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OverviewABOUT THE COLONIAL PENNSYLVANIA PLANTATION:  MISSION: The Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation is an authentic living history site with the purpose of enhancing understanding of 1760-90 farm life in Southeastern Pennsylvania by providing high quality, research based experiences to the public.ABOUT US: Astride Ridley Creek in Edgemont, PA., the 112 acres of the Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation provide the context of early American history, the setting where the impact of King George's taxes was felt, the American melting pot began to simmer, and American ingenuity took root. While the decisions of military and political leaders may set the course of history, it is left to the average people, the foot soldiers of history, to carry themselves and their nation to the future. As much as the conflict and debate of the Revolution, it was the daily conquest of the land that shaped the character and growth of America. Using their resourcefulness to survive and prosper, the colonists helped establish the foundation of the American way. Much of the familiarity with colonial times is based on history's memorialized few. Accounts of the clothing, homes and style of living of the likes of Washington, Franklin and Jefferson have implied an elite standard beyond the reality of the typical southeastern Pennsylvanian, a rural farmer. The Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation's modest role - as a working farm operating with the methods and implements of colonial America - belies its significance as a living example of that period. The people and activities of the Plantation represent more than the one 18th century family who owned the property. The way of life that exists at the Plantation is a tribute not simply to the Pratt family, who lived on this farm from 1720-1820, but to the efforts and achievements of the typical colonial resident of this area. Consistent with the findings of local research into religious and tax records, wills and letters of the 1760-90 period, the Plantation represents a broader view of early American life, an authentic demonstration of how most people in this area lived during colonial times. A BRIEF HISTORY: In the mid-1960s, the state of Pennsylvania purchased 2,490 acres of farmland in Edgemont Township, Delaware County, to create Ridley Creek State Park. At the same time, a group of people interested in historic sites and the American Revolutionary period joined together to preserve, protect and register the old houses within the new park. They called themselves the Bishop's Mill Historical Society, after a nearby mill village known in the 20th century as Sycamore Mills. Nearly eight years later, in January of 1973, the Society gave birth to the Bishop's Mill Historical Institute (BMHI) with a more ambitious goal. It would establish a colonial farm or "plantation" as a museum of Pennsylvania folklife and as a tribute to the hard-working colonial families who built America. Through the museum/farm, BMHI could demonstrate how local colonial farm and mill people lived, what they learned and how that had been applied 200 years later. The abandoned Lower Rawle farm in Ridley Creek State Park was an ideal site for the museum, with an 18th century farmhouse, stone cabin, springhouse and two barns. Significantly, the property had been a working farm for well over 250 years and was within a community of other 18th century farms, as well as near the mill village.  
During the early years, visitors were invited to witness this "museum in the making". The concept of creating a facility dedicated to the "ordinary people" of the Revolutionary era - and at the same time allowing visitors to observe and even participate in the process of creation - was unique. Guidelines for furnishing the farmhouse were established with the help of 18th century Chester County estate inventories. The collection consists of antiques, reproductions and replicas of Chester County pieces primarily from the collection at the Chester County Historical Society. Most recently the Plantation’s buildings have undergone yet another restoration effort. The farmhouse and stone cabin were restored with the help of funding from a Community Development Block Grant from Delaware County Council. The wagon barn reopened at the end of the 2010 season after extensive restoration funded by a second Community Development Block Grant from Delaware County Council. Work on the stable barn and springhouse was completed early in 2012 through funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a Community Development Block Grant from Delaware County Council. VISIT US: The Plantation is open to the public on Saturdays & Sundays from April - November. Visit our Events & Activities page for listing of special events throughout the year. Group tours and programming are provided during the week by appointment only for groups of 10 or more. Please contact the Plantation office to schedule your trip. |
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