[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 112 (Friday, August 3, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RADNOR TOWNSHIP CELEBRATES CENTENNIAL YEAR

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                            HON. CURT WELDON

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 2, 2001

  Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to offer 
congratulations to Radnor Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, 
which is celebrating its centennial this year.
  Founded in 1682 by 40 Quakers from Radnorshire, Wales, Radnor 
Township is a thriving community with a rich history. The land that is 
now Radnor was purchased as a 5,000-acre parcel from William Penn at a 
cost of one British pound per 50-acre lot. Prior to settlement by the 
Welsh, the Lenni Lenape Indians made their home here.
  By 1717, the Welsh Friends society began to establish a government in 
the township. They erected a meetinghouse on a former Conestoga Indian 
trail, now known as Conestoga Road. The meetinghouse served as the 
center of the population of the Township for the next 200 years, with 
Radnorville growing rapidly around it.
  The power of Darby and Ithan creeks helped the settlers establish 
tanneries, gristmills, and sawmills, and allowed them to clear nearby 
fields for farming. Land that is now preserved as open space at The 
Willows was once the Township's busiest commercial area.
  Thanks to its fortuitous location between Lancaster and Philadelphia, 
Radnor quickly became a favorite passageway for travelers. At one time, 
four inns operated in the town. One of these inns, the Sorrel Horse, is 
believed to have accommodated General Lafayette and George Washington 
during the encampment at Valley Forge. Today, this is the location of 
the Agnes Irwin Lower School.
  The development of America's first toll road in 1794, Lancaster 
Turnpike, brought more development and traffic to the town. Additional 
traffic to the township came when the Columbia (later Pennsylvania) 
Railroad laid tracks through the township in 1832.
  In 1842, the Brothers of the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine 
established the Catholic College of St. Thomas of Villanova on one of 
the first great estates in Radnor. Today, Villanova University is a 
valued neighbor in the community, and just one of several well-known 
and respected educational institutions located within the township.
  The history of the village of Wayne began in 1865 when banker J. 
Henry Askin bought a 300-acre parcel along the railroad. He named this 
parcel Louella, for two of his daughters, and built a mansion, a 
Presbyterian Church, Lyceum Hall, and an avenue (Bloomingdale) of 
mansard-roofed villas on this property.
  In the 1880's, Louella changed hands and was renamed Anthony Wayne 
after a local Revolutionary War figure. Wayne became one of the 
country's first suburban communities to be served by a central heating 
system, a public water supply, sewers, and electricity. The development 
of such a high-quality public works system led the township's 
population to double to 3,800 between 1880 and 1890.
  By the early 1900's Radnor Township Commissioners knew that the 
township needed a more elaborate governmental structure. On March 12, 
1901, they elected to adopt the status of a First Class Township. This 
new form of government provided representation to both the suburban 
villages of Wayne, Rosemont, and Bryn Mawr, as well as the more 
pastoral districts of Villanova, Newtown Square, St. David's, and 
Radnor.
  Today, Radnor Township is a culturally, ethnically, and economically 
diverse community. With its status as one of the best places to live in 
the Philadelphia region and continued high standard of living and 
education, Radnor Township is a community that residents can be proud 
to call home.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge you and my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Radnor Township during its centennial year as the 
citizens of Radnor begin an exciting new century.

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