Newtown Township.

had the exclusive sale of Pierce's plows, which he manufactured of cast iron, wrought iron, and steel.

Williamson's Saw-Mill. - In 1799 Enos Williamson owned a saw-mill on Crum Creek, which fell into disuse subsequent to 1848.

Thomas' Shingle-Mill. - Thirty-five years ago Jonathan H. Thomas was operating a shingle-mill in Newtown, which, on the evening of March 22, 1861, was set on fire and destroyed. The ground being at the time covered with a deep snow, the track of the incendiary was followed to Howellville, in Edgmont, where he was arrested.

Licensed Houses. - The first record of license granted in Newtown is mentioned in the following petition of Joseph Hawley, which would designate it as having been done in 1727, although I do not find Hawley's name in the petition for licenses previous to 1729. The petition I allude to is dated Aug. 25, 1741, and the petitioner sets forth his case to the court that he has "for these fourteen years Past Behaved himself as an honest, Civill and quiet neighbor in his said Imploy, forbidding Gameing or Drunkenness or Suffer Men's Servants or others, to Sitt Tipling in his house, and he and his wife being each of them Between Sixty and Seventy years of age. . . And hope you will not allow Francis Elliot, a young man (that hath a good trade, being a wheelwright, house carpenter and joiner, having a wife and one Child, hath Two or three apprentices, one Journeyman), to obtain your Grant for Keeping of a Publick house in Newtown, aforesaid, to the Great hurt and damage of your Petitioner in his old age."

The petition is indorsed by sixty-seven citizens of the township, who request the court to grant the license, lest "Hawley and wife become a publick charge." The application received the favorable consideration of the justice. In August, 1743, Hawley's petition states that "having obtained the favour of this Honorable Court for the Keeping a Publick house of Entertainment for these sixteen years past," he wishes to continue, and the court permits him so to do. From the diagram attached to Francis Elliot's petition, Nov. 24, 1741, it appears that "Hally's" (Hawley's) house was located on the north side of the then Darby (now West Chester) road, a short distance below where that road intersects with the road leading to Bishop's Mills and Lima, which places it above where the Fox Chase Hotel now stands. Elliot also states that his house is about ten miles distant on "Newtown Street," where the road from Goshen to Philadelphia crosses the former, and locates his house at the southwest intersection of Newtown Street and Goshen road, exactly on the site of the building of Mrs. Ruth Pratt, in 1870, as shown by Hopkin's Atlas of Delaware County.

As noted, Francis Elliot failed in the petition mentioned above, but he again presented his petition to the November court, in the same year, mentioning therein that he had made application at the August court, but without success. Aug. 31, 1742, he again appears, stating that he had been refused license at the previous August and November courts, but urges that "he hath been encouraged almost to complete a large Brick Building, and in a short time (by the Providence of God) shall be finished." His application appears to have this time been successful, for Aug. 30, 1743, he petitioned for a renewal of license, which was allowed.

Neither Hawley's nor Elliot's name appears, so far as I have been able to find, after the date just given, but Aug. 28, 1744, John West (the father of Benjamin West) petitioned that he "having obtained license for Keeping A public House of Entertainment in the County of Chester for one year, which being now Expired, your Petitioner Craves to be Continued in the Same Station in the Township." From that time until 1748 he continued in the business, but in that year Jonathan James, who leased the premises, received license for the house "where John West lately Dwelled," and had it renewed to him the following year. November, 1750, John Morris, also a renter, petitioned for license for the house where Jonathan James dwelt, which he says has been "a tavern ever since built," and it was allowed. The same year Jonathan James also made application at another location, but it was rejected. Morris kept the inn until 1755, when John West again became "mine host" and so continued until 1758, when John Hamilton obtained the license, which was consecutively continued until and including 1766. There is no record for the year 1767, but in 1768 John Jarvis was empowered to keep a public-house, which in 1771 was known as the Square. In 1774, John Powell succeeded Jarvis for three years, when Andrew Wilson conducted the business, and in turn was followed by James Elliot, the name of the house now being Newtown Square, a title which it appears to have retained until 1787, when it was again called the Square. This name it retained in 1788 and 1789, when Richard Britton was the host. In 1790, after the erection of Delaware County, Evan Jones was licensed at the Square, and in 1792 he was succeeded in business by William Beaumont, who owned the property. In 1810 he was superseded by Joseph Davis, who, in his petition the following year, gives the title of the old inn as the Wagon. The latter in 1814 was followed by Levi Wells, and in 1817, Davis Beaumont, a son of the owner of the tavern, became the landlord, to be followed in 1823 by William V. Black. At this time the electors of Newtown, Radnor, Marple, and that part of Edgmont lying to the west of Ridley Creek, had their polling-place at Black's Inn. In 1826, William L. Cochran followed William V. Black, to give place, in 1832, to Joseph Black, and the latter, two years later, to Joseph E. Anderson. At this time the voters of Newtown and Edgmont, east of Ridley Creek, had their polls at the Wagon. In 1838, Isaac Hull became the host, and when Newtown, in 1840, became an election district