Ward

Ward Village is one of several historic villages (or neighborhoods) within Concord Township. Geographically, it covers the Concord Creek Bridge (also known as Ward Run) at Concord Road, near the intersection of Station and Concord Roads. Ward extends to the intersection of Concord and Smithbridge Roads to the South-East, and to the intersection of Concord and Spring Valley Roads to the North-West.

Ward Village rose to prominence in the late 19th century as an industrial center of Concord Township, featuring some of the earliest Pennsylvania mushroom farms, a mill complex at Station Road that included the Alexander Scott & Son saw and grist mills, the Richards & Schrader lumber yard and feed store, the John Hart blacksmith shop, the Barclay Thomas wheelwright shop, telegraph office, Ward Post Office, general grocery and drygoods store, and a branch of the PE Sharpless Company’s creameries. The development of the Pennsylvania, Baltimore, and Washington Railroad in the late 19th century brought a train station to Ward known as Concord Station, which transported goods in and out of Concord Township to surrounding towns in Pennsylvania and neighboring states beginning in the 1870s and continuing into the early 1970s. The railroad station in Ward was key in the transportation of fertilizer for the local mushroom farms, as well as the dairy products produced at the creamery. The creamery was known as the Sharpless Creamery, and manufactured Philadelphia Cream Cheese and butter, among various other dairy products, beginning in the late 19th century. The Sharpless Creamery was one of only 5 commercial creameries in the United States at this time to manufacture cream cheese, and it was purchased by the Kraft Company in 1924 for the purposes of owning the trademark on the Sharpless cream cheese production and acquiring their vast distribution networks.

The area Is characterized by historic buildings erected from c.1690s-1900s, and features Folk Victorian homes, Colonial Farmhouses, Victorian-era industrial buildings, and a creek that runs through the village known as Ward Creek or Concord Creek. Some of the first Episcopal church services were also held out of the John Hannum home until St. John’s Episcopal Church was built in 1844. During the development of Ward Village’s commercial boom, many homeowners in Ward were also Ward business owners and employees or PB&W railroad employees. Pennock E. Sharpless, owner of the Sharpless Creamery, built a large Victorian mansion in 1890 across Concord Road from his creamery. Lewis E. Buckley, general store owner and Ward post master in the 1880s, built a Folk Victorian house in 1886 across Concord Road from the mill complex. John Hart, a Ward blacksmith, built his Victorian home in the 1890s as well. Ward Village is also home to the Thomas Marshall House, also known as “Handwrought,” which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significant example of 19th century architecture. Ward Village is a prime example of how villages within Concord Township were centered around mills and other major nodes of industry.

Today, Ward Village is composed of both private residences and commercial and retail businesses. Il Granaio, the beloved Italian restaurant housed in the former Richards & Schrader feed store, has been adaptively re-used. The Thomas Speakman house is currently used for the commercial office space of Zizza Highway Services. The train station no longer exists, but there are remains of train tracks in the vicinity.

Approx. 14 Remaining Historic Inventory Resources