Ercildoun, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Ercildoun, population about 100, is an unincorporated community
in East Fallowfield Township
, Chester County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. In 1985 the entire hamlet, including 31 properties, was listed as a Historic District
on the National Register of Historic Places
. Of these properties two were vacant land, 14 were significant buildings, ten were contributing buildings, and five buildings, built in the 1950s, were non-contributing. The Lukens Pierce House
, an octagon house
listed separately on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
, is located about half a mile northwest of the hamlet. Ercildoun is one of about ten hamlets in the township, which has no cities or towns, but has 31 sites listed on the National Register. Though it may not be the largest hamlet, Ercildoun is near the center of the township, and historically among the best known. The city of Coatesville
is about 3 miles north.
The name "Ercildoun" was taken from the poem, "Thomas the Rhymer
" by Sir Walter Scott
when the hamlet's post office opened in 1850, but it was misspelled "Ercildown" until 1854. The main character in the poem was Thomas of Ercildoun, from Ercildoune
, Scotland.
The Anti-Slavery Society met in the Fallowfield Meetinghouse until the winter of 1844, when Abby Kelley
and Charles Burleigh spoke at a meeting that was broken up by a mob of anti-abolitionists. About this time abolitionist halls were burned down in Philadelphia and Lancaster, both less than 40 miles away. The Quaker Meeting membership then banned the Anti-Slavery group from its meetinghouse. In 1845 an association of abolitionists purchased the land and built a hall next to the Meetinghouse, which they called the Free Hall and later the People's Hall. The group declared that "every question, creed, or race was welcome on our platform," and above the platform was the motto "Let Truth and Error grapple." According to resident Gertrude W. Nields, one Quaker who had been supporting the group, withdrew his support on seeing the motto, considering it "inconsistent in Friends to grapple with anything - even error."
Ercildoun became known as center of the Underground Railroad
with groups as large as 33 escaped slaves passing through town. Ercildoun's location about 15 miles north of the slave state of Maryland
contributed to this activity, and the hamlet fed both the northern and southern Pennsylvania branches of the Underground Railroad both before and during the Civil War. After the Civil War, former slaves settled in the hamlet and People's Hall served the as a grange
, church, library, and town hall. It currently houses the Fallowfield Historical Society.
The July 1877 "Ercildoun Tornado" was so violent that it was the subject of a lecture at the French Academy of Sciences
in 1878.
In 1894 a black congregation built the Christ Disciple Church.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in East Fallowfield Township
East Fallowfield Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
East Fallowfield Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,449 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , all of it land....
, Chester County
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1985 the entire hamlet, including 31 properties, was listed as a Historic District
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Of these properties two were vacant land, 14 were significant buildings, ten were contributing buildings, and five buildings, built in the 1950s, were non-contributing. The Lukens Pierce House
Lukens Pierce House
The Lukens Pierce House, also known as the Fallowfield Octagonal House. is an historic octagon house located northwest of Ercildoun on Wilmington Road in East Fallowfield Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. On March 14, 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.-References:...
, an octagon house
Octagon house
Octagon houses were a unique house style briefly popular in the 1850s in the United States and Canada. They are characterised by an octagonal plan, and often feature a flat roof and a veranda all round...
listed separately on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, is located about half a mile northwest of the hamlet. Ercildoun is one of about ten hamlets in the township, which has no cities or towns, but has 31 sites listed on the National Register. Though it may not be the largest hamlet, Ercildoun is near the center of the township, and historically among the best known. The city of Coatesville
Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Coatesville is the only city in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,100 at the 2010 census. Coatesville is approximately 39 miles west of Philadelphia....
is about 3 miles north.
The name "Ercildoun" was taken from the poem, "Thomas the Rhymer
Thomas the Rhymer
Thomas Learmonth , better known as Thomas the Rhymer or True Thomas, was a 13th century Scottish laird and reputed prophet from Earlston . He is also the protagonist of the ballad "Thomas the Rhymer"...
" by Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
when the hamlet's post office opened in 1850, but it was misspelled "Ercildown" until 1854. The main character in the poem was Thomas of Ercildoun, from Ercildoune
Earlston
Earlston , formerly Ercildoune, is a civil parish and market town in the county of Berwickshire, within the Scottish Borders. It is situated on the River Leader in Lauderdale, Scotland.-Early history:...
, Scotland.
History
Land in the current hamlet was first settled by Quaker farmers in the final years of the eighteenth century. In 1801 the current Fallowfields Friends Meeting House was built, which, with the adjoining cemetery, People's Hall, and a grocery store, forms the center of town. Arising from Quaker beliefs, the abolitionist East Fallowfield Anti-Slavery Society was formed in 1835 with James Fulton Jr. as the recording secretary, and 33 other members. Fulton became active as an officer of the county and state anti-slavery societies and attended national meetings on abolition. In its first annual report the Society stated that they had distributed 3,000 books and tracts and gathered signatures petitioning Congress to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia and the territories.The Anti-Slavery Society met in the Fallowfield Meetinghouse until the winter of 1844, when Abby Kelley
Abby Kelley
Abby Kelley Foster was an American abolitionist and radical social reformer active from the 1830s to 1870s. She became a fundraiser, lecturer and committee organizer for the influential American Anti-Slavery Society, where she worked closely with William Lloyd Garrison and other radicals...
and Charles Burleigh spoke at a meeting that was broken up by a mob of anti-abolitionists. About this time abolitionist halls were burned down in Philadelphia and Lancaster, both less than 40 miles away. The Quaker Meeting membership then banned the Anti-Slavery group from its meetinghouse. In 1845 an association of abolitionists purchased the land and built a hall next to the Meetinghouse, which they called the Free Hall and later the People's Hall. The group declared that "every question, creed, or race was welcome on our platform," and above the platform was the motto "Let Truth and Error grapple." According to resident Gertrude W. Nields, one Quaker who had been supporting the group, withdrew his support on seeing the motto, considering it "inconsistent in Friends to grapple with anything - even error."
Ercildoun became known as center of the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
with groups as large as 33 escaped slaves passing through town. Ercildoun's location about 15 miles north of the slave state of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
contributed to this activity, and the hamlet fed both the northern and southern Pennsylvania branches of the Underground Railroad both before and during the Civil War. After the Civil War, former slaves settled in the hamlet and People's Hall served the as a grange
Grange
-Buildings:* Grange House , Bo'ness, Scotland, built in 1564, and demolished in 1906* Hamilton Grange National Memorial, a historic house in New York City...
, church, library, and town hall. It currently houses the Fallowfield Historical Society.
The July 1877 "Ercildoun Tornado" was so violent that it was the subject of a lecture at the French Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
in 1878.
In 1894 a black congregation built the Christ Disciple Church.
Notable residents
- Smedley DarlingtonSmedley DarlingtonSmedley Darlington was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.-Biography:...
- Rebecca LukensRebecca LukensRebecca Lukens born Rebecca Webb Pennock was the owner and manager of the iron and steel mill which became the Lukens Steel Company of Coatesville, Pennsylvania...
- Charlotte Moore SitterlyCharlotte Moore SitterlyCharlotte Emma Moore Sitterly was an American astronomer.Charlotte Moore was born in Ercildoun, Pennsylvania, a small village near Coatesville. She graduated from Swarthmore College in 1920 and went on to Princeton to assist Henry Norris Russell. During this time she worked at the Princeton...