Squire Cheyney Farm

Squire Cheyney Farm is a historic farm and national historic district located in Thornbury Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The district encompasses two contributing buildings, three contributing sites, one contributing structure, and contributing object. They are the farmhouse, barn , ruins of a granary, remains of an ice house, a spring house , stone retaining wall, and family cemetery . The house was built in four periods, with the oldest dated to about 1797. The oldest section is a 2 1/s-story, three bay, stuccoed stone structure with a gable roof. The additions were built about 1815, about 1830, and about 1850, making it a seven-bay-wide dwelling. It is "L"-shaped and has a slate gable roof. During the American Revolution, Thomas "Squire" Cheyney [II] informed General George Washington during the Battle of Brandywine that the British were flanking him to the north. He was later appointed to the Pennsylvania Ratifying Convention to ratify the United States Constitution. The site is now a township park known as Squire Cheyney Farm Park.
The original two level rubble-stone bank barn was built by Squire Cheyney and his son William about 1804 in the English Lake District Barn style . The stone on this portion of the barn is identical to that on the oldest portion of the existing farmhouse. The barn was enlarged by his son in 1820 to a Chester County Stone-Posted-Forebay Barn . A granary was subsequently added about 1850. About the same time a dormer was added to the forebay. The farm remained in the Cheney family until 1875 as a commercial dairy farm. In 1875 it was sold to the Thomas Dallett and continued as a commercial dairy farm. About this time the barn was extended to the west. Between 1875 and 1910 a frame outshed was added to the northwest portion of the barn. A stone silo was added in 1910. The granary was destroyed by fire about 1930. Of the granary and silo only the foundations remain. The farm remained in the Dallett family until its conversion to a public park and restoration of the farmhouse and barns for private use. The well house was built in the 1960s. The garage and east wing of the farmhouse were added as part of the 2014 renovation.

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