Darby Borough.

ated by Hugh Davis, the half-brother of Isaac and Hugh Lloyd. In 1770 it was in possession of Aaron Oakford, who continued there until 1785, when Isaac Oakford was operating it. In 1790 Isaac Oakford had in connection with his fulling- a print-mill. On August 23d of that year, George Huffstetter and Isaac Huffstetter, sons of Lydia Yoamer, were bound before Esquire Pearson, to Conrad Psaphauser, to learn calico-stamping, being indentured for six years and eleven months, while the same day Jesse Huffstetter was bound to serve Psaphauser, at the trade of calico-stamping and "to learn mixing," for a term of ten years and three months. The assessment of 1798 returned Isaac Oakford as owning the fulling-mill and stamping-works for printing calico, and John Orna was employed there as a calico-stamper, and Samuel Wetherington as a calico-printer. In 1826, Isaac Oakford was still the owner of the mill, but at that time it was operated by Aaron Oakford, who continued there many years. It subsequently passed to Thomas Steel, and in 1854 was leased to John Verlenden, who changed it to a cotton-mill, and operated it until it was destroyed by fire, on March 5, 1859. The water for this mill was from its erection, in 1695, taken from the race which supplied the grist-mills above, and when they came into possession of Thomas Steel, the fulling-mill was limited to a supply of water that flowed through a four-inch pipe. This mill also passed to Thomas Steel, and was sold in 1861 with the grist-mill to Simeon Lord.

In 1788, Benjamin Oakford was operating a tan-yard, which he continued till 1810, when John Oakford succeeded him, and continued it until after 1848.

Imperial Mills. - In the year 1846, John Verlenden and Morton Farraday established a small business of spinning carpet yarn on Whiskey Run, in Springfield township. In 1854, Verlenden removed to Darby borough, and commenced business in the old fulling-mill of Thomas Steel, formerly Isaac Oakford, which he operated until it was burned, March 5, 1859. In that year Verlenden erected on the site of the present mill a factory building sixty by forty feet, which he operated until his death, in December, 1865. The business was continued by the family, and in 1867, Smith & Verlenden leased the mills, which they operated for three years. In 1870, W. Lane Verlenden and Enos Verlenden formed a partnership, and as Verlenden Brothers, began manufacturing in these mills. The main mill building was destroyed by fire in 1880, and the present mill, eighty by forty feet, erected on its site. The Imperial now contains seventy-two looms, two self-acting mules, each of five hundred and eight spindles, and two sets of sixty cards, driven by a Corliss engine, sixteen by forty-two, with two sets of boilers. Fourteen thousand yards of cotton and woolen goods are manufactured weekly from three thousand six hundred pounds of raw material. Fifty-five operatives are employed.

W. Arrott & Co. Mills. - These mills were erected by Judge James Andrews subsequent to 1848, and were located nearly opposite the old Thomas Steel grist-mill at the head of tide-water on Darby Creek. They were operated by Judge Andrews till his death, when they descended to his son, J. Charles Andrews, who, with Isaac Hibberd, operated them as Cedar Hill Mills until about 1873, when they were leased for a few years. In April, 1878, the property was sold by the assignees of J. Charles Andrews to William Arrott, of Philadelphia, who immediately began spinning yarn in these mills. The main building is two stories high, two hundred by fifty feet, contains five hundred spindles and eight sets of woolen cards. Ninety operatives are employed, and one thousand one hundred pounds of yarn are spun weekly.

In 1875, John L. Knowlton purchased a lot of land of the Sharon Land Association along the line of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad. He erected a two-story brick building and commenced the manufacture of specialties in machinery. This he continued till his death, after which the building was occupied for a year or two by William P. Jenks in the manufacture of boiler coverings. In March, 1884, the property was purchased by Scully & Smith, Philadelphia, who are at present fitting the factory for the manufacture of wood-turning machinery.

Tannery. - In 1766, John Pearson, who subsequently became an officer in the Revolutionary army, and, after the erection of Delaware County, one of the associate judges, was operating a tan-yard at Darby, which business he appears to have continued until 1810, when he was succeeded by Charles Pearson. The tan-yard was subsequently abandoned, unless the bark-mill which James Bunting was operating in 1842 was on the site of the yard, and connected with the tannery.

Schools. - The first record of a school within the limits of what is now Darby borough, is found in the minutes of Darby Monthly Meeting of date 7th day Seventh month (September), 1692, where it is stated "that Benj. Clift is to teach school Beginge y^e 12^th of y^e 7th^mo, and to continue one whole year except 2 weeks." Arrangements were also made with him the next year "to teach schoole one yeare Beginge y^e 20^th of y^e 7th^mo," for which he was to receive twelve pounds. Doubtless this school was kept in Friends' meeting-house. Prior to 1735, David Thomas, of Darby, by an instrument in writing, granted to Joseph Reed a lot of ground on which to build a school-house. The building was erected on the site designated, and subsequently Reed assigned the property to John Davis and Richard Parker. On April 2, 1735, doubtless to cure a defect in title, David Thomas conveyed the same land, which contained a quarter of an acre, to John Davis and Richard Jackson. Miss Sarah L. Miller, of Media, states that her grandfather, George Miller, who resided in Springfield, attended school in the year 1730, at a small one-story brick house which stood a short distance west of Darby Creek, and that he