East Bradford Township

Township municipal offices are located at 666 Copeland School Road, West Chester PA 19380; phone 610-436-5108.

Beginnings

Establishing East Bradford Township -- source: Township

The land consisting of East Bradford Township was part of the original land grant from King Charles II to William Penn in 1681. Bradford Township was established in 1705 and was named for Bradford, England. East Bradford Township was established in 1731, when Bradford Township was divided into East and West Bradford Townships. In 1856, twelve hundred acres in the southern part of the township was added to Birmingham Township. Since that date East Bradford Township has stayed at its current size of 9855.8 acres or 15.4 square miles.

The Township Municipal Campus consists of 7.4 acres at the intersection of Copeland School Road and Frank Road. At that location is the Municipal Building, Public Works Garage and the Copeland School. The Copeland School, built in 1905, was used as a public school until the East Bradford Elementary School was built in 1959. The Township purchased the school and land surrounding the building in 1965 with the intent of creating the municipal campus. Copeland School was used as a meeting place until 1988 when the Township built the current municipal building and hired a full time staff for the everyday administration of the Township. Copeland School has been refurbished for use as a community room for use by groups that have township residents as members. The Public Works Garage was built in the late 1970's, with an additional storage building built in 1994, to help store the equipment for the growing public works department. A salt storage building was built in 1997 to hold the increasing amount of salt necessary for the township roads during winter storms.

Historic Districts

The Taylor-Cope Historic District consists of property along Strasburg Road where it intersects with the East Branch of the Brandywine Creek. Included in this district are the Cope's Bridge Farm Main House, managers house and worker's house, Deborah's Rock Farm Barn, Cope's Bridge, Abiah Taylor 1724 House, Abiah Taylor 1768 House and mill house, Black Horse Inn and Barn, Joseph Cope-Mellor Farm and tenant house. The District was entered in the National Register of Historic Places on July 16, 1987.

The Strodes Mill Historic District consists of property at the intersection of Lenape Road (Route 52/100) and Birmingham Road and includes the Strodes Mill, Strodes Sausage& Scrapple Plant, Strode Farm, East Bradford Boarding School for Boys, millers house, blacksmith house and blacksmith/wheelwright shop and numerous out buildings. The District was entered in the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 1989.

The Paradise Valley Historic District consists of property along the Valley Creek valley from the boundary with East Caln Township to Downingtown Pike. The district consists of many farms and outbuildings, a mill, mill race and mill dam, ice house, spring houses, tenant houses, lime kiln and numerous other buildings and sites. The District was entered in the National Register of Historic Places on December 24, 1992.

The Worth/Jefferis Rural Historic District covers a large area bordered on the east by the East Branch of Brandywine Creek, to the north with the township line with West Bradford Township, to the west into West Bradford Township to include property along Camp Linden Road and south to Allerton Road and the Brandywine Creek. The district includes many large farms, tenant houses and out buildings, carriage houses, the Fairview Schoolhouse, and the Creamery/Allerton Hall Ruin. The District was entered in the National Register of Historic Places on April 27, 1995.