Saint Peters is an historic, nineteenth-century, industrial, company village that is located in

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

, United States. Built near the Falls of French Creek in Warwick Township, it is situated in the Hopewell Big Woods.

Geography

The town is located in a narrow ravine along French Creek. The Falls of French Creek have formed where French Creek cuts across a series of

diabase Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-gra ...

(

trap rock Trap rock, also known as either trapp or trap, is any dark-colored, fine-grained, non-granitic intrusive or extrusive igneous rock. Types of trap rock include basalt, peridotite, diabase, and gabbro.Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., and J.A ...

)

dikes Dyke or dike may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), formations of magma or sediment that cut through and across the layering of adjacent rocks * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess ...

. Erosion of the diabase dikes by the creek has caused huge boulders to fall into the stream, almost filling the creek bed at points. The igneous intrusion that produced these diabase dikes also replaced

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

in the surrounding rock with

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

History

The presence of iron ore led to the establishment of the French Creek iron mines in 1845. In 1880, quarrying of the diabase, known locally as "black granite", began, and the "Excursion House" hotel opened, distinguishing the community as both an industrial village and recreational weekend retreat. The bulk of the residence and businesses were built following the hotel's opening. Spurs of the

Reading Company The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and freight transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states from 1924 until its acquisition by Conrail in 1976. Commonly called the Reading Railro ...

and Delaware River and Lancaster railroad lines once ran through the village servicing the local mining, forging and quarrying operations. By the early 1970s, industrial operations had ceased and the village was developed by its owners as a local tourist destination. Owned until 1978 by the Knauer family, it subsequently changed hands several times and portions of it are now privately owned. Historical preservation efforts, however, have led to the appearance of the village today that is almost entirely of its historic period. Local ordinances prevent exterior alterations to historic structures and limit new construction in designated areas in and around the village. The main street, St. Peter's Road, is lined with private residences, a hotel and restaurant, and number of small specialty shops. The boulder-strewn French Creek running directly adjacent is one of the area's most popular attractions. Saint Peters Village was entered onto the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2003.

Gallery

Image:St Peters PA Boulders.jpg, Rocks on French Creek File:S Petes.JPG, Rocks at Saint Peters, Pennsylvania

References

External links

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Chester County, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Pennsylvania Tourist attractions in Chester County, Pennsylvania Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Chester County, Pennsylvania