The John Larkin House is a stone farmhouse built in two sections: the earliest portion was built between 1790 and 1798, and the second was built in 1830. The house also has a 1980s kitchen addition and a 2003 family room addition.
John Larkin was a farmer and Quaker. His son, John Larkin Jr., was born in this house in 1804. John Larkin Jr. became the first mayor of Chester in 1866 and served until 1872.
The property remained with the Larkin family from 1785 until 1849, when it was sold to Job Hoopes. It then passed to Penrose Talley in 1866 and later to the Forwood family. In recent times, the John Larkin House was home to Dr. Leah Jordan, a longtime Chester High English teacher and professor at Kutztown and West Chester Universities. She affectionally referred to the house as “The Ruin.” The current owners are the brilliant gardeners and artists behind the beloved Renegade Flower Farm!
An interesting early feature of the home, which has since been removed, was a wood panel that separated the stairs and doorways from the rooms. The panel, which could be drawn up or down, was attached to the ceiling. The houses’s inhabitants could move the panel to expand the size of the room or allow the summer breeze to circulate through the home.
The barn on the property was also restored. The indentation of an early cartway can still be seen along the West side of the house. It leads from Kirk Road to Naaman’s Creek Road.
This house is a private residence and is not open to the public.
Concord Township Historic Resource #2
