The Removal Of The County-Seat To Media.

ous alarm, when its small dimensions were taken into consideration. The discontented in the other remote townships seeing that the loss of Radnor would weaken their strongest ground of complaint, determined to test the question of a removal of the seat of justice of the county to a more central situation. Accordingly a general meeting of the inhabitants of the county, 'both friendly and unfriendly' to the proposed removal, was convened on the 8th of June, 1820. The meeting was unusually large and very respectable, and after the subject of removal had been discussed very fully and rather freely, a vote was taken which resulted in favor of the removalists. Removal now became the leading topic of discussion throughout the county. All party distictions became merged in it, and the most ultra politicians of opposite parties united cordially on a removal or anti-removal platform. Meetings were held, and nominations were made accordingly. The ballot-box showed the anti-removalists in the majority. George G. Leiper, of Ridley, and Abner Lewis, of Radnor, both anti-removalists, were elected to the Assembly. The anti-removalists, by the nomination of Mr. Lewis had secured nearly the whole vote of Radnor, under the belief that the election of the anti-removal ticket afforded them the only chance of being annexed to Montgomery County. The test was not regarded by the removalists as satisfactory, and they petitioned the Legislature for redress, but certainly with but small hopes of success. In their memorial, which is very long, they set forth the fact of the effort of Radnor to be attached to Montgomery County, the dilapidated condition the jail, the insalubrity of the air of Chester, the danger of the records from attack from an enemy, the badness of the water, etc. And finally, they say, to satisfy the Legislature that nothing is asked for by the petitioners which would throw any unreasonable expense on the county, assurances are given by one of the inhabitants - perfectly responsible and competent to the undertaking - that he will give an obligation to any one authorised to receive it, conditioned to erect the public buildings upon any reasonable and approved plan, for the sum of fifteen thousand dollars, to be paid in seven years, by installments, if the convenience of the county should require credit - and to take the present buildings and lots at Chester at a fair valuation as part pay. ... This petition was drawn, signed by nine hundred and nineteen citizens. The number who signed the remonstrance is not known."

On March 2l, 1821, Mr. Evans, of Chester County, presented the petitions - there were nineteen of them - from the inhabitants of the county of Delaware to the House of Representatives, praying for the removal of the seat of justice, and on March 31st, Mr. Lewis, of Delaware County, presented to the House twenty-fire remonstrances from inhabitants of the county against such removal, and the petitions and remonstrances were laid on the table.

"The people of Radnor," said Dr. Smith, "appeared to relax their efforts to obtain legislation to authorize the township to be annexed to Montgomery County. At the next election, John Lewis and William Cheyney, both removalists, were elected members of the Assembly, but from some cause they failed in obtaining the much-desired law authorizing the seat of justice to be removed to a more central situation. The question after this effort appears to have been allowed to slumber for a time. It was, however, occasionally discussed, and the removalists maintained a strict vigilance to prevent any extensive repairs being made to the public buildings at Chester."

The project slumbered for nearly a quarter of a century, but in the latter part of the year 1845 was revived with redoubled ardor. The court-house at Chester was sadly out of repair, while the old jail was dilapidated and falling into ruins, and it became apparent that in the near future the county would be compelled to expend a considerable sum of money on the public buildings at the ancient seat of justice. Hence the removalists on Nov. 22, 1845, called a public meeting at the Black Horse Tavern, in Middletown, "to take into consideration the propriety of removing the seat of justice to a more central position." The result of this meeting was a call to the several townships on the 5th of December following "to elect two delegates in each, to meet on the 6th of December at the Black Horse Tavern; the delegates appointed to vote for the removal of the seat of justice, or otherwise, also to decide upon those (the sites) designated by this meeting, which of them shall be adopted." The following named places were presented as suitable locations for the public buildings: County property, in Providence; Black Horse, in Middletown; Chester; Rose Tree, in Upper Providence; and Beaumont's Corner, Newtown."

The roads on the 6th of December were in a wretched condition, so much so that the delegates representing several of the townships were unable to attend, while in others no meetings had been held. On that day the following townships were represented: Birmingham, Dr. Ellwood Harvey, J. D. Gilpin; Chester, John K. Zeilin, Y. S. Walter; Upper Chester, Robert R. Dutton; Concord, M. Stamp, E. Yarnall; Edgmont, E. B. Green, George Baker; Marple, Abraham Platt, Dr. J. M. Moore; Middletown, Joseph Edwards, Abram Pennell; Newtown, Eli Lewis, Thomas H. Speakman; Nether Providence, R. T. Worrall, Peter Worrall; Upper Providence, Emmor Bishop, Thomas Reese; Thornbury, Eli Baker, Daniel Green; Tinicum, Joseph Weaver, Jr.

A vote being had on the proposed sites, the result showed eight votes in favor of the county property, six for the Black Horse, six for Chester, and two for the Rose Tree, but finally the county property received twelve votes, a majority of delegates present.¹ The result obtained was not satisfactory to the anti-removalists, and a bitter wordy war was waged in the newspapers of that day. An attempt was made to reconcile the conflicting elements by the committee appointed at the meeting of the 6th of December, and to that end a meeting was called at the hall of the Delaware County Institute of Science, on the 30th

Hon. John M. Broomall, in his "History of Delaware County for the Past Century" (a centennial historical sketch, published in 1876, page 9), says, in referring to the causes of removal, "For many years the popularity of Chester had been upon the wane. Its people had given offense by endeavoring to rule the county, and only partially succeeded. Jurors, parties, and witnesses believed themselves to be imposed upon by high charges, and they knew themselves to be sneered at and ridiculed by the tavern idlers, who constituted most of the elite of the town."