Welsh Slate Quarrymens' Cottages at Coulsontown

Welsh Slate Quarrymens' Cottages at Coulsontown. . , These unique stone cottages are identical to those found in the slate quarrying regions of North Wales. They are owned and maintained by the Old Line Museum of Delta, Pa. Purchased in 2006, they are being restored by volunteers and various contractors to their original appearance when they were built, 1850-1860. They are built from a beautiful stone quarried from the ridge to your right known as "Cardiff Conglomerate" (derived from the neighboring community of Cardiff, Md.) by Welsh immigrants from North Wales, who came to this area to quarry the world famous Peach Bottom slate.

Most slate produced was used for roofing purposes. These cottages still have their original slate roofs. Peach Bottom slate is considered to be the "best roofing slate in the world.", and was awarded a medal for its durability at the London Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851.

Houses built mainly of wood are a predominant American construction method. The Welshmen being from Great Britain where wood construction is a rarity, knew only how to build a house out of stone. It also helped that rock quarrying was their livelihood.

The interiors of these cottages are virtually original, having been changed little over the years. They are also typical of those found in North Wales. The fireplace was used for cooking and heat. The kitchen was the main gathering place for the family. The small room on the right, first floor, was the adult's bedroom and served as the parlor for special occasions. The two rooms upstairs were bedrooms for the children.

We do know that David Williams and family were the first occupants of the cottage on the left, No. 28. He emigrated from Penrhyndeudraeth to America in 1851 and worked as a slate quarryman all of his life. His story was typical of the Welsh Immigrants who came to the Peach Bottom slate region.

They were in search of a better life, desiring to escape from the rule of the oppressive English aristocracy, who controlled most of Wales at the time and also religious freedom, as most of them did not wish to conform to the Church of England. Unemployment, starvation and disease were rampant in Wales at the time as well.

It was a hard life here in America, but they found a land of plenty along with opportunities not fund in Great Britain. Wales, like all of Great Britain at the time, was possessed of a strict class structure. In America, hard work and preseverance usually gained them a better life for themselves and their children.

Horrible injuries and death were common occurances in the quarries but they persisted and forged a legacy that still survives today in the forms of our enduring slate roofs, the Rehoboth Welsh Church, these cottages and symbols of their skills, such as the intrically carved slate tombstones found nearby in our local cemetaries (Slateville, Slate Ridge and Mt. Nebo). The cottages are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. , The Old Line Museum