Friends, New Londoners and Countrymen, lend me your ears.
Welcome to the Tricentennial celebration of the Charter of New London Township
in 1723. The community at that time had all the essentials deemed necessary for
future growth. Not necessarily in this order of importance, the essentials were a
tavern, a church, a blacksmith shop, a general store and nearby mills.
Originally the home of the Lenni Lenape Indian tribe, it was visited by early farmers
and explorers, but began to grow when the London Company, a group of five
entrepreneurs, purchased a large tract of land in order to break the tract into
smaller lots and sell them at a profit to immigrant farmers. This tract included
present-day New London Township, which was chartered in 1723.
Eventually the London-Britain Township was separated from New London in 1725
and Franklin Township was separated from New London a hundred and 27 years
later, in 1852.
The first immigrants were Swedish framers from New Castle, Delaware. The next
wave of immigration brought Scottish – Irish Presbyterians.
In 1741, Rev. Dr. Francis Alison, then the minister of the New London Presbyterian
Church, established the original New London Academy (the parent school of the
University of Delaware) where he taught three signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas McKean was born March 19, 1734, in New London and after a storied
career as a lawyer, is believed to be the last co-signer of the Declaration of
Independence.
George Read was born September 18, 1733, and studied with Tm McKean at the
Academy in New London and after his storied career as a lawyer, co-signed the
Declaration of Independence.
James Smith was born in Ireland but at the age of 10 moved with his parents to
Chester County. After his own storied career as a lawyer, he too was a signer of the
Declaration of Independence.
New London residents were prominent patriots in the Revolutionary War. Benjamin
Franklin, who farmed property in nearby Franklin Township and was in charge of
the Pennsylvania Militia, encouraged local families to rally to the cause and to
Remarks at the Tricentennial Celebration of New London Township, Pennsylvania
provide horses, manpower, and supplies.
The area was a hub for stagecoaches going from Baltimore to Philadelphia and
from Lancaster to Perryville, Maryland. George Washington kept a relay of coach
horses in the village, the White Clay headwaters behind the stable providing their
water. After the Revolutionary War, New London continued to be a busy crossroads
village. At one time the town had two inns, a blacksmith shop, a saddlery shop, a
wheelwright, a shoemaker, a tailor, a tinsmith, a tannery, an apothecary and several
general stores.
In 1803 a library was established. That same year the fourth Post Office in Chester
County was opened at the New London Crossroads. On October 28, 1847, the name
was changed from New London Crossroads to New London.
In 1828 a board of trustees was incorporated to revive the original New London
Academy at the site of the present Township building. The building burned in 1848
but was immediately rebuilt. An addition to the rear of the building was added in
1915.
The next 108 years have brought many changes to New London and there is not
time now to delve into those years. But there are many alive today who could thrill
you with stories of these years. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours chatting with
Alan Jones, a walking encyclopedia. He is with us here today.
As I gathered these notes for today’s festivities, the thought occurred to me that
there is an implicit responsibility in each community to treasure the past and to
build an even greater treasure for the generations to come. This very park has
enriched our lives and is here for generations to come.
On a personal note, Mary, my wife, and I moved to New London just over 23 years
ago. The topography of Chester County mimics my native Kentucky’s rolling hills,
horse farms and fences and Derby winners. We truly feel at home here.
On a grand scale, President Kennedy spoke these words at American University in
1963: “In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this
small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And
we are all mortal.” This is true of New London Township also.