Chester Creek Historic District
Why it's listed
Glen Mills and the surrounding stretch of Chester Creek form a rural district in Thornbury Township, Delaware County, with houses, mills and forges dating from the eighteenth century onward. Taylor's Sarum Forge, one of the earliest iron works in the province, was operated by John Taylor, a surveyor who worked on William Penn's western lands. Persifor Frazier, his son-in-law, served as a captain in the 4th Battalion of Pennsylvania in the Revolutionary War and was captured at Brandywine, later sitting in the Pennsylvania Assembly from 1781 to 1784. The district's stone and log houses, including the Hemphill House with its Federal-style woodwork, show how buildings were altered as owners' fortunes changed. Its workers' cottages, built about 1830 to 1880 in row and duplex forms, are described as among the best surviving examples of working-class domestic architecture of their period in the region. The mills, once numerous, are largely ruined, but the sites preserve material for archaeological study of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century industry.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is significant for its residents' contributions to state and national government and commerce, for its architecture, and for its role in the industrial development of Pennsylvania. Its early iron forge and mills, its eighteenth- and nineteenth-century houses, and its surviving workers' cottages are cited as evidence. The district is also described as a rural area with many remaining historic sites.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 72001120, listed March 24, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | N, E, and S of Glen Mills along the W branch of Chester Creek, Thornbury |
|---|---|
| County | Delaware County |
| Listed | March 24, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72001120 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 18th Century-19th Century |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Many mills and forges are in ruins; Locksley Mill is noted as the exception among the mills, and the remaining historic properties are described as in fair to good condition. |
| Acreage | 512 |
| Coordinates | 39.92337, -75.49041 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 72001120.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5093524
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.