Historic Quaker Houses of Chester County, PA
Derbydown: The Marshall Homestead
Birthplace of Botanist Humphry Marshall
Above: Birthplace of Quaker botanist Humphry Marshall, author of the first American book on botany. West Bradford Township, Chester County. Image source: Lee J. Stoltzfus.
The stone portion of this farmhouse was built ca. 1707 by Abraham Marshall, the father of botanist Humphry Marshall. The elder Marshall was born in Derbyshire, England, and emigrated to Pennsylvania ca. 1697. In 1703, he married English immigrant Mary Hunt. The couple moved to this property, where they raised nine children.
Their son Humphry Marshall was born in this house in 1722. He married Sarah Pennock of West Marlborough in 1748. After their marriage, he managed this farm.
The original form of this farmhouse was a one-room stone structure. In 1764, Humphry Marshall enlarged the house again with a brick addition, bringing it to its present form. He also constructed a small greenhouse adjoining the farmhouse, possibly the first greenhouse in Chester County. Humphry acquired the homestead tract in 1759. In 1773 he built a new stone house near Bradford Meeting and established his botanic garden.
Above: English ivy climbs an ancient oak tree at the Marshall Homestead in autumn. Image source: Lee J. Stoltzfus.
A Sycamore at the Marshall Homestead:
Above: A sycamore overlooks a meadow at the Marshall Homestead. Image source: Lee J. Stoltzfus.
1770s: Humphry Marshall Built a New Farmhouse
And Created a Landmark Botanic Garden:
Above: Humphry Marshall’s 1773 farmhouse at Marshallton, Chester County. Site of his landmark arboretum and botanic garden. Image source: Lee J. Stoltzfus.
The Bradford Quaker Meetinghouse:
Above: The Bradford Friends meetinghouse in Marshallton. Image source: Lee J. Stoltzfus.
Abraham Marshall was a founder of Bradford Quaker Meeting, which first met in his family’s farmhouse. Marshall then built a meetinghouse on his farm before the meeting was moved to Marshallton with Abraham Marshall as a trustee. This meetinghouse was built in 1765. A porch was added to two sides of the building in the 19th century.
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