Strafford is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in the southeastern part of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, located partly in Tredyffrin Township,

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States ** Chester County Council, boy scout council in Pennsylvania. * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire ...

, and partly in Radnor Township, Delaware County. It is served by its own stop on the SEPTA Paoli/Thorndale Line regional rail train. The SEPTA station at Strafford is one of the few buildings that survives from the 1876 Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia. It is also the site of the Strafford School (now the Woodlynde School), and the Old Eagle School. It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 440 feet.
Founded by Stephan Schifter in 1939
The

Philadelphia and Western Railroad The Philadelphia and Western Railroad was a high-speed, third rail-equipped, commuter-hauling interurban electric railroad operating in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is now SEPTA, SEPTA's Norristown High Speed Line, thoug ...

once ran to Strafford but service on its main line was discontinued on March 23, 1956, while service on the former branch line continues as The Norristown High-Speed Line.http://www.waynepa.com/history/trains/pandwrr/default.htm The portion of the abandoned ''P&W'' line in Radnor Township, ending in Strafford, is now a "

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

multi-use path A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is "designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists". Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, bridleways and rail trails. A ...

Education

Students in Tredyffrin Township attend schools in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District. High school students in Tredyffrin Township attend Conestoga High School.

Public libraries

The Tredyffrin Library, with of space as of 1977, is located in Strafford."Relating common solutions: two libraries by Mitchell/Giurgola." p. 95. The architectural firm Mitchell/Giurgola developed the Tredyffrin Library. It has an amphitheater that is focused on a park in a southward direction."Relating common solutions: two libraries by Mitchell/Giurgola." p. 93. The library has a single large reading room. The library building has a larger two story end, while the other end has only one story at the upper level."Relating common solutions: two libraries by Mitchell/Giurgola." p. 94. The facility has toilets, workrooms, and offices at the main level are in a separate element of the structure from the main reading room, and this structure juts out from the flue. ''

Architectural Record ''Architectural Record'' is a US-based monthly magazine dedicated to architecture and interior design. Its editor in chief is Josephine Minutillo. ''The Record'', as it is sometimes colloquially referred to, is widely-recognized as an important ...

'' said that this "allows direct access to the reading room from the public entrance." ''Architectural Record'' stated that Tredyffrin Library and the library built in Condon Hall of the

University of Washington School of Law The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. The school is fully accredited by the American Bar Asso ...

, which was also designed by Mitchell/Giurgola, have common underlying concepts. According to the publication, the shared concepts were "unusual sensitivity in using natural light to best advantage while warding off the sun," a "quickly apparent organization of functions," and being "responsive to the varying situations in which it is built."

Notable people

* Miles Kirkpatrick (1919–1998) – chairman of the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) United States antitrust law, antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. It ...

and lawyer * Nick Mead (born 1995) – Olympic rower and gold medalist * Brian Smrz (born 1959 or 1960) – director and stunt-coordinator

References

* "Relating common solutions: two libraries by Mitchell/Giurgola." ''

''. August 1977. Volume 162. p. 93-98. ISSN 0003-858X.

Notes

{{authority control Philadelphia Main Line Unincorporated communities in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Chester County, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Pennsylvania Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania