Welcome to the online home of Area 25 – Uwchlan Republican Committee
Chester County, Pennsylvania.
We are the Uwchlan Township Republican Committee (UTRC), your local Republican Party, separate from the State and National Party. We are focused and committed solely to the specific interests, needs, and priorities of Uwchlan Township, Chester County residents. Our site helps you to stay connected and updated on elections, voter information, township topics, events and issues, and other civic related items. Follow us on Facebook.
Vision Statement
We aim to hold fast to the conservative ideas our Founders established 250 years ago, belief in individual freedom, limited government, a free-market economy, and law and order. We know this can only be accomplished by igniting within the community a willingness to vote for people who will represent us using these core values as a platform.
Mission Statement
A robust Uwchlan Republican Committee can develop leaders, operate efficiently, find compelling problem-solving candidates, mobilize voters, influence public policy, and carry conservative ideas forward. Building such an organization requires its members to understand both the mission and the means necessary to sustain it. To advance conservative principles and instill a willingness to vote, the committee members must put forth an all-out effort to inform and collaborate with their constituents. Consistent voter outreach with up-to-date newsletters and meaningful articles, candidate information, budgeting, financial planning, and setting a long-term plan is essential. The funds that enable the Uwchlan Republican Committee to perform effective voter outreach through social media, text, email, and print comes from our fundraisers and donations.
History of Uwchlan Township
Before the settlers emigrated from Wales, Uwchlan was Lenni Lenape Indian country. Some of our roads were Indian footpaths. Route 100 was part of the Allegheny Path. Dowlin Forge Road, Whitford Road, and Route 113 were also once Indian paths.
After William Penn founded Pennsylvania, Welsh Quakers moved into the region in the early 1700s. Since the land was hilly, the Welsh called the area Uwchlan, which means "upland". The Uwchlan Quaker Meetinghouse was established in 1712 and gatherings were originally in homes until John Cadwalader, an early prominent figure, granted a small lot to the Society of Friends for a meeting house and burial ground. The Uwchlan Meeting House, built in 1756, still stands today and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
As the Continental Army retreated from the nearby Battle of the Clouds toward Yellow Springs and Reading, soldiers marched directly through Uwchlan Township along Ship Road. During these movements, George Washington utilized the historic Red Lion Inn on Route 113 to dine and parade his troops on the front lawn. Opened around 1740, the Red Lion Inn served as an early tavern and inn. Not only is it historically associated with George Washington, but also it is believed to have operated as a stop on the Underground Railroad. In 1761, the Red Lion Inn and surrounding areas were purchased together, thus this area became known as Lionville.
Following the American defeat at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, and the Battle of the Clouds on September 16, 1777, the Continental Army was left with thousands of sick and wounded soldiers. In January 1778, Continental Army physicians officially requisitioned the Uwchlan Meeting House to be converted into a military hospital, where George Washington is recorded to have visited the injured troops. Revolutionary War soldiers are buried in the cemetery behind the Uwchlan Meeting House.
In 1785, a forge was constructed, later to be sold to John Dowlin in 1801 and named Dowlin's Forge. The thriving community we know today was once used to process iron which was further refined and sent to a blacksmith to make iron or steel tools.
The Dowlin Grist Mill, likely built between 1810-1812, was used to process grains into flour for food. After the mill shut down, it was converted into a woolen factory.
The Eagleview Tannery was a place where animal hides were processed and transformed into leather for clothing, footwear, and furniture. Ruins of the tannery are located at the corner of Wharton Blvd. and Gramercy Lane.
The Vicker's farm, owned by John Vickers, served as a central station in the Northern Route of the Underground Railway through Chester County. Freedom seeking runaway slaves were hidden in woodpiles and the pottery kiln on the farm. The property is now The White Dog Cafe located at the corner of East Welsh Pool Road and Gordon Drive.
When the Civil War began, the Uwchlan Meetinghouse was used once again as a military hospital to care for wounded and sick soldiers. Names, messages, and regimental numbers of recovering soldiers were found scratched directly into the interior plaster walls and balcony of the meetinghouse.
As the Quakers were strong believers in education, the Uwchlan Meetinghouse was used as a school. The Fetters White School, located just next to St. Paul's United Church of Christ on the corner of 100 and Worthington Road, opened as a one room schoolhouse and served the community from 1817 until 1917. The Edith P. Moore Schoolhouse, located behind the Uwchlan Meetinghouse, served Uwchlan from 1859 until 1959. Today, the Fetters White School is available for hosting local gatherings and the Edith P. Moore Schoolhouse is preserved so that visitors can experience what it was like to learn in an early farming community classroom.
The Uwchlan Conservation Trust was founded in 1974. The trust acquired the historic 1756 Uwchlan Meeting House. Preservation work has also been done by the Uwchlan Township Historical Commission. The locations and descriptions of Uwchlan's Historic sites can be visited using the link to the self-guided map below. Uwchlan Township is in the middle of Chester County with 10.4 square miles and a population of roughly 20,000 as of the 2020 census. Uwchlan is the fourth largest township in Chester County. We are so lucky to call Uwchlan home!
Sources:
https://uwchlanconservationtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Francis-Brown-UMH.pdf
https://uwchlanconservationtrust.org/through-the-years/
https://www.uwchlan.com/DocumentCenter/VIew/2192/America250---Self-guided-Map-Uwchlan?bidld=
