Public Domain Postcard
Following the American Revolution, a civil war took place in Chester County. The county seat was the town of Chester, on the Delaware River, equally inconvenient to everyone in the huge county other than the locals. Court was held there, and voting was done there – a long trip before cars and trains. As the population moved west, a movement formed to “remove” the county seat to a more convenient location: Turks Head. What was Turk’s Head? A village with a crossroads tavern by that name that one opponent called “that elegant and notorious place vulgarly called the Turk’s Head, a place as unfit for the general convenience, and much more so, than any one spot that might be pointed out …”
The two factions battled back and forth in the legislature. One law authorized the “removal,” and the removalists began constructing a new courthouse near the tavern in late 1784. Walls were built before winter halted construction. Meanwhile, the forces of Chester, the “anti-removalists” had the legislature pass a new law in March, forbidding removal. “The people generally in the neighborhood of Chester, had been violently opposed from the beginning to the projected removal, and a number now resolved to demolish the walls already erected.”
the type that would have hung outside the building.
Wikipedia –public domain
The Chester lads assembled with arms and a small cannon, and began marching to Turks Head – stopping at the Greentree Tavern for the night for refreshments. Meanwhile, at Turks Head, the leaders put out word for men to come to the defense of the town. “Grog and rations were freely distributed, and a pretty respectable force was soon upon the ground.”
The Chester boys marched into town and assembled in battle line near the Quaker Meeting House. The defenders had boarded up the windows of the courthouse walls, leaving holes from which their muskets poked out at the attackers. For several hours they faced off, neither side wanting to fire the first shot. Cooler heads prevailed – some ‘pacific” locals negotiated a truce – the Chester attackers would be allowed inside to inspect the new building, provided they then agreed to go home peacefully. The cannon that had pointed towards the walls was turned around and fired off to celebrate the peace treaty.
The legislature fixed the issue permanently – in 1789 the eastern townships were given their own county – Delaware County – and the western townships remained in Chester County, giving their county seat a more respectable name: “West Chester.”
For more on the history of Marple, visit the Marple Historical Society website and Facebook page, and join the Society to keep up to date on coming events: www.MarpleHistoricalSociety.org.
