Easttown Township is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

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 ...

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 ...

, United States. The population was 10,984 at the 2020 census. The township, which lies in the western half of Philadelphia's Main Line suburbs, comprises predominantly parts of two unincorporated areas:

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

and Berwyn. A small portion of the township has a Paoli address.

History

The land that eventually became Easttown Township was once part of the

Welsh Tract The Welsh Tract, also called the Welsh Barony, was a portion of the Province of Pennsylvania, a British colony in North America (today a U.S. state), settled largely by Welsh-speaking Quakers in the late 17th century. The region is located to the ...

, a large expanse of land promised by

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

to a group of

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

settlers in which they would be able to speak and conduct business in the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh c ...

. Whilst the autonomous entity envisaged by some was never formed, it left its mark in the many Welsh place names that still exist, such as the

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) Berwyn in Easttown and adjacent Tredyffrin Township. The township is believed to have been incorporated in 1704 since that is the earliest date it has been found to be referred to in official records. However, a delineated community of that name appears in

Thomas Holme Thomas Holme (1624–1695) was the first surveyor general of the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania. He laid out the first and original plan for the city of Philadelphia. Holme was a member of the Valiant Sixty, a group of early leaders and ...

's c. 1687 map. Whilst the originators of the Welsh Tract were Quakers, the earliest settlers in the portion that became Easttown Township were mostly

Anglicans Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

. St. David's Episcopal Church, just past the eastern edge of the township, was constructed in 1715 by Welsh Anglicans when the original church sent them a minister. Revolutionary War leader

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and a Founding Father of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military expl ...

was born and lived in

Waynesborough Waynesborough, also known as the Gen. Anthony Wayne House, is a historic house museum at 2049 Waynesborough Road in Easttown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Built in 1724 and repeatedly enlarged, it was for many years the home of Ameri ...

house, in the western part of the township. He—or at least part of him—is buried at St. David's. A Revolutionary War skirmish that occurred along a ridge in the center of the township was the only engagement of that war in the township. The name of the British commander,

Banastre Tarleton General Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet (21 August 175415 January 1833) was a British military officer and politician. He is best known as the lieutenant colonel leading the British Legion at the end of the American Revolutionary War. He lat ...

, was later given to a nearby mansion: Tarleton. Two sites in the township are listed on 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 ...

and Roughwood. The cluster of buildings that forms the village of Leopard, identified as a 'Significant Historic Cluster' in the Chester County Historic Sites Survey (1979–1982), is eligible for listing as well. In addition, the Waterloo Mills Historic District has been designated. Although St. David's Church is just over the line in Newtown Township, the church building and its graveyard (most of which is in Easttown) are listed together in the National Register. Easttown, along with neighboring Tredyffrin Township, was the site of the

Berwyn School Fight The Berwyn School Fight was a 1930s fight against school segregation in the southeastern Pennsylvania townships of Tredyffrin and Easttown. In 1932, local school districts attempted to segregate elementary schools by race. Black parents sued ...

, a boycott and legal campaign by local Black families to resist attempts to segregate public schools by race. Easttown Township is said to have the most-litigated zoning law in Pennsylvania, largely as a result of its efforts to avoid being swallowed up by the expansion of the suburbs of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. At least two major cases about minimum lot size were handed down by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court: ''Bilbar Construction'' upheld the township's minimum lot sizes, while ''National Land and Investment Co.'' struck them down as 'exclusionary' seven years later. ''National Land'' further held that a municipality may utilize zoning measures that are substantially related to the protection and preservation of the municipality's proper interest in providing for the general welfare of its residents, but Easttown's zoning did not pass the test. Ironically, despite the developer-litigants' claimed interest in allowing poor people to live in Easttown, they built only houses that sold at well over the average value in Pennsylvania.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the

has a total area of , of which 0.12% is water. The township is bordered by Radnor township (to the east), Tredyffrin township (to the north), Willistown township (to the west) and Newtown township (to the south).

Demographics

According to the 2022 American Community Survey's five-year population estimates, the township was 80% non-Hispanic White, 1% Black or African American, 0% Native American and 12% Asian. 3% of residents reported two or more races and 4% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. 12.3% of residents were foreign-born. There were 11,051 people and 3,995 households residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 1,334 people per square mile. 90% of units were single-family homes and 78% of households were headed by a married couple. The average household size was 2.7. The median income for a household in the township was $213,507. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the township was $100,345. The median family income was $233,911. Among families with children, the median household income was higher than $250,000. The average income for a family was $316,306. 80.5% of residents over the age of 25 hold a bachelor's degree and 44% have earned a graduate degree. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $801,700, placing the township fourth among more than 2,500 municipalities in the state of Pennsylvania and second among 436 municipalities in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

Transportation

As of 2018, there were of public roads in Easttown Township, of which were maintained by the

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Michael B. Carroll. PennDOT ...

(PennDOT) and were maintained by the township.

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route of the United States Numbered Highway System, with the highway traveling across the Northern U.S. With a length of , it is the third-longest U.S. Highway, afte ...

and

Pennsylvania Route 252 Pennsylvania Route 252 (PA 252) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that connects PA 320 in Nether Providence Township at its southern terminus to PA 23 in Valley Forge at its northern terminus. The route run ...

are the numbered highways serving Easttown Township. US 30 follows Lancaster Avenue along an east–west alignment through the northern part of the township, while PA 252 follows Darby-Paoli Road and Leopard Road along a northwest–southeast alignment through the western and southern portions of the township.

Government

The township is governed by a Board of Supervisors. The present board consists of: * Erik Unger * Michael Wacey * Sean Axel * Alex Bosco * Susan Leboutillier

Education

Easttown Township lies within the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District. Students residing within township boundaries attend

Conestoga High School Conestoga High School, located in Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania, is the only upper secondary school in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District. It has a Berwyn post office address, though it is not in the Berwyn census-designated place. ...

for grades 9-12. Hillside Elementary School, Beaumont Elementary School and Devon Elementary school serve students in grades K-4. Tredyffrin/Easttown Middle School and Valley Forge Middle School serve students in grades 5–8. Tarleton School, a private elementary school, is located on Waterloo Avenue. The

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia The Archdiocese of Philadelphia () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania in the United States. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia originally included all of Pennsylvania and Dela ...

manages area Catholic schools. St. Norbert School is in the township, and is outside of the Paoli CDP,2010 Census - Census Block Map Paoli CDP, PA
"

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

. Retrieved on October 9, 2018. but has a Paoli mailing address. It was established in 1956, with the school building built the following year. In 2012 the Catholic grade school St. Monica in Berwyn closed. Easttown Township has its own public library.

Parks

The township has two parks, Hilltop Park and Frank Johnson Memorial Park. Hilltop, with a Devon address but outside of the Devon CDP, has a pavilion with toilets, a picnic area, two soccer fields, a "tot lot", and trails for walking purposes. Johnson, in the Berwyn CDP, has a pavilion with toilets, basketball courts, an open field, a "tot lot", and volleyball courts.Johnson Park
" Easttown Township. Retrieved on October 9, 2018. "The park is located at 122 Bridge Avenue in Berwyn." - See:
2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Berwyn CDP, PA
"

. Retrieved on October 9, 2018.

Notable people

* Isaac Van Leer (1772–1821), ironmaster *

(1745–1796),

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officer, statesman, member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

* Isaac Wayne (1772–1852), U.S. Congressman * Isaac Wayne (1699–1774), Member of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly, Captain for the Pennsylvania Provincial Forces during the French and Indian War

Media

The

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

miniseries ''

Mare of Easttown ''Mare of Easttown'' is an American crime drama television miniseries created and written by Brad Ingelsby for HBO. Directed by Craig Zobel, the series premiered on April 18, 2021, and concluded on May 30, 2021, consisting of seven episodes. It ...

'', which premiered on April 18, 2021, is set in a fictionalized version of Easttown Township, although it moves the location to neighboring Delaware County. The series was filmed in surrounding communities in southeastern Pennsylvania but not within Easttown Township itself. Series creator

Brad Ingelsby Brad Ingelsby (born January 4, 1980) is an American screenwriter and film producer. Early life and education Ingelsby is the son of basketball player and coach Tom Ingelsby and Rose Ingelsby. His brother Martin Ingelsby is also a basketball co ...

was born and raised in Berwyn, which is partially located in Easttown Township.

References

External links

Easttown Township
{{authority control 1704 establishments in Pennsylvania Philadelphia Main Line Populated places established in 1704 Townships in Chester County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania