The Land on Which the Battle of Paoli was Fought

The land on which the Battle of Paoli was fought has been farmland and woodland since the mid-18th century. Ezekiel Bowen, a farmer of Welsh descent, purchased this land in 1764. County records note that he sold it to Richard Mason of Philadelphia in March, 1777, but repurchased it in April, 1778, and lived here until his death in 1804. His whereabouts at the time of the battle are unknown, but chances are he was still living here. His log home stood to the right just off Warren Avenue until the 1950’s. Ezekiel took the Oath of Allegiance to the United States in 1778 and is listed as a member of the Willistown Militia in 1780., Colonel Hartley described the camp site on Bowen’s land: “In Part of the Front was a small wood and a Corn Field – on the Right a small wood and some open Fields – there were Roads passing the Flanks…” The term “corn field” was then used in a broader sense to mean “field of grain” rather than maize or “Indian corn.” This area of Chester County was populated largely by Welsh settlers in the early 18th century, and their farms grew a variety of crops: wheat, buckwheat, rye, oats, flax, and maize. Abundant livestock required pastures and fencing, commonly four or five-rail ‘post-and-rail’ fences, or zigzag ‘snake’ fences.