West Chester in Chester County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Simon Barnard Row
104-116 East Washington Street
227 North Walnut Street
Erected 1979 by West Chester Borough Board of Historical Review. (Marker Number 15.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • Architecture • Notable Buildings.
Location. 39° 57.785′ N, 75° 36.301′ W. Marker is in West Chester, Pennsylvania, in Chester County. Marker is on East Washington Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 110 East Washington Street, West Chester PA 19380, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. David Townsend House (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); G. Raymond Rettew (about 400 feet away); Woman's Rights Convention of 1852 (about 600 feet away); 97th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers Memorial (about 600 feet away); Marshall Square Park (about 600 feet away); Marquis De LaFayette (about 700 feet away); General Lafayette (approx. 0.2 miles away); Historic American Structure (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in West Chester.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Additional commentary.
1. Underground Railroad Conductors ~
The man that built these homes Simon Barnard (1802-1886) and his wife Sarah Darlington Barnard (1807-1881) were conductors along the Underground Railroad operating a waystation in Newlin, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The two were Quakers and as such were Abolitionists. The couple received hundreds of passengers from a farm owned by John and Hannah Pierce Cox near the area that is today Longwood Gardens. The name itself is derived from a term used by escaping slaves on their journey to freedom, they called that then densely forested area near Kennett Square, Pennsylvania “the Long Woods” and the name stuck. Simon and Sarah achieved this task with a specially outfitted covered wagon called Black Maria, hanging a quilt to conceal their dozen person cargo; swiftly moving them along to the next waystation.
— Submitted November 5, 2015, by Keith S Smith of West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 4, 2015, by Keith S Smith of West Chester, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 684 times since then and 22 times this year. Last updated on November 5, 2015, by Keith S Smith of West Chester, Pennsylvania. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 4, 2015, by Keith S Smith of West Chester, Pennsylvania. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.