Historic Preservation Trust

Jones Log Barn Living History Center is open, History Lecture Series returns, and local third graders experience hands-on history!

Since its official public opening in April, the Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust Board has enthusiastically welcomed visitors to the Jones Log Barn Living History Center on Sunday afternoons between 1 and 3 PM. Staffed by Trust volunteers, the one-of-a-kind barn museum located at 297 Adams Drive in Chesterbrook, is open to the public April through October, free of charge.

A visit to the Living History Center, Chester County's newest heritage destination, offers visitors an insight into eighteenth century farm life in Tredyffrin. The Jones Log Barn (circa 1730) is unique, not only for its age and its contributions to Pennsylvania History, but also for its architecture. You will learn about the unique log barn construction and rebuilding process, local Township history, and the special contribution of the red Fritz barn from the former Fritz Lumber Yard in Berwyn. Additionally, the barn museum includes a remarkable collection of antique farm tools and equipment.

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Trust is pleased to announce the return of its popular Fall and Spring Lecture Series. On Wednesday, September 21, the Trust welcomes back Jeff Groff, who recently retired as Estate Historian at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, to present A Change to Suburbia. The talk examines the period from the 1930s to the 1960s, the end of the great estate era, and the development of the Main Line as the suburb we know today. The popularity of country places in Tredyffrin Township and other areas of Chester County during this era is included and features the work of architects Walter Durham and Brognard Okie, among others.

Through their generous support, the Groff talk (7 PM reception, 7:30 PM lecture) is at Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens, 631 Berwyn Baptist Road, Devon, PA. For further information and ticket purchase, please visit www.tredyffrinhistory.org.

On Wednesday, October 19, James Garrison, architect and author with over forty years in the profession, returns to the Trust lecture series. With a background in historic preservation, adaptive re-use, and new buildings designed in traditional styles, Garrison will present Rural Modernism: Oskar Stonorov, Ed Bacon and Lou Kahn in Chester County. Learn how Chester County became the unlikely center for an astounding cast of characters in national and international architecture between 1940 and 1970. The Garrison talk (7 PM reception, 7:30 PM lecture) is at Duportail House, 297 Adams Drive, Chesterbrook. For further information and ticket purchase, please visit www.tredyffrinhistory.org.

With the restart of Tredyffrin Easttown School District field trips, the Trust is pleased to welcome back local third graders for a first hand local history experience. Beginning in 2016, the Trust and TESD embarked on a successful partnership to have the elementary age students experience local history at Duportail House (c. 1740), named for General Louis Lebègue Duportail, who lived there while he assisted George Washington during the American Revolution. This fall, the TESD third graders will return to the immersive historic field trips at Duportail House. Working in collaboration, the Trust and the School District designed a series of engaging, interactive activities that allow students to gain a deeper understanding of local history. Activities feature colonial dance and music, a tour of Duportail House, a quilt square project, and, starting this fall, a tour of the Jones Log Barn Living History Center, where “18th century farm life comes to life”.

A community that respects its history respects itself. A wonderful way to get involved in local history and its preservation, Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust (www.tredyffrinhistory.org) has many volunteer opportunities available. For information about how you can support historic preservation in the community, you may contact Trust president Pattye Benson at 610-644-6759 or by email at info@tredyffrinhistory.org.