Foxcroft: Witness to History

History Spotlight by Doug Humes

In 1686, David Morris came to Marple from Wales, with a land grant from William Penn, for 400 acres in the northeast corner of the Township. That land today would reach from West Chester Pike near Pacifico Ford down to Darby Creek, bordering Haverford and Radnor townships. The Radnor and Chester road (Sproul Road) was laid out in 1691, and provided access to his land. He built his house up the hill from the creek, and commuted to work along the same route I do: down the Sproul hill into Haverford, where he owned a gristmill on the creek. His descendants would own that property for the next 170 years.

Mordecai’s datestone

Photo courtesy of Doug Humes

David’s son Mordecai inherited part of the property and his father’s best carpentry tools. With them, he built a fine stone home and huge barn on the hill. The datestone facing the road tells us the date: 1754. British troops visited during the American Revolution. On December 10, 1777, they looted the farm, taking, among other things, a silk gown, stays, knee buckles and a hat. They also broke open locks and drawers, and destroyed furniture while searching for money and silver. Mordecai Sr. had died just two weeks before the raid. His son, Mordecai Jr., could only stand and watch helplessly as his farm and home were stripped of all valuables.

When Mordecai Jr. died relatively young in 1787, his wife and daughter Rebecca continued living in the house. Rebecca married Nathaniel Fawkes, and they had five daughters. By the time Rebecca died in 1855, the property had been subdivided several times, and was again divided among the daughters, one of whom, Anna (Dickinson), received the lot with the old family home. When Anna sold the property in 1880, the house went out of the family for the first time.

Foxcroft in bloom

Photo courtesy of Doug Humes

Charles Brentz, a carriage maker from West Philadelphia, owned the farm as a country estate, and was likely the first to give it a name: Foxcroft. That name was also adopted for the railroad station on the Newtown Square branch that crossed Sproul Road at the bottom of the hill, and the stone quarry that it served.

1925 Church Farm Cuties

Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer

From 1920–1945, The Church of Saint Luke & The Epiphany in Philadelphia used the property as “Fresh Air Farm,” a church farm and summer camp for its congregants. The house returned to private hands after 1945. It stands today back from the roadside, as it has for 266 years, a witness to the entire history of Marple township.

For more on the history of Marple, visit the Marple Historical Society website and Facebook page, and join the Society to keep up to date on coming events:

www.MarpleHistoricalSociety.org