Markham

Markham Village, named for the first governor of the colony of Pennsylvania, holds some of the oldest and historically significant buildings in Concord Township. Its historic buildings span from the 1680s to 1850s, and represent a mix of Colonial-era houses and tenant houses, a Colonial-era grist mill, American Revolution-era farmhouses, and Georgian-style houses.

Markham Village initially developed around the milling industry starting with the Newlin Grist Mill in the early 1700s. The grist mill was the prime economic industry in the village other than other smaller mills and land farming. The grist mill operated from 1704 to 1941, and is currently used today as a museum and historical park. Other mills, such as smaller saw and paper mills, were built along Chester Creek and on surrounding properties.

Markham’s residential homes were constructed mainly around the booming mill industry in the area, and represent colonial-era architecture and stone masonry. The earliest homes at the end of the 1600s and early 1700s were built in support of the saw and grist mills developing along Concord Creek. The Thomas King – Thomas West House is one such early stone house built by an original township land-owner, Thomas King, in 1684, and was built near his saw mill on the creek. The Nicholas Newlin – Casper Sharpless House is another example of an early stone residential house, this time built in support of the Newlin Grist Mill complex. This building became home to two owners of the Newlin Grist Mill: Nicholas Newlin and Casper Sharpless, the latter quiring the mill in 1835 as well as becoming one of the school directors for the Concord public school system. The William Trimble House is another example of mill-centric living. William Trimble owned a saw mill along the Chester Creek in the 1750s, after which his grandson, also named William Trimble, opened a paper mill on the property from 1797 to 1817. William Trimble purchased the Newlin Grist Mill property In 1817. The Joseph Trimble – Jesse Palmer House, also known as “Scotland Farm,” is an example of a Georgian mansion that incorporated an earlier stone house into its construction. The mansion was home to prominent upper class citizens, and at one point to Alexander Scott in 1856, founder of the successful Scott Lumber Yard in neighboring Ward Village.

While many residential houses in Markham were home to mill and business owners, many historical properties here were tenant homes, indicative of the booming mill economy and home to the employees and laborers that worked here. The Polecat Road House and Thomas Newlin – Leedom Tenant House are two such structures that represent the living quarters of working class families and individuals within the mill industry.

As the village grew into the 19th century, it became home to the Markham Station stop on the Octoraro Branch of Baltimore Central Railroad in the 1870s, one of three stops in Concord Township. The only fatal railroad accident in Concord Township occurred at Markham Station in 1899, when three men were killed by a runaway train. The Markham Post Office was established in 1892 with Joseph B. Smith as the first postmaster, and operated until 1943.

Today, Markham Village encompasses the Newlin Grist Mill historic district, while many new build subdivisions surround the historic properties.