Ridley Township.

ingrain and Venetian carpets, double coverlets, etc. In 1847 he was operating four hundred and sixty-eight throstle-spindles, three hundred mule-spindles, and thirty looms. In 1848, Edward Taylor operated the mill, but was unsuccessful in business, and his machinery was sold by the sheriff in November, 1848. The mill was then rented by Daniel Lee. Subsequently the property passed to Samuel Lewis, who now owns it. It has been rented to different parties before 1871, and to the present time it has been operated by Cockroft & Black. It has a plant of worsted machinery, and manufactures three thousand pounds of yarn per week.

Davis & Culin Saw-Mill. - On the 30th of October, 1797, Caleb Davis and Isaac Culin entered into an agreement jointly to build "a saw-mill and water-works" on a tract of land at the junction of Crum Creek and Little Crum Creek, in more recent years known as "The Island Field." A saw-mill was erected nearly at the junction of the two creeks, and a race from Little Crum Creek brought the water to the mill. On April 14, 1806, Davis sold his interest in the mill property to John Newbold, and on August 11th of the same year, Culin & Newbold sold the property to Eli Lewis. The mill had been discontinued prior to 1825. On March 25, 1831, Eli Lewis in turn sold the property to John F. Hill. The latter was unsuccessful in business, and made an assignment of his property to James Maddock and Robert E. Hannum. The assignees, in 1843, conveyed the property, then consisting of seventy-one acres, "with right of mill-seat, water-works, dam, and race (now out of repair), on the waters of Little Crum Creek and Big Crum Creek,"to William J. Leiper. The mill, which had fallen entirely into disuse, was abandoned, and finally disappeared, until the fact of its having ever stood there had almost faded out of memory of the oldest resident in that neighborhood, until recalled to recollection by direct inquiry made while gathering data for this work. The property now belongs to Clarence Deshong, of Chester.

Licensed Houses - The Salutation or Wheat Sheaf. - Early in the annals of the county Walter Fauset was granted license for a public-house in Ridley, and doubtless other persons had the like privilege extended to them prior to Aug. 26, 1729, when the first petition found of record was presented by Joshua Thomson. In fact, we learn that this was the case by the quaint document itself, which sets forth that his (Thomson's) house was located "on a very public road, about half a quarter of a mile from a house which was licensed for several years, but vacant for a considerable time past." He also stated that he was four or five miles from any public-house. Thomson was granted license continuously until 1747. This house is believed to be the old Drove Tavern, while the house to which he referred was a stone building, which stood on the road nearly opposite the residence of the late William Maddock, south of Crum Lynne.

In 1752, Abel Janney was granted the right to sell liquor at the Thomson house, and the inn was at that time known as The Salutation, the sign representing a pair of clasped hands, showing the arms above the elbows. The Swedes, who used to make this house their headquarters, were in the habit, it is said, of kicking each other's shins for cider, and he that cried "Hold, enough!" was required to pay for the liquor of all present. One Swede, tradition states, for a long time managed always to be on the winning side, until it was discovered that he had adroitly concealed the leg of a chair in each of his stockings, and thus defied the toes of his adversaries' boots. In 1757, Mordecai Thomson was the landlord, who seems to have died in 1758, for in that year Hannah, his wife or daughter, received the license, and continued to do so for many years thereafter. In 1797, Aaron Morton was the landlord for two years, and in 1799, Thomas West took the house, and in his petition stated that Caleb Davis owned the property, which had, previous to his application, been in the tenure of Morton. In 1800, Jacob Painter became the landlord, and then, for the first time, the name of the tavern, The Wheat Sheaf, appears, and continued during all the period for which Jacob Painter was its host and proprietor, until Painter, after 1824, declined to take out license, and offered the property for sale. In his advertisement he describes the house as on the post-road, twelve miles from Philadelphia and three from Chester, the building being a two-story stone house, fifty feet front and eighteen deep, with a piazza front, three rooms on the lower floor, three on the second, and a good garret, a large stone kitchen, with chambers above, with sufficient sheds and stabling. The farm attached to the hotel comprised forty-two and one-half acres above the road and twenty acres below it, towards the river. At the intersection of Swarthmore Avenue with the Queen's Highway, or Southern post-road, was formerly a private gravevard of the Painter family. The little burial-place was inclosed by a thick-set thorn hedge. In 1827, Edward Horn had license for the ancient hotel, which he named the Drove, his sign representing a number of cattle being driven along a highway. In 1832, Horn received license for the last time, since which period the old house has been occupied as a private dwelling. It is still standing, is included within the limits of Ridley Park, and is now occupied by Curtis Taylor.

The Morris Ferry-House. - On Feb. 24, 1729/30, Adam Archer asked the indulgence of the court, stating that his house was "on the Banks of a Large Navigable Creek Leading out of the said River Delaware, Commonly known as Amos Land," and further added, "your petitioner's Landing being close at his floor." Notwithstanding that a remonstrance signed by twelve persons was presented against the granting of this license, the court decided to approve of Archer's application. Without doubt the location of this license was at the Darby Creek Ferry-House of more