Chadds Ford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Archie's Corner
Photographed By Carl Gordon Moore Jr., June 25, 2021
1. Archie's Corner Marker
Inscription.
Archie's Corner. .
Bullock Octagonal School Established 1838 by the School District of Birmingham Township (now Chadds Ford Township), . These are the ruins of the Bullock Octagonal School. In 1838, the School District of Birmingham Township purchased "81 perches" of land from Robert Bullock and built an eight-sided stone school. This was a popular design in the 1830s. It allowed one teacher to keep an eye on all of the students from a central point in the middle of the room. Windows on the seven sides, with a door on the eighth, also provided a maximum of light. The other octagonal schoolhouse in the Township, at the corner of Heyburn and Ridge Roads, is now a private residence., The District sold the Bullock Octagonal School in 1875 and built a new schoolhouse on the adjacent property uphill to the west. It is now a private residence., Lydia A. Archie, a black preacher, purchased the property in 1891, and the building was used as a church with adjacent ground used as a cemetery. "Mother" or "Sister" Archie lived in a frame house next door. Its foundation is still evident. The congregation met in the octagonal building for about 40 years, disbanding some time after Lydia's death in 1932., The cemetery was probably active only during the life of the church. A plot plan indicates that the cemetery had stone walls on three sides and that there were 79 gravesites. Few of the markers are visible today., The property became known locally as "Archie's Corner", the title of a 1953 drawing by Andrew Wyeth. Over the years he has frequently visited the site and its buildings and members of the black community who were his friends., The property was sold to the County for back taxes in 1944 and went to Sheriff's sale. Ten years later, the owner dedicated the property to Birmingham Township, now Chadds Ford Township, which maintains the cemetery and the octagonal ruins. ,
Rev. Mrs. Lydia Archie The Oldest Ordained Female Preacher in the African Union M. P. Church Chadds Ford, Pa. . Reprinted with permission from the Methodist Collections of Drew University,
Bullock Octagonal School Mother Archie's School. Chester County Historical Society [The contributor had to check to see that this Chester County reference is what this marker, even though it is in Delaware County, has here.]
Bullock Octagonal School
Established 1838 by the School District of
Birmingham Township
(now Chadds Ford Township)
These are the ruins of the Bullock Octagonal School. In 1838,
the School District of Birmingham Township purchased
"81 perches" of land from Robert Bullock and built an eight-sided stone
school. This was a popular design in the 1830s. It allowed
one teacher to keep an eye on all of the students from a central
point in the middle of the room. Windows on the seven
sides, with a door on the eighth, also provided a maximum of
light. The other octagonal schoolhouse in the Township, at the
corner of Heyburn and Ridge Roads, is now a private residence.
The District sold the Bullock Octagonal School in 1875 and built
a new schoolhouse on the adjacent property uphill to the
west. It is now a private residence.
Lydia A. Archie, a black preacher, purchased the property in 1891,
and the building was used as a church with adjacent ground used as a cemetery. "Mother" or "Sister" Archie lived in a frame house next door. Its foundation is still evident. The congregation met in the octagonal building for about 40 years, disbanding some time after Lydia's death in 1932.
The cemetery was probably active only during the life of the church. A plot plan indicates
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that the cemetery had stone walls on three sides and that there were 79 gravesites. Few of the markers are visible today.
The property became known locally as "Archie's Corner", the title of a 1953 drawing by Andrew Wyeth. Over the years he has frequently visited the site and its buildings and members of the black community who were his friends.
The property was sold to the County for back taxes in 1944 and went to Sheriff's sale. Ten years later, the owner dedicated the property to Birmingham Township, now Chadds Ford Township, which maintains the cemetery and the octagonal ruins.
Rev. Mrs. Lydia Archie
The Oldest Ordained Female Preacher in the
African Union M. P. Church
Chadds Ford, Pa.
Reprinted with permission from the
Methodist Collections of Drew University
Bullock Octagonal School
Mother Archie's School
Chester County Historical Society
[The contributor had to check to see that this Chester County reference is what this marker, even though it is in Delaware County, has here.]
Photographed By Carl Gordon Moore Jr., July 1, 2021
2. Archie's Corner Marker
Left part of marker
39° 51.923′ N, 75° 34.556′ W. Marker is near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, in Delaware County. It is in Chadds Ford Township. Marker is at the intersection of Bullock Road and Ring Road, on the right when traveling west on Bullock Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chadds Ford PA 19317, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Carl Gordon Moore Jr., July 1, 2021
3. Archie's Corner Marker
Right part of marker
Photographed By Carl Gordon Moore Jr., June 25, 2021
4. Archie's Corner Marker
Bullock Road in foreground
Photographed By Carl Gordon Moore Jr., June 25, 2021
5. Archie's Corner Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. This page has been viewed 410 times since then and 45 times this year. Last updated on July 17, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:1. submitted on June 25, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 1, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
