Historic Quaker Houses of Chester County, PA

The Dilworth House / Dilworthtown Inn
Built in 1758, 1800
Dilworthtown, PA

Above: The Dilworth House / Dilworthtown Inn. Image source: Lee J. Stoltzfus
The first house in Dilworthtown was a log cabin built by Quaker blacksmith James Dilworth, Sr. As his family grew to eleven children, he built a large brick house behind the cabin in 1758. This became the primary block of this Dilworth House / Dilworthtown Inn.
Charles Dilworth inherited this tract of 64 acres from his father James Dilworth Sr., in 1769. Charles Dilworth established a tavern here at that time which he named the Sign of the Pennsylvania Farmer. He was a birthright Quaker and a member of the Birmingham Preparative Meeting. He was disowned by the Quaker meeting in 1778 for being involved in military matters and taking the oath of the Revolutionary government. During this era Pennsylvania Quakers were also disowned for being tavern keepers.
The house / inn was built in three sections: the 1758 brick core, a ca. 1770 stone service wing, and a ca. 1800 brick wing.

  Above: Gable end with a pent eave (cornice return) and with a pent roof above the first-floor windows. (The terms “pent eave” and “pent roof” are often used interchangeably in architectural descriptions.) Image source: Lee J. Stoltzfus

 Watercolor of the Dilworthtown Inn
By C. Phillip Wikoff:

Above: The Dilworth Inn, watercolor by C. Phillip Wikoff. Image source: Dilworthtown Inn, Facebook

 Damage to this Dilworthtown Inn
During the Revolutionary War:

This inn at Dilworthtown suffered heavy losses during the Battle of the Brandywine. British troops took over the inn, house, and store. Charles Dilworth later filed a claim for losses totaling 820 pounds, 15 shillings, and 3 pence. He reported damage to the tavern itself, including broken doors, a ruined staircase, and a dismantled oven.
The lengthy list of losses includes 88 animals (cows, pigs, horses, and sheep). Plus, the British troops confiscated crops, whiskey, silver, and clothing, in addition to damaging fences and trees. Soldiers burned furniture as fuel for cooking fires.
Among the losses was the “time of a servant lad, Patrick Kelley, about 14 years,” who left with the British Army. Dilworth received no payment for his losses.

Above: Image source: ChaddsFordLive.com, Erin Moonyeen Haley

Above: Ruins of the stables near the Dilworth House. Image source: Lee J. Stoltzfus

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