s, she surveyed almost 200 historic properties in our township, which became the basis of our Historic Preservation Ordinance, enacted in 1997, which included her appointment to the Concord Township Historical Commission. She was a member of the Concord Township Planning Commission for 34 years, as well as a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Delaware and Chester County Historical Societies, The Red Hats, Concord Seniors, Pony Club Mothers, and a Board member of the Newlin Grist Mill. She retired to Maryland in 2013 but her legacy lives on.
Womens Right to Vote – Rachel Kohl
Rachel Kohl Rachel recognized the need for a community library and set out to make that vision a reality. Born in 1924 in Lewes, Delaware, Rachel graduated from Ocean City High School and Lycoming College where she earned a Library Science degree. In 1950, Rachel and her family moved to Concord Township with a small eight-room elementary school and no library. A lover of books and a public school librarian, she wanted to help the children with their work as well as provide the community with access to books. Over the years she managed to gather enough books, through fundraisers and donations, to fill a small vacant closet at the elementary school. In 1979, the Community Township Library was open. In 1985, Rachel applied for and received a grant that enabled the library to move to four heated trailers. In a few short years, a federal grant, along with private donations, enabled a new building to be erected in 1989. It was named in her honor as the Rachel Kohl Community Library, serving not only Concord Township, but also the surrounding townships of Bethel, Chadds Ford, Chester Heights, and Thornbury. Now in its 31st year, Rachel’s library is a testament to her unwavering belief that it is possible to achieve your vision.
Womens Right to Vote – Olga Byrd
Olga Victoria Byrd Many people are not aware of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church on Spring Valley Road, which was built in 1880 from the funds of the local black community. The African Americans worked mostly in supporting the farming community. Some, like the Byrd family, lived in tenant houses. In this new era of heightened awareness, we highlight a notable black woman who worked hard to raise eight children in a white community during the 20thcentury before Civil Rights became law. Her vision was to raise her children to be good citizens who would be educated, have good paying jobs, and eventually become homeowners. Born in Atlantic City NJ on August 8, 1919, as Olga Victoria Clark, she moved to Concordville and attended schools in Concord and Chadds Ford. She married James T Byrd in 1939. At that time he had three children from a previous marriage and they went on to have five more. Olga worked as a domestic for various families in the area, including the Andrew Wyeth family in Chadds Ford, and James worked on the Willits farm on Smithbridge Road, which allowed them to live in a simple wooden house with no running water. She cooked delicious meals on the wooden stove and made holidays special for her family. And thanks to James gardening skills, meals were plentiful. Olga was a devout Christian who read her bible daily. She was non-violent and believed strongly in the right to vote by participating in every election. She was born just two months after Congress passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote. Nine days after her first birthday, it was ratified and passed into law. Now we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of that amendment and her story is a shining example of the power of the vote in moving families forward. According to her daughter Betty, she never complained or used profanity, and taught respect for self and others by example. Betty was told to just put one foot in front of the other when the going got tough. Olga made sure that her family had what money couldn’t buy – happiness, as seen in this photo of her, her husband James, and son Larry. Five sons served in the military. They and the other siblings went on to become homeowners and lead successful lives, realizing her vision of long ago.
Womens Right to Vote – 3 women
In honor of this Centennial Anniversary of the Women’s Right to Vote, we celebrate three women in Concord Township who had the courage and conviction to make their vision a reality, and in so doing, made an important contribution to our community and beyond. Virginia Merion DeNenno – Ginny believed in the value of collecting, preserving and sharing our local history, and achieved that vision through the establishment of the Virginia Merion DeNenno History and Educational Center at the Pierce-Willits House. Rachel Kohl – Rachel believed in the power of books and began our first Community Township Library in the elementary school, which eventually blossomed into the Rachel Kohl Library on Smithbridge Road. Olga V Bird – An African American, Olga believed in the importance of voting, education and a loving home. Olga & James Byrd, tenant farmers, raised eight children in Concordville. Those 8 children went on to lead successful lives and become homeowners