The David Havard House, also known as the Former Quarters of Lee and Bradford, is a historic home located near

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the B ...

in Tredyffrin Township,

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the De ...

. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, it served as quarters for several of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's senior officers. The original house was built about 1766, and is a -story,

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

ed stone structure. It has a rear wing. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1972.

Historical significance

The homes of David Havard and two of his brothers were used as lodging and headquarters by officers serving under

, during the encampment of Washington's army at

from December 1777 through June 1778. Upon the arrival of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

at Valley Forge, the David Havard House served as quarters for Colonel William Bradford and Colonel

Elias Boudinot Elias Boudinot ( ; May 2, 1740 – October 24, 1821) was a lawyer and statesman from Elizabeth, New Jersey who was a delegate to the Continental Congress (more accurately referred to as the Congress of the Confederation) and served as Presiden ...

, who were brothers-in-law. Bradford's older brother Thomas, a captain, arrived in January 1778, and their father, Colonel William Bradford Sr., joined them in April 1778. General Charles Lee, who had been held prisoner by the British in New York, first arrived in Valley Forge in April 1778, after Boudinot negotiated an exchange of prisoners. He took up residence in the David Havard House on May 21, 1778, and shortly afterward, the Bradfords moved elsewhere.

Chesterbrook Farm

Lee-Bradford house around 1900 img v41n3p098

Several generations of the Havard family occupied the house until it was purchased in 1881 by

Alexander Cassatt Alexander Johnston Cassatt (December 8, 1839 – December 28, 1906) was the seventh president of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), serving from June 9, 1899, to December 28, 1906. Family and early life Alexander Cassatt was born on December 8, ...

, president of the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

, who turned the surrounding farmland into a 600-acre hunting preserve called Chesterbrook Farm, known for its racing stables. The house, which still stands on Bradford Road in Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania, remains in use as the clubhouse for the Picket Post Swim and Tennis Club.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Havard, David, House Valley Forge Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1766 Houses in Chester County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Chester County, Pennsylvania