Timeline of the Washington Building at Yellow Springs

Colonization of Yellow Springs

1600 – 1722

1600s – 1690s

• 1616– Dutch captain Cornelis Hendrickson found a safe channel into Delaware Bay and explored much of the Delaware River. The Dutch named it the “South River”.
• 1620– Thomas Dermer entered Delaware Bay while traveling between Virginia and New England.
• 1624– The Dutch built Fort Nassau, one of the first European trading posts on the Delaware River. They abandoned it the following year.
• 1637– The Swedish West India Company founded the colony of New Sweden under Peter Minuit at present day Wilmington, Delaware. Swedish and Finnish settlers established farms and traded with Indigenous peoples.
• 1638– Peter Minuit renamed Minquas Creek as Christina Creek in honor of Queen Christina of Sweden. Swedish leaders claimed the west side of the Delaware River to Trenton.
• 1638-1664– Swedish and Finnish settlers created small settlements along the Delaware River. They lived alongside Indigenous peoples while Dutch, Swedish, and English governments competed for control.
  • In 1649, King Charles I was executed during the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell ruled England for the next decade. His conquest of Ireland would leave many Irish people destitute and starving while English and other wealthy protestant peoples from the British Isles moved in and took land from the original Irish Catholic population, contributing to the amount of indentured Irish people entering the colonies in the following decades.
• 1660– Back in England, Charles II returned to the English throne after the Restoration.
• 1664– King Charles II granted New Jersey and Delaware to his brother, James II. England secured control of the former Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. Also in 1664, James, Duke of York, granted East New Jersey to John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton and George Carteret.
• 1667– The Treaty of Breda officially ended the Second Anglo-Dutch War and confirmed English control of former Dutch lands.
• 1674– Lord Berkeley sold his share of West New Jersey to Edward Byllynge (an English Quaker, London brewer, and colonial proprietor) and John Fenwick (also an English Quaker). West and East New Jersey became separate colonies.
• 1675– William Penn became a trustee for Edward Byllynge’s land. This role gave Penn valuable experience in colonial planning and government.
  • Also in 1675, John Fenwick founded Salem, New Jersey, one of the region’s earliest permanent Quaker settlements.
• 1677– Quaker settlers founded Burlington, New Jersey, creating another important settlement along the Delaware River.
• 1681– King Charles II granted William Penn the land that became Pennsylvania to repay a debt owed to Penn’s father, Admiral Sir William Penn. This grant contained what we now know as Pikeland, which contains Yellow Springs.
• 1682– Quaker leaders hoped Pennsylvania and New Jersey would create a large region where members of the Society of Friends could govern themselves with religious freedom. William Penn and eleven other Quakers purchased East New Jersey after George Carteret’s death. The group later divided ownership among twenty-four proprietors.
  • Also in 1682, Dr. Daniel Coxe became one of the twenty-four proprietors of East New Jersey. He was one of the few owners who was not a Quaker.

1680s through the early 1700s

• 1680s– Dr. Daniel Coxe, Sir Matthias Vincent, and Major Robert Thompson became the original landowners whose properties later formed Vincent and Pikeland Townships.
• 1685– Benjamin Chambers, a friend of William Penn, surveys the area between the Delaware River and the Susquehanna River. His map (digitally enhanced by HYS) can be seen below.

• 1690– One of the oldest recorded permanent settlements in the area, now located at 1461 Art School Road, appears in records as early as 1690.
  • Today, the site is home to the Fagley homestead, built in 1860 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Although outside modern-day Yellow Springs, the property reflects the broader settlement of the Pikeland area and once contained a major iron deposit owned by Phoenix Iron Co.
• 1690s– William Penn’s government attracted settlers from many backgrounds by offering religious freedom, representative government, and generous land policies. These principles shaped the early development of Pennsylvania.

Early 1700s

• 1700s– European settlers (especially German immigrants) began living on this land more permanently. The Hench property, for example, at 1446 Clover Mill Hill just outside modern-day Yellow Springs, is said to date to 1715 and was purchased by the Hench family, German immigrants who were part of a migration from Lehigh, Berks, and Montgomery Counties that began in 1709.
  • The Hench family is recorded to have purchased the property from another “Old Pikeland” family, the Milhouses.
• 1705– William Penn granted a tract of over 30,000 acres to Matthias Vincent, who then leases over 10,000 acres, known as “Pikeland,” to Joseph Pike
• 1721– The “Iron Springs” are first noted on a map of the Township of Pikeland by Isaac Taylor.
  • Another house in the neighboring community of Yellow Springs, the Dietrich House (at modern-day 1337 Art School Road, previously known as Arkadia) has an original construction dating back to 1721.
• 1722– the American Weekly Mercury out of Philadelphia reports on a letter from New York about a mineral spring in the Great Valley about 30 miles away from Philadelphia. This mineral spring would later become known as “Yellow Springs”

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Colonial Era Tavern and Spa

1722 – 1770

• ~1733- The nearest excavated Contact-period Lenape site is 36CH60 (Montgomery Site) in Wallace Township, dated roughly 1700 to 1733. Marshall Becker’s excavation demonstrates that Lenape communities remained in Chester County after Penn’s arrival rather than disappearing immediately.
• 1737- The “Walking Purchase” dispossessed the Lenape of vast territories in Pennsylvania and forces them out of their ancestral homeland

• 1750– Joseph Pritchard (or Robert Pritchard- unclear) submits and is granted a tavern license at the Yellow Springs sometime before 1750. The original tavern was probably built out of logs, as were most buildings in this area at that time. By 1750, the inn is now made of stone and is increasing in notoriety as a healing spa as well as a tavern.
  • This stone structure would later be part of the Washington Building, known as the Brick Room.
• May 28th, 1751– Samuel Lewis applies for, and is granted, permission to maintain the tavern at Yellow Springs. His application mentions that he had purchased the tavern from one Robert Pritchard, likely a relation of Joseph Pritchard mentioned above.

• 1753– David Rittenhouse comes to Yellow Springs to seek treatment for his ulcers
• 1761– James Martin acquired the license to the tavern and the 160 acres of property surrounding it. The tavern that was on his property is now part of the Washington, and is known as the Brick Room.
• October 21st, 1762– James Martin and Caleb Harry advertise in the The Pennsylvania Gazette looking to lease the remaining part of the Yellow Springs Plantation.

• 1763– Facing financial difficulties, Martin offers to sell 150 acres and a two story stone dwelling. At this point, the tavern does not seem to be included in the plot of land that Martin is offering for sale. By May, though, the sheriff is selling it all to satisfy Martin’s debts.

• May 19th, 1763– Despite the Sheriff’s Sale of Yellow Springs being in effect, stage wagons from Philadelphia to Yellow Springs are advertised by John Cobble. These wagons would carry goods and people from Philadelphia to the spa.

• August 30th, 1763– Jonathan Durell’s application for the opperation of a tavern out of Yellow Springs is approved.
  • Somehow, even though this date far predates when we initially thought Dr. Samuel Kennedy was in the picture at Yellow Springs, his signature appears as a supporter here as well. It also potentially appears that Jonathan Potts has signed his name in approval, though we need to compare this signature with more of his signatures to determine if this is the same Dr. Johnathan Potts that is a well-known Revolutionary figure.
    • Durell’s application also identifies the previous tavernkeeper as Adam Ramsour (also spelled Ramsower) who, according to the Chester County Archives’ tavern petition index, operated a tavern in Pikeland (believed to be the Yellow Springs tavern) from as early as 1754. Further research is ongoing in this matter.

• November 17th, 1763– Jonathan Durell places an advertisement about good entertainment at Yellow Springs and that the water is in “good order”. It is unclear who is the current owner of Yellow Springs at this time.

• May 31st, 1764– Advertisements continue for wagon services from Philadelphia to Yellow Springs.

• September 6th, 1764– Philadelphia silversmith John Bayly acquires the village and leases the property. He improves and enlarges the tavern (which is currently known as the Brick Room in the Washington Building).

• July 26, 1764
  • An advertisement for the public sale of two large plantation tracts in Great Valley (about 19 miles from Philadelphia) includes sale of the tavern known as the Sign of the Boot, on the “main road from the Yellow Springs”- signifying that the tavern was well known by this point.

• 1765– The 1765 Minutes of Uwchland Meeting House describe the village at Yellow Springs as a “promiscuous Resort”. Quakers are advised to keep their children away from the area.
• 1767– George Maxton, who is operating the tavern at this time and leasing from Bayly, offers reward for a runaway Irish indentured servant named Thomas Haggerty

• 1767– Dr. John Morgan, renown doctor from Philadelphia, sends his patients to Yellow Springs to drink the water to improve their health. One of those patients is Mrs. Hannah Skelton.
• August 11th, 1768– In the newspaper The Pennsylvania Journal, or, Weekly Advertiser, John Bayly advertises about Yellow Springs, and mentions a new dwelling house being build beside the original tavern. This new structure is likely the original main part of the rest of the Washington Building.

• 1770– The Yellow Springs property is to be auctioned. Village attracts 200-500 daily in season, thanks to the popular mineral baths and tavern.

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• March 1st, 1770- The Pennsylvania Gazette discusses how the entire Yellow Springs Plantation is to be sold on March 21st of that year. Also discusses tracts of land being sold around Yellow Springs.

• May 31st 1770- The Pennsylvania Journal discusses how the Yellow Springs Plantation was to be sold on June 30 of that year, which conflicts with previously mentioned newspaper article that said plantation was to be sold on March 21st.
  • The advertisement mentions George Maxton as living in Yellow Springs, and the auction is to take place at his home. At this time, Maxton was the tavern keeper who had been hired by John Bayly after his September 1764 advertisement.

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The American Revolutionary War

1770 – 1781

• 1771– In April of 1771, the entire property of John Bayly is to be sold by the sheriff to pay off Bayly’s debts. However, the sale does not appear to have gone through.
• March 14th, 1771- The Pennsylvania Gazette discusses how the Yellow Springs Plantation is to be sold on April 6th at the house of George Maxton in Yellow Springs.
  • The relationship between Maxton and Bayly is not well known at this time, but it is possible that the attempt to sell his property through the sheriff’s sale was not something that Bayly had agreed to. Maxton’s role in hosting the auctions at his home while serving as the tavern keeper employed by Bayly may have contributed to animosity between the two men.

• August 25th, 1772– Despite the ongoing attempt at a Sheriff’s sale for Bayly’s Yellow Springs property, John Bayly applies for, and is granted, the license to continue the operations of the Yellow Springs Tavern
  • Notably, Dr. Samuel Kennedy and General “Mad” Anthony Wayne have signed the petition as supporters.

• February 27th, 1772– Dr. Samuel Kennedy and John Bayly advertised for a tenant at a house at Yellow Springs. This notice predates our earliest records of Kennedy’s purchase of the property and may suggest that the Kennedy family acquired Yellow Springs before 1774. Notably, Bayly was still connected to Yellow Springs at this time.

• August 31st 1773– John Bayly applies for a tavern license again in 1773. He is approved.
  • Notably, among the signatures of these witnesses are the following notable Yellow Springs residents: Zachariah Rice (husband of Abigail Hartman-Rice), John Henge (aka Johannes Hench, the husband of Christina Schneider Hench), Captain Michael Holman (father of Henry Holman), and Martin Holman

• 1774– Dr. Samuel Kennedy of East Whiteland purchases the Yellow Springs plantation after the property was sold in foreclosure. The Kennedy family owns several other properties, and leases the tavern and management of the property to Samuel Culbertson.
• May 31, 1774– Samuel Culbertson’s petition to operate the tavern on the Yellow Springs plantation is approved.
  • Notably, Dr. Samuel Kennedy and Michael Holman again appear in the signatures of those who support this venture.

• March of 1776– John Seaton announces he will teach how to make salt petre (gunpowder) at Yellow Springs on the 3rd and 4th of the month.

• September 11th, 1777– Battle of Brandywine
  • In the aftermath of the Battle of Brandywine, soldiers fleeing the battlefield are treated and housed by several of the immigrant farmers whose properties neighbored Yellow Springs. In 1776, Hessian soldiers noted the presence of several “rebel hospitals” operating in the town (out of barns) at this time.
• September 16th, 1777– Battle of the Clouds
  • Battle of the Clouds in Frazer is aborted by a nor’easter and the American army marches from Frazer to Yellow Springs to camp in the blinding rainstorm. George Washington stays in the tavern at Yellow Springs while 11,000 troops camp overnight on the Yellow Springs property and leave the next day for Warwick and Redding Furnaces (Elverson)
• January 28th, 1779– Advertisement to Let Property by Sarah and Montgomery Kennedy
  • In the newspaper the Poulson’s American Daily Advertiser, Sarah Kennedy (Dr. Samuel Kennedy’s widow) and Montgomery Kennedy (Dr. Kennedy’s brother) advertise that they are seeking tenants for a number of houses on the Yellow Springs property. Included in this advertisement is the tavern. It also indicates that the Kennedy family may have been living there during the more harsh periods of the war, and this is where Dr. Kennedy may have died.

• 1777-1781– Washington Hall and the Hospital Complex
  • From 1777 to 1781, the Yellow Springs property served as a major hospital complex for the Continental Army. The complex included Washington Hall, a general hospital built between 1777 and 1778 that also served as the headquarters of the Hospital Department; several “rebel” hospitals that operated from barns throughout the village as flying hospitals; and the supply depot for the hospitals of the Middle Department. If the unofficial hospitals described by the Hessian soldier mentioned earlier are included, medical operations at Yellow Springs date back to 1776.
• September 1781– Washington Hall is closed
  • Congress ordered the closure of the hospital complex and Washington Hall at Yellow Springs, despite requests from Dr. Otto, who assumed leadership of the hospital following Dr. Kennedy’s death, that it remain open.

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Fashionable Health Spa

1782 – 1867

• 1783– Captain Alexander McCaraher (a family friend of the Kennedy family) reopens the tavern at Yellow Springs and repairs “the baths and bath houses.”
• March 31st 1784– Advertisement for Tenants in the Tavern
  • By 1784, the tavern at Yellow Springs seems to be known as “The Sign of the United States”. In this newspaper ad posted in the The Pennsylvania Journal, or, Weekly Advertiser, Sarah Kennedy (on behalf of her son, Thomas R. Kennedy, who owned Yellow Springs at the time) advertises that the tavern (as well as the Red House where she is staying) is seeking a tenant

• 1789– All of Pikeland Township (East & West) to be sold at auction to satisfy the debts of Andrew Allen owed to Samuel Hoare. 115 terre tenants (persons holding titles to the property but who were not the original debtor who incurred the lien) held land at that time. A man named John Harper operates the inn.
• 1793– the Tavern License for the Yellow Springs Inn (what the tavern was known as at this time) was granted to Frederick Holman. The tavern is run by Frederick and his wife, Margaret.
• 1806– Col. James Bones acquires a property contiguous to the Holmans, who were leasing the hotel that contained the original Yellow Springs tavern at this time, starting a competition that will continue for three decades.
• 1810– Yellow Springs profiled in The Portfolio, a national magazine. Bones offers to sell his property at auction but it never goes through.
• 1816- Colonel James Bones, now the owner of the Yellow Springs property, sold the inn to Frederick Holman, who had owned the Tavern License for the Yellow Springs Tavern since 1793. Holman’s widow, Mrs. Margaret Holman, would run the inn very successful and turned it into a flourishing resort, though she and Bones had a longstanding “business feud”.
• 1818– According to the Tavern Petitions of Chester County (the index of which is visible here, on page 2), a man named Mordecai Adams attempts to obtain the permit for the Yellow Springs Tavern. His application is denied.
• 1826– Advertisements indicated Yellow Springs can now be reached by packet boat. Meanwhile, steamboats are beginning to offer vacations at the seashore (Cape May). 
• 1828– Mrs. Holman indicates that she has erected a 3 story house and connected it to the adjacent hotel with a piazza. Today, we can still see the piazza connecting these two hotels- now known as the Washington Building and the Lincoln Building. The road via Kimberton is now graded and three stages a week come from Philadelphia.
  • During the era in which Mrs. Holman ran the Yellow Springs resort, it played host to notable people of the era, including Jenny Lind, Fanny Kemble, P.T. Barnum, and Chang and Eng Bunker (also known as the Siamese Twins)
• 1836– A second railroad planning meeting. Abraham Olwine, Esq. is appointed secretary of the group headed by Jos. Whitaker. Olwine takes on a partner Joseph Wood. Weekly stays for a family cost $5.00. Samuel and Frederick Holman acquire Mansion House Hotel at Market and Church Streets in West Chester. Margaret continues to operate Yellow Springs. Chang and Eng Bunker (the Siamese Twins) appear for as entertainment at the Holman hotels in W. Chester & Yellow Springs
• 1843– Frederick and his son, Samuel Holman offer their West Chester hotel for sale. Fanny Kemble is a guest at Yellow Springs and writes a poem about it.
• 1846– Dr. George Lingen acquired the Yellow Springs property and uses it as a homeopathic facility.

• 1849– Capt. Henry Neff  and Dr. Charles Hoffendahl operate the Springs. Emphasis returns to luxurious accommodations.
• 1856– Foreclosure sale of Dr. Lingen’s interests in Yellow Springs. August Snyder acquires the Springs.
• 1867– Final season as a resort. After changing hands a number of times, Yellow Springs would eventually be purchased for use as a school for Orphans of the American Civil War.

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Pennsylvania Soldiers’ Orphan School

1868 – 1912

• 1876- During the period when Yellow Springs was part of the Pennnsylvania Soldier’s Orphan School, the original Yellow Springs Inn was used as a boy’s dormitory and the students’ dining room. In 1876, the Inn was destroyed by fire. When rebuilt the same year, it is combined with the original tavern’s structure, creating the modern appearance of the Washington Building. 
• 1880s– Eleanor Moore, niece of the abolitionist Kimberton Lewis Sisters, is the principal of the Orphan School at Yellow Springs. She is the first (and only) female principal of a school in the Orphan School system.

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Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts: Country School

1916 – 1951

1927-1933 The Washington Building functions as the men’s dormitory and dining room for the students at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts’ Country School

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Good News Productions

1952 – 1965

1959- The Washington Building is recorded in the Historic American Buildings Survey

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Early Years and Formation of the Yellow Springs Association

1965 – 1977

1965– Yellow Springs association, a board based community membership organization, is founded to sponsor artistic and cultural programs, and foster interest in the village and its history

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Yellow Springs Inn

1977 – 2005

1977– “The Yellow Springs Inn” restaurant opens in the Washington Building. This restaurant closes in 2005.

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Historic Yellow Springs

2005 – today

2012- Now part of Historic Yellow Springs, the Washington Building restored and reopened as a Wedding Venue

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Further research is ongoing!