Whip Tavern will host ‘History on Tap’ program on Oct. 23
The Whip Tavern will be the site of the next “History on Tap” program by the Chester County Historical Society.
Engaging history will be brewing on Oct. 23 at the Whip Tavern in West Marlborough Township.
The scenic venue is a fitting backdrop for the latest chapter of “History on Tap,” a traveling program presented by the Chester County Historical Society that mixes history with the casual ambience of local bars and restaurants.
This edition, in partnership with the Cheshire Hunt Conservancy, will feature David Shields, associate director of the Brandywine Conservancy’s Environmental Management Center and co-author of Catalyst for Conservation, the story of the 5,400-acre King Ranch property which once dominated East and West Marlborough, Newlin, and East Fallowfield Townships.
The property was once home to 5,000 cherry-colored Texas steer before it was permanently protected by the Brandywine Conservancy, which engineered one of the largest private land conservation projects in Pennsylvania. Representatives from Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds, a Chester County equestrian mainstay celebrating its 100th anniversary, will provide a brief overview of their organization and its activities.
The 30-minute program, which begins at 6:30 p.m., will be followed by discussion, Q&A, and good conversation. A great selection of beer and food will be available for purchase. The program is free, but space is limited to 75 attendees. Reservations are required by Oct. 18 and will be handled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Email rsvp@chestercohistorical.org. The Whip Tavern is located at 1383 North Chatham Road, Coatesville, 19320.
A exemplar of noblesse oblige contrary to the “greed is good” model of the nouveau riche. Thank you to the Buck and Doe 20.
Lost History…
All one has to do is look at the Stock Grange property to see what King Ranch might have become. Claude Rains once lived there. I met him once when I was a little boy when there was snow on the ground. He came to the door. It was cold. He was wearing a bright red smoking jacket, smoking a cigarette on the end of a long filter. My father and uncle asked him if they could elevate his pine trees in order to collect boughs for Christmas wreathes. He said go right ahead because he was going to timber the pines and that elevating them would help creates knots. I thought he had a strange way of saying knots and he stared down at me and smiled with a tilt of his head. He didn’t smoke his cigarete the same way my father did. He held it much higher. I was holding my father’s hand and looking around the legs of the adults through the opening in the door. I saw a blonde haired woman with her back toward me sitting on a green Louis XV settee. She turned her head to the right and I saw her profile. She said something. I think she was annoyed by the draft coming through the door because after she turned her head our business was concluded rapidly and we were on our way to the pine grove. I didn’t know then, but I could swear today it was Eva Marie Saint.
Making History…
One thing…Mr. Shields, take the padlock off the gate at the entrance to The Laurels. The Laurels were to be open to the public. That was one your sells to the townships. I was involved in East Fallowfield politics back in the ’80’s. I remember you saying that the public would have access. I never thought you meant that people had to pay to join the conservancy in order to access The Laurels. It’s bad enough I’ve lost access to all my best fishing holes in the county. The Laurels used to be one of my old stomping grounds before there were padlocks and people.
By the way, here’s something I bet you don’t know: the southern most natural stand of Tsuga canadensis (Canadien Hemlock) is located in the Laurels and at one time, before they redid the maps, it was split diagonally by two climatic zones. You cold actually start at the western edge and be walking in snow flurries and by the time you got to the eastern end, it would be drizzling. It’s an enchanting place where water dripping on leaves sounds like drums.