Saint Peters, Pennsylvania Explained

Official Name:Saint Peters, Pennsylvania
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:Pennsylvania#USA
Pushpin Label:Saint Peters
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Pennsylvania
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Chester
Subdivision Type3:Township
Subdivision Name3:Warwick
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Elevation Ft:423
Coordinates:40.18°N -75.7308°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:19470
Area Code:610 and 484
Blank Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank Info:1204576
St. Peters Village Historic District
Nrhp Type:hd
Nocat:yes
Nearest City:Knauertown, Pennsylvania
Built:1860
Architect:Knauer, Davis
Architecture:Late Victorian
Added:November 21, 2003
Refnum:03001189

Saint Peters is an historic, nineteenth-century, industrial, company village that is located in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Built near the Falls of French Creek in Warwick Township, it is situated in the Hopewell Big Woods.

Geography

The town is located in a narrow ravine along French Creek. The Falls of French Creek have formed where French Creek cuts across a series of diabase (trap rock) dikes.[1] Erosion of the diabase dikes by the creek has caused huge boulders to fall into the stream, almost filling the creek bed at points.[2] [3] The igneous intrusion that produced these diabase dikes also replaced limestone or marble in the surrounding rock with iron ores.

History

The presence of iron ore led to the establishment of the French Creek iron mines in 1845. In 1880, quarrying of the diabase, known locally as "black granite", began, and the "Excursion House" hotel opened, distinguishing the community as both an industrial village and recreational weekend retreat. The bulk of the residence and businesses were built following the hotel's opening.

Spurs of the Reading Company and Delaware River and Lancaster railroad lines once ran through the village servicing the local mining, forging and quarrying operations.

By the early 1970s, industrial operations had ceased and the village was developed by its owners as a local tourist destination. Owned until 1978 by the Knauer family, it subsequently changed hands several times and portions of it are now privately owned. Historical preservation efforts, however, have led to the appearance of the village today that is almost entirely of its historic period. Local ordinances prevent exterior alterations to historic structures and limit new construction in designated areas in and around the village.

The main street, St. Peter's Road, is lined with private residences, a hotel and restaurant, and number of small specialty shops. The boulder-strewn French Creek running directly adjacent is one of the area's most popular attractions.

Saint Peters Village was entered onto the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Vaux . George Jr. . The mines at the Falls of French Creek, Chester County, Pennsylvania . Journal of the Mineralogical Society of America . 1928 . 13 . 25–29 .
  2. Finch . John . On the geology and mineralogy of the country near West Chester, Pennsylvania . American Journal of Science . 1828 . 14 . 15–18 .
  3. News: Field Lectures on Geology . Friends' Intelligencer . 41 . 319–320 .