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38-525: Downingtown Log House is an American historic house located in Downingtown , Chester County , Pennsylvania . It was built circa 1700 and is a 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -story, round log structure measuring 21 feet 9 inches by 25 feet. The building is a house rather than a cabin because log cabins are only one floor. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The Log House

76-515: A humid continental climate , abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps. Downingtown Area School District (DASD) is the school district operating schools serving the borough. Four elementary schools serve sections of the borough limits: Beaver Creek (in the borough limits), East Ward (in the borough limits), Bradford Heights, and Uwchlan Hills.There are many more in the immediate surrounding area such as: Brandywine Wallace, Lionville, Shamona Creek, Pickering Valley, Springton Manor, and West Bradford. All of

114-532: A farm in Downingtown, Pennsylvania , and held it in trust until the Baptists of the state were enabled to assume the responsibility of the purchase. Trower was also very active in charitable work. Trower's wife was Miss Matilda Daniels, of Haymarket, Virginia . Matilda Trower took an active part in the business as well as rearing a family of six children. Trower died in Philadelphia on April 4, 1911, at

152-515: A household in the borough was $ 45,979, and the median income for a family was $ 53,468. Males had a median income of $ 38,893 versus $ 29,284 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $ 21,634. About 3.0% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Downingtown has

190-463: A larger and more lucrative business. Within two blocks of his restaurant stood the old Germantown Savings Fund building. Fortunately for Trower, this building was left vacant at this time, the bank having just completed a new building into which it established itself. There was a demand for a first-class caterer's establishment in Germantown. Trower had succeeded in winning the goodwill of some of

228-454: A lucrative real estate business. He owned considerable property both in Germantown and Ocean City, New Jersey , where he had his summer residence. Outside of his business, Trower was a member of the well known Cherry Street Baptist Church . He was a member of the board of deacons, and of the board of trustees, and superintendent of the Sunday school. The National Baptist Convention made him

266-515: A private, non-denominational school, in 1907 DIAS began to be state supported. Students were admitted from major northeastern cities. Among its trustees in the early decades was Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. , pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York . The school operated until 1993. A new facility was constructed on the property and opened in 2002 as the Chester County campus of

304-695: A rental property in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is located on the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike near Brandywine Creek . Owned by members of the Downing family for about 200 years, the house has been owned by the Borough of Downingtown since 1940, when Thomas W. Downing willed the property to the borough. The house was restored in 1947 and became the headquarters for the Downingtown Chamber of Commerce from 1950 to 1988. In 1989,

342-480: A restaurant as an oyster-opener and soon began, in spite of the small salary he received there, to accumulate a small capital. Partly because he believed he could better his condition in a Northern city and partly led by mere desire to see more of the world, he determined in 1870 to leave Baltimore and go to Philadelphia . Trower decided to settle in Germantown , one of the more wealthy and prosperous quarters of

380-553: A short stretch. Pennsylvania Route 113 starts at US 30 Business in the central part of the borough and heads north along Uwchlan Avenue. Finally, Pennsylvania Route 282 also starts at US 30 Business in the core of the borough and heads northward along Green Street, Pennsylvania Avenue and Wallace Avenue. Downingtown station is located along the Lincoln Highway and is served by both SEPTA Regional Rail 's Paoli/Thorndale Line and Amtrak 's Keystone Service . The town

418-488: A slide-boarded window on the south wall and horizontal planking on the gable ends. Downingtown, Pennsylvania The burough was originally named Milltown due to its number of mills along the East Branch Brandywine Creek , the first of which was founded by Daniel Butter. The Butter family also had paper mills in the area, and Frederick Bicking from Winterburg , Germany, was the patriarch of

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456-464: Is also served by SEPTA Suburban Bus Route 135 between Coatesville and West Chester . John S. Trower John Sheppard Trower (1849–1911) was an American businessman, restaurateur, and founder of a school. He co-founded Downingtown Industrial and Agricultural School , in operation from 1905 until 1993. Trower was among the wealthiest African Americans in Pennsylvania and possibly

494-970: The Delaware County Community College . The borough has initiated some widespread and continuing renovation in downtown, particularly to the streetscape; private owners have similarly renovated many commercial buildings. There has also been residential development on recovered industrial lands (brown fields) in the southeastern part of the borough. Downingtown is the location of some large regional and national businesses, including First National Bank of Chester County, and Victory Brewing Company , and formerly DNB First (acquired by S&T Bank in 2019). President Lincoln 's funeral train passed through Downingtown. The famous Irish patriot and martyr Theobald Wolfe Tone briefly lived here in 1795. The County Bridge No. 124 , Downingtown Log House , East Lancaster Avenue Historic District , General Washington Inn , and Roger Hunt Mill are listed on

532-640: The Downingtown Log House in 1947. It served as the home to the Downingtown Chamber of Commerce from 1950 until 1988. But the Log House was deteriorating as Route 30 had been built close to it. Located 18 inches (46 cm) below street level, the house suffered water damage due to runoff from Route 30 and vibration from traffic weakened the structure. From 1988 until 1990, the Downingtown Historical Society relocated

570-428: The Downingtown Log House . In 1713, owner Joseph Hickman sold the 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -story, 21-foot, 9-inch × 25-foot structure to Thomas and Mary Moore. Thomas Moore moved from the Log House in 1729 and died in 1738. Thomas Downing acquired the Log House in 1739. It remained in the Downing family until 1940, when Thomas W. Downing died and left it to the borough of Downingtown. The borough did some restoration work to

608-637: The National Register of Historic Places . Downingtown is located at 40°0′23″N 75°42′22″W  /  40.00639°N 75.70611°W  / 40.00639; -75.70611 (40.006406, −75.706239). According to the United States Census Bureau , the borough has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km ), all land. At the 2010 census, the borough was 76.0% non-Hispanic White, 12.0% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and 3.2% were two or more races. 7.2% of

646-551: The Bicking paper families. Around the time of the American Revolution , Milltown became more commonly known as Downingtown after the prominent businessman Thomas Downing, a Quaker immigrant in 1717 from Bradninch , Devon, England, who owned a number of those mills. The burough was officially named Downingtown in 1812. The burough is located along the Lincoln Highway (now part of U.S. Route 30 ), which runs from

684-735: The Brandywine Campus in the Downingtown borough limits. Additionally it operates the Downingtown Campus in East Brandywine Township , on the site of the former Downingtown Industrial and Agricultural School . As of 2012, there were 22.32 miles (35.92 km) of public roads in Downingtown, of which 6.36 miles (10.24 km) were maintained by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 15.96 miles (25.69 km) were maintained by

722-1201: The Cramps. The firm employed him steadily after that time. Many of the world's most renowned war vessels were served upon their trial trips by Trower, among them the Yorktown , the Philadelphia , the Vesuvius , the New York , the Iowa , the Columbia , the Baltimore , the Minneapolis , the Newark , the Brooklyn , the Variag , the Retvizan , the Mecidiye , the Colorado and the Pennsylvania . Trower's place of business

760-767: The East Coast to the West Coast. It was an early westward road in the wagon days as the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike . The Lincoln Highway was the first paved road to cross the nation from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean . Construction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike started in the early 1940s and was completed in the early 1950s; it runs north of US 30, bypassing Downingtown. Circa 1700, early English settlers built what has become known as

798-821: The National Baptist Superintendent of the World. He was the President of the Sunday School Convention of Pennsylvania, a position he held for many years. Trower contributed greatly to the building up of a number of Baptist churches of his city and state. His advice was frequently sought in matters of finance and church policy in the Baptist denomination. He was president of the Cherry Building and Loan Society, treasurer of

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836-856: The Reliable Mutual Aid and Improvement Company, and treasurer of the Reliable Business Men's Building. He was a member of the board of trustees for the Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People, and member of the board of trustees for the Olive Cemetery. As president of the Pennsylvania Sunday School Convention, it was he who suggested the necessity of the establishment of an Industrial and Theological School in Pennsylvania. He purchased

874-534: The United States at the time of his death. Trower was born on October 3, 1849, in Eastville , Northampton County , Virginia . His parents, Luke and Anna M. Trower, were free black farmers and of mixed white , Native American and African American descent. From age 16 to 21, Trower worked on the farm with his family, saving all that he could. All through his early life young Trower was hobbled with

912-678: The borough goes through the Marsh Creek Sixth Grade Center. And meanwhile, much of the borough is served by Downingtown Middle School and Downingtown West High School (the latter is mostly in the borough) while some eastern parts are served by Lionville Middle School and Downingtown East High School . Other area schools: The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia has two schools in Downingtown Borough: ———————————————————————————————————————————————————— Delaware County Community College operates

950-598: The borough. U.S. Route 30 is the main highway serving Downingtown. It follows the Coatesville-Downingtown Bypass on an east-west alignment across the northern tip of the borough. U.S. Route 30 Business follows the old alignment of US 30 through the heart of the borough along Lancaster Avenue. U.S. Route 322 also runs through the heart of the borough, following a northwest-to-southeast alignment via Manor Avenue, Lancaster Avenue and Brandywine Avenue and running concurrently with US 30 Business for

988-529: The city, and with the little capital that he had gotten together, he opened a restaurant. He found a modest place in Chelton Avenue in the neighborhood of the Philadelphia and Reading depot. This business seems to have prospered from the beginning. Very soon, Trower was doing, in addition to his restaurant business, a very respectable trade as a caterer. He won the favor of the fashionable people of Germantown and his increasing trade forced him rapidly into

1026-601: The fact that he constantly sought to improve and extend his business. His trade was not limited to Germantown and Philadelphia, but extended throughout the state. On several occasions he served large orders in the South and West. At the time when John Wanamaker , of Philadelphia, was Postmaster General, Trower served him as caterer in a reception which was at that time one of the most elaborate that had ever been given in Washington, D.C. In addition to his caterer's trade he did

1064-649: The house and did an extensive restoration with money raised for the project. It now sits approximately 70 feet (21 m) west of its original location, 22 feet (6.7 m) from the Route 30 sidewalk, and slightly above street level. In 1904, John S. Trower and William A. Creditt , prominent black Philadelphians , founded the Downingtown Industrial and Agricultural School (DIAS) in Downingtown, to serve as an academic and vocational high school for African-American youths to prepare them for work. Creditt

1102-434: The house was restored a second time and relocated 70 feet away from its original location, adjacent to a busy roadway. The house is open to the public. The house was constructed using 62 chestnut, oak, and white pine logs, all still extant. The roof is cedar-shingled and the exterior whitewashed . The log corners are saddle notched, characteristic of English Quaker log construction, though there are Swedish derivatives such as

1140-477: The necessity of servicing his family's debt. By the time he was 21 he had saved enough to lift this burden from his family and he felt free to go in search of a fortune. He presented his mother with the deed of the farm and bade her goodbye. At that time, the tide of immigration had already set in from the Virginia plantations toward the cities and young Trower drifted with it in the direction of Baltimore . There

1178-596: The population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. As of the census of 2000, there were 7,589 people, 3,059 households, and 1,853 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,473.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,341.0/km ). There were 3,197 housing units at an average density of 1,463.2 per square mile (564.9/km ). The racial makeup of the borough was 83.65% White , 10.79% African American , 0.12% Native American , 2.29% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 1.44% from other races , and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.53% of

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1216-615: The population. Downingtown has a large population of residents that have Italian ancestry. The burough has two different Italian American organizations and is listed as one of the Italian-American strongholds in the U.S. There were 3,059 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who

1254-548: The wealthy citizens and, with their encouragement, he purchased and refitted the Savings Fund building and made out of it, at a cost of $ 25,000, a first-class caterer's establishment. He was now fairly on his feet in a business way and began to make money rapidly. It was at this time that he made the acquaintance and won the goodwill of some of the officers of William Cramp & Sons , a shipbuilding company. Soon after this, in 1889, Trower had his first opportunity to cater for

1292-532: Was $ 52 surplus after the farm was paid for and with this sum Trower, wholly inexperienced in the difficulties and dangers of city life, landed in Baltimore. Trower was fortunate there in meeting the Mack family, with whom he made his home during the larger part of the time that he was in Baltimore. They gave him advice which proved of great value to him in his later life. While he was in Baltimore he obtained work in

1330-445: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.09. The borough's population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males. The median income for

1368-445: Was constructed circa 1700 by early English settlers Jeremiah Collett or Joseph Hickman (the exact date and builder are unknown). It is the earliest surviving example of European settlement in central Chester County. Thomas Moore purchased the property in 1713 and constructed one of the county's first grist mill across the street in 1716. During the 18th century, the house served variously as a house, tavern, and trading post before becoming

1406-632: Was one of the most complete of its kind in the country. On the first floor were his offices, dining-room, delivery department and ice cream plant, which was run by electricity. On the second floor was a reception-room and a dining hall, which seated 150 guests, and the baking department. On the third floor were the storeroom and laundry. In the basement were china closets and storage-rooms. In his office he employed five clerks, all of whom were young African American men and women. The culinary, ice cream, baking, and delivery service departments employed 20 people. A large element of Trower's success must be attributed to

1444-631: Was pastor of the First African Baptist Church in Philadelphia, and Trower, a successful caterer and one of the wealthiest black businessmen in the nation, was a member of his congregation. Believing the North needed a school like the Tuskegee Institute , the men found land in Chester County and built the school on a 100-acre campus. They both served as principals until their respective deaths, both in 1921. Originally

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