Upper Providence Township.

and occupied by Abraham Jones, capable of grinding twenty-five thousand bushels of grain and sawing one hundred thousand feet of lumber per annum, but not employed to that extent. These mills were owned and operated by Mr. Jones until 1834, when they were sold to T. Chalkley Palmer, who devised them to his son, Lewis Palmer. The latter is the present owner. Of the mills in the township the location of which has not been ascertained, are the following: In 1764 and continuing till 1774; Charles Lynn owned a grist-mill; James Hunter and John Williamson each owned a quarter interest in a sawmill. In 1770, John Calvert owned a saw-mill on Crum Creek, and in 1788, Samuel Vernon owned a grist-mill and saw-mill, and Edward Woodward a grist-mill.

Licensed Houses. - In the township of Upper Providence, the first application for license of record is that of David Calvert, the younger, who presented his petition, dated May 29, 1739, to the court, wherein he states that he "is Building a Convenient house by the great Road which leads from the valley to Chester, near to where the Road from the Northwest parts of this County to Philadelphia crosseth the same," and asked that he may be permitted to sell "Beer & Cyder, & keep a house of Entertainment." His application was rejected, as was also a similar petition at the August court; but Nov. 27, 1739, he informed the court that he "has built a Convenient hous," whereupon the license was granted, the location being that of the present Rose-Tree Hotel.

Aaron Thompson, of Upper Providence, May 29, 1739, requested a tavern license, "on Providence Road, and near Springfield road," which would bring it near Rose-Tree, and although his application was indorsed by Bernhard Van Leer and fifty-two other signers, it was rejected.

At November court of the same year, John Russell filed his petition, wherein he locates his house as "upon Vper providence Street Road side, half a mile above providence meeting-house," and also declares that there is "no publick house on the sd Road between Chester to The Great Valley road" (his statement was then true, for it was at this court that Daniel Calvert obtained license), and he wishes "to sell Rum by small Measure, In proportion to two pence the Gill." The court perhaps thought the price so low that that sort of liquor would be injurious to the public generally, at any rate they refused Russell's application.

During the year 1739 there seems to have been considerable effort to procure license in Upper Providence, for May 29th of that year, Matthew Bowcher, in that township, "on Street Road," wished to sell "Beer & Cyder," which was denied him, and August 28th he again made application, indorsed by seventy-six signers, who represent him to the court as "both lame and old," but to no purpose, for the justices still refused the prayer of the petitioner.

Aaron Thompson, who had been denied license at the May court, 1739, again asked the court's consideration Aug. 29, 1744, stating that his house is located "on the fforks of two great Roads, - one leading to Philadelphia, and the other from Chester to Newtown, and there is no publick house conveniently situated for the Philadelphia road;" almost due east of Media, but again the justices refuse to grant his application.

At August court, 1744, John Calvert's petition shows that he had "leased the house where Daniel Calvert's kept publick-house," and desired that the license might be continued to him, which was done, and yearly renewed until 1747, when Daniel Calvert becomes once more the landlord of the tavern. Then follows an interval of thirteen years, during which the records are silent respecting this inn, but in 1761 David Malin made application, and continued so to do until 1764, when Joseph Nicklin became the innkeeper. He continued in that occupation only one year, for in 1765 Daniel Thompson secured the license, and annually thereafter until 1768. In 1766, Jonathan Durrell bad tavern license in Upper Providence, but his name occurs only during that year.

Townsend Ward, in his interesting "Walk to Darby," in alluding to fox-chasing, says, "For this ancient sport is continued in Delaware County, which possesses the famous Rose-Tree Fox-Hunting Club, and an excellent pack of hounds. The title is derived from an old inn of the days of the Revolution, called the Rose-Tree, situated near Wallingford Station. The club has recently been gladdened by the discovery in an old loft of the original sign of the inn."¹

In 1769, David Malin applied again for the license, and in 1770 his petition sets forth that the tavern is known as the "Three Tonns." In 1771, David Malin again made application for license, and from that date no petition appears of record until 1778, when John Moore received the privilege to keep a public-house there, and in 1782 it was granted to Mary Moore, and continued to her in 1783, when again occurs a break until 1786, when Baldwin Weaver procured the license. From the latter date no petition has been found respecting this old hostelry of record at West Chester. After the erection of Delaware County William Maddock had the license, to be succeeded in 1801 by William Robinson. In 1802, Jonathan Bonsall had the inn, which was then known as the Red Lion. In 1803, Isaac Cochran, who had removed from the Blue Ball Inn, in Springfield, endeavored to get license as the Red Lion, but was refused. The next year, 1805, Moses Palmer obtained license for the Rose-Tree Tavern, the title being changed from the Red Lion because of the bad repute the latter name had in the county. The house at this time was an old frame building, painted red, which in the sixty-six years since it had been erected had grown dilapidated. In that year (1805) the