Coatesville, Pennsylvania
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Coatesville is a city in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,350 at the 2020 census. Coatesville is approximately 39 miles west of Philadelphia. It developed along the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike beginning in the late 18th century. It spans U.S. Route 30, the "Main Line" highway that runs west of Philadelphia. Coatesville developed in the early 20th century with the growth of the
Lukens Steel Company Lukens Steel Company, located in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, is the oldest steel mill in commission within the United States. In 1995, it was one of the three largest producers of plate steel and the largest domestic manufacturer of alloy-plat ...
and other industry. Its population declined after industrial restructuring, which reduced these jobs. Lukens was bought by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation in 1997. In 2002, Bethlehem was bought by the then Ohio-based International Steel Group (ISG). Later, Mittal Steel bought ISG and merged with Arcelor Steel to form the ArcelorMittal company. In 2020, Cleveland-Cliffs acquired the United States operations of ArcelorMittal.


History


Beginnings

Varying cultures of Native Americans lived in this area. The first known settlement in the area which would be known as Coatesville was a historic
Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...
village built along the West Branch of the Brandywine River. This settlement was a post for fur trading with the earliest American settlers. The Brandywine River has featured prominently in the history of Coatesville. William Fleming, originally from Scotland, is one of the earliest landowners on record. He built a log cabin in the area of Harmony Street and 5th Avenue and owned about of land bordering the Brandywine River.Mowday, Bruce Edward. ''Images of America: Coatesville''; Charleston, South Carolina; Arcadia Press; 2003; pp 7-8. . Moses Coates, a prosperous farmer and the namesake of Coatesville, bought the cabin from Fleming's son in 1787. With the economy rising in the years after the United States gained independence, Moses Coates' son-in-law, Jesse Kersey, came up with a plan to develop the area by selling frontage on the recently completed Lancaster Turnpike which crossed through their land. The Lancaster Turnpike was the first toll road in the U.S., authorized in 1792 and completed in 1795. A tollgate was located within the present-day Coatesville city limits. Because Coatesville was located roughly halfway between Philadelphia and Lancaster on the turnpike, it became a popular stopping place. Pierre Bizallion, a French fur trader, settled in the area in the early 18th century. He was said to serve as an interpreter between William Penn and Native American peoples. The Veterans Administration Hospital now occupies a large piece of the roughly of land that was once owned by Bizallion.


19th century

Before Coatesville became a city, the only one in Chester County, it was called Bridge-Town, after the two bridges crossing the Brandywine River. A village named "Midway", named after its station owned by the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad midway between Philadelphia and Lancaster, was formed in 1834 on the western bank of the Brandywine. The village of Midway and the village of Bridge-Town merged in 1867 to become the borough of Coatesville. Coatesville citizens voted to become a city in 1915. Coatesville exploited the natural energy of the Brandywine River. Jesse Kersey, Moses Coates' son-in-law, partnered with the ironmaster Isaac Pennock and purchased over of Moses Coates' farm along both sides of the Brandywine River in 1810. They formed the Brandywine Iron Works and Nail Factory, the forerunner of Lukens Steel. Charles Lukens, MD, married Isaac Pennock's daughter Rebecca in 1813. Following her husband's death in 1825, Rebecca Lukens took over the operations of the mill, purchasing it from her mother. She directed operations through a period of turmoil and market panic, developing it into a prosperous mill. Rebecca Lukens was one of the first women to operate a major corporation in the United States.


20th century

As Lukens Steel grew so did Coatesville, eventually becoming known as the " Pittsburgh of the East." By the beginning of the 20th century the population had grown to 6,000, attracting immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe to its industrial jobs, as well as both black and white migrants from the rural South. Tensions rose in the city as the population rapidly became more diverse. In August 1911, steelworker Zachariah Walker was lynched in Coatesville; he had left his wife and children in Virginia while seeking better work. This African-American man was accused of killing Deputy Constable/ Coal and Iron Policeman Edgar Rice, a popular figure in town. Walker claimed self-defense and was hospitalized after his arrest. He was dragged from the hospital and burned to death in front of a mob of hundreds in a field south of the city. Fifteen men and teenage boys were indicted, but all were acquitted at trials. The lynching was the last in Pennsylvania and is said to have left a permanent stain on the city's image.Eric S. Smith, "Zachariah Walker's lynching haunts the city"
''Daily Local News'' (Chester County), 13 August 2011, accessed 5 January 2016
Walker's murder was investigated by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which called for an end to lynching nationwide. Pennsylvania passed a state anti-lynching law in 1923. But, even after passage of an anti-lynching House bill in the 1920s, no federal law was passed because of the power of the Democratic southern block in the Senate. At that time it represented only white southerners; African Americans had been disfranchised in the South since the turn of the century. Racial violence was spreading all across America during the Red Summer of 1919 and the local African-American community was on edge. On July 8, 1919, the black community of Coatesville formed a large armed protection group to prevent the rumoured lynching of a rape suspect. When the armed group surrounded the jail to prevent the attack they learned that there was no suspect and no lynch mob. In 1929, the Coatesville VA Medical Center was built with an original mission to provide neuropsychiatric care to veterans. In 2013, the Medical Center, with its distinctive architecture of Colonial Revival and Classical Revival, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Medical Center now provides a range of health care services to more than 19,000 Veterans in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The school system expanded to keep up and the religious community became more diverse, with Roman Catholic churches founded and Beth Israel Congregation, one of Chester County's few synagogues. In 1932 there were a total of 22 churches of various denominations in the city. After World War II the steel industry began a long decline, but in the 1960s Lukens Steel was still the largest employer in Chester County, with over 10,000 workers. It finally started to restructure due to industry changes, was sold several times, and its workers were reduced in number to 5,000 and eventually to 2,000.


21st century

Since the turn of the century, Coatesville has invested in redevelopment, encouraging private projects. It has torn down public housing and encouraged new single family and townhouse developments. A new
Marriott Courtyard Courtyard by Marriott is a brand of hotels owned by Marriott International. One of Marriott's mid-priced brands, the hotels are primarily targeted to business travelers, but also accommodate traveling families. Rooms have desks, couches, and fre ...
hotel, built along Route 82 on the outskirts of Coatesville, opened in May 2012. The redevelopment plans have generated controversy. The city was involved in a 5-year eminent domain dispute with a local landowner in neighboring Valley Township. It was resolved without the need to seize the property, but displeasure with the events resulted in the city voters turning out four incumbent city councilpersons in the November 2005 general elections. Two of the four new councilpersons are ordained Pentecostal and Methodist ministers, respectively. The city council fired the city solicitor, and accepted the resignation of the city manager (who had negotiated with the Valley Township landowner). The assistant manager, police chief, and city treasurer also resigned. A series of arsons took place in the city from 2007 to early 2009. A December 2008 fire at a Strode Avenue home resulted in the death of Irene Kempest, an 83-year-old World War II Holocaust survivor. A fire the following month on the 300 block of Fleetwood Street burned 17
row houses In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...
, causing $2 million in damage and leaving dozens of people homeless. By March 2009, police had arrested six suspects in the fires. A total of nearly 70 fires occurred during this period. On June 8, 2010 one man, pleading no-contest due to
mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...
, was sentenced to a 60-year prison sentence for five of the fires, one of which resulted in Kempest's death. Another man pleaded guilty to the Fleetwood Street fire and eight others, receiving a sentence of 12.5 to 25 years with an order to pay $2.5 million in restitution. Twenty of the nearly 70 fires over the two-year span remain unsolved. In 1969, Lukens Steel forged steel beams for the World Trade Center during its construction in New York City. Some of these trident beams, known as "trees", remained standing after the
9/11 Terrorist Attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
. Ten of the "trees" that remained were transported to Coatesville on April 15, 2010. They are to be used as a part of the proposed
National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...
. Twenty-one sites including the
Coatesville Historic District Coatesville Historic District is a national historic district located in Coatesville, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 457 contributing buildings in the central business district and surrounding residential areas of the city ...
,
Clement Atkinson Memorial Hospital Clement Atkinson Memorial Hospital is a historic hospital building located at Coatesville, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The hospital was founded in 1936 by Whittier C. Atkinson, the first African American physician in Chester C ...
, High Bridge,
Abram Huston House and Carriage House Abram Huston House and Carriage House, also known as the Coatesville City Hall and Police Station and "Graystone Mansion," is a historic building located at Coatesville, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was designed and built in 1889, by the ...
,
Lukens Historic District The Lukens Historic District encompasses four properties in Coatesville, Pennsylvania associated with the 19th and early 20th-century history of the Lukens Steel Company and the family of Rebecca Lukens (1794–1854). Lukens was the first woma ...
,
Lukens Main Office Building The Lukens Main Office Building is an historic office building which is located in Coatesville, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. History and architectural features The original ...
,
National Bank of Coatesville Building The National Bank of Coatesville Building, also known as the Industrial Valley Bank Building, is an historic, American bank building that is located in Coatesville, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was added to the National Register of Historic ...
, Terracina,
Carver Court Carver Court is a historic housing development located at Foundry Street and Brooks Lane near Coatesville in Caln Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Built in 1944 in the International Style, Carver Court is important to understanding the ...
, and
Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center The Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which is part of the Coatesville Veterans Administration Hospital Historic District, was built in 1929, and is located near Coatesville, Pennsylvania. Listed on the National Register of Historic ...
are resources listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which 0.53% is water.


Climate

Coatesville has a typical Northeast climate with cold, snowy winters and hot humid summers. It has a hot-summer humid continental climate (''Dfa'') and the
hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...
is 6b bordering 7a.


Demographics

The
2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
stated there were 13,100 people, 4,498 households, and 2,889 families residing in the city, with a population density of 6,894.7 people per square mile (2,673.5/km). The racial makeup of the city was 38.0% White, 46.4% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.9% from other races, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 23.0% of the population. There were 4,498 households, out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.3% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 27.7% had a female householder with no spouse present, 8.2% had a male householder with no spouse present, and 35.8% were non-families. 42.4% of all households had individuals under 18 living in them, and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.46. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.4% under the age of 18. The median age was 31 years. The population was 50.6% female and 49.4% male. Coatesville had 4,998 housing units, of which 90.2% were occupied. Of the occupied housing units, 37.5% were owner-occupied. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $29,912, and the median income for a family was $36,375. Males had a median income of $31,782 versus $24,774 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,079. About 18.3% of families and 22.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.9% of those under age 18 and 15.9% of those age 65 or over. According to the 2017 American Community Survey, the racial makeup was 25.9%
non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Amer ...
, 46.2% African American, 24.5% Hispanic or Latino, and 4.8% two or more races.


Transportation

The main east–west road serving Coatesville is US 30, which bypasses the city to the north on a freeway and provides access to Lancaster to the west and Philadelphia to the east. US 30 Business runs east–west through the heart of the city on Lincoln Highway. PA 82 is the main north–south road in Coatesville, running along Strode Avenue, Lincoln Highway, and North 1st Avenue, and heading north to Elverson and south to Kennett Square. PA 340 passes to the north of the city while PA 372 begins at PA 82 in Coatesville and heads west on Valley Road to
Parkesburg Parkesburg is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was counted as 3,866 at the 2020 census. The ZIP code is 19365. History Parkesburg was first known as the Fountain Inn, a tavern built ca. 1734. The inn cea ...
and Atglen. A general aviation airport, Chester County G. O. Carlson Airport, which allows private and corporate aircraft to easily access the town, is located about west in neighboring Valley Township. The nearest airport with commercial air service is the
Philadelphia International Airport Philadelphia International Airport is the primary airport serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The airport served 19.6 million passengers annually in 2021, making it the 21st busiest airport in the United States. The airport is located from t ...
in Philadelphia. Coatesville is served by the Coatesville Amtrak Station, which serves ''
Keystone Service Amtrak's ''Keystone Service'' provides frequent regional rail, regional passenger train service between the Harrisburg Transportation Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, running along the Philadelphia to ...
'' trains along the Keystone Corridor. Until 1997, the station also served SEPTA's R5 regional rail line from Philadelphia, which is now the Paoli/Thorndale Line and ends east of Coatesville in Thorndale. On March 7, 2019, it was announced that SEPTA service would return to Coatesville in the future with a new station to be built near the current Amtrak station that would serve an extension of the Paoli/Thorndale Line service. On July 13, 2021, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced that it was soliciting bids for the construction of the new station, to be built at Third Avenue and Fleetwood Street, with construction to be completed by 2025. The
Reading Company The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and commercial rail transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states that operated from 1924 until its 1976 acquisition by Conrail. Commonly called ...
formerly had its own passenger station on the
Wilmington and Northern Branch The Wilmington and Northern Branch is a partially-abandoned railway line in the states of Delaware and Pennsylvania. It was constructed between 1869 and 1870 by the Wilmington and Reading Railroad, a predecessor of the Wilmington and Northern Ra ...
, located at the northwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and 1st Avenue. Two bus services serve Coatesville. The Coatesville Link, which is operated by
Krapf's Transit Krapf Group is a bus operator serving the Mid-Atlantic states in the United States. The business is multifaceted to include school buses, public transportation, and charter bus services. Krapf School Bus operates school bus service in Pennsylvania ...
and managed by the Transportation Management Association of Chester County (TMACC), serves multiple points of interest between Coatesville and Parkesburg. SEPTA Suburban Bus Route 135 connects Coatesville with
Downingtown Downingtown is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 7,898. Downingtown was settled by European colonists in the early 18th century and has a number of historic buildings an ...
, Exton, and West Chester. In addition, TMACC manages The Outfitter, which provides bus service from Coatesville to the Urban Outfitters distribution center in Gap.


Notable people

*
Whittier C. Atkinson Whittier Cinclair Atkinson (April 23, 1893 – January 2, 1991) was an American general practitioner who founded the Clement Atkinson Memorial Hospital Clement Atkinson Memorial Hospital is a historic hospital building located at Coatesville, ...
, founder of the
Clement Atkinson Memorial Hospital Clement Atkinson Memorial Hospital is a historic hospital building located at Coatesville, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The hospital was founded in 1936 by Whittier C. Atkinson, the first African American physician in Chester C ...
*
Vince Belnome Vincent Belnome (born March 11, 1988) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays. Career San Diego Padres Belnome was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 28th roun ...
, MLB infielder, Tampa Bay Rays * Walt Downing, NFL center for the San Francisco 49ers (1978–1983) *
John A. Gibney Jr. John Adrian Gibney Jr. (born October 27, 1951) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Early life and education Born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, Gibney received a Bac ...
, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia * Calvin Grove, professional boxer who won the IBF featherweight title in 1988 * Richard Hamilton, NBA All-Star guard for the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls *
Ralph Hudson Ralph James Hudson (c. 1920 – January 22, 1963) was the last person to be executed by New Jersey. A native of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, Hudson was tried and convicted of stabbing his 49-year-old estranged wife Myrtle Hudson to death as she ...
, last person to be put to death by the state of New Jersey * Billy Joe, 1963 rookie of the year for AFL Denver Broncos; member of the NFL champion
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
, 1969 * Ray Keech, auto racing pioneer in the 1920s, won the
1929 Indianapolis 500 The 17th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1929. Ray Keech, who finished fourth a 1928 Indianapolis 500, year earlier, took the lead for the final time on lap 158 and won his first ...
* Terrance Laird, NCAA Division I collegiate sprinter *
Rodney Linderman Rodney Linderman (born 21 May 1963), also known by his stage name Rodney Anonymous, is an American musician, journalist, and humorist currently based in Philadelphia. He is best known as the lead vocalist, keyboardist and co-songwriter of the ...
, founding member of punk band The Dead Milkmen, grew up in the Coatesville area * Rebecca Lukens, owner of
Lukens Steel Company Lukens Steel Company, located in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, is the oldest steel mill in commission within the United States. In 1995, it was one of the three largest producers of plate steel and the largest domestic manufacturer of alloy-plat ...
, first American female CEO of an industrial company * Mary Alice Dorrance Malone,
billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least one billion (1,000,000,000, i.e., a thousand million) units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. The American busin ...
Campbell Soup heiress, lives in Coatesville * Fred Mascherino, musician and vocalist, Taking Back Sunday, The Color Fred, Terrible Things * Charles Moore, Olympic champion,
400 m hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women. On a standard outdoor track, 400 metres is the length of the inside lane, once ar ...
,
Helsinki 1952 The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...
*
Derrick Morgan Derrick Morgan (born 27 March 1940)Walters, Basil (2012)A New Day – Songs heralding JA’s Independence", '' Jamaica Observer'', 3 June 2012, retrieved 3 June 2012 is a Jamaican musical artist who was popular in the 1960s and 1970s. He worke ...
, defensive end, Tennessee Titans *
John Grubb Parke John Grubb Parke (September 22, 1827 – December 16, 1900) was a United States Army engineer and a Union general in the American Civil War. Parke's Civil War service was closely associated with Ambrose E. Burnside, often serving him as c ...
, Union general during the American Civil War * Rod Perry, actor best known for his role as Sgt. David "Deacon" Kay in the 1970s TV series ''
S.W.A.T. In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
'' *
Susan Richardson Susan Richardson is a retired American actress, best known for her role as Susan Bradford on the television series ''Eight Is Enough'', which she played from 1977 to 1981. Early life Born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, Richardson first started ...
, actress, best known for her role as Susan Bradford on the television series '' Eight Is Enough'' *
George A. Spratt George Alexander Spratt (November 1, 1870 – November 24, 1934) was an American inventor and pioneer in aviation design. In collaboration with the Wright brothers, Spratt demonstrated the cable-stayed triangle control frame for use in mass-sh ...
(1870–1934), inventor and aviation pioneer associated with the Wright brothers * Zack Steffen, professional soccer player for
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
* Essie Mae Washington-Williams, daughter of Senator Strom Thurmond, grew up in Coatesville * Johnny Weir, figure skater, Olympian, and TV personality *
John L. Withrow John Lindsay Withrow (1837–1909) was an American Presbyterian minister and theologian. Early life and education Withrow was born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania in 1837 to John Mitchell Withrow and Keziah Withrow. As a youth, Withrow studied at ...
, minister, author


Legacy

*In 2006, a Pennsylvania historical marker was placed along PA 82 in East Fallowfield, where Zachariah Walker was lynched.Dennis Downey, with Raymond Hyser, ''Coatesville and the Lynching of Zachariah Walker'' (revised 20th anniversary edition, 2011)


References


Further reading

*


External links

* * {{authority control Cities in Chester County, Pennsylvania Cities in Pennsylvania