New Garden Historical Commission - Establishing a Township

<body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#990099" > <table border="0" cellpadding="5" width="100%" bgcolor="#999999"> <tr> <td><p align="center"><img src="../lyceum/lyceum.jpg" width="200" height="114"></p> </td> <td align="center"> <h1><font color=black>New Garden Historical Commission</font></h1> <p><a href="../index.htm" target="_top"><font color=black>Click here</font></a> <font color=black> to return to the home page and links to other articles</font></p> </td> </tr> </table> <p align="center"><font size="4"><strong>Establishing a Township</strong></font></p> <p>Historically, a Township was incorporated, settled, chartered, founded or established when existing landowners petitioned the County to downsize their tax collection area to a more manageable area. Below is an example of a typical Court Decree from when Sadsbury Township was split into East and West Sadsbury in 1728. This Court decree was issued by the Chester County Court in the city of Chester, Pa (the city of Chester was still part of Chester County at this time - the County was split into Chester and Delaware Counties in 1789). </p> <p><img src="Picture2.png" width="701" height="562"></p> <p>The map below shows establishment dates for New Garden's neighbors:</p> <p><img src="Picture1.png" width="825" height="716"></p> <table border="0" cellspacing="7"> <tr> <td>1705</td> <td><b>Kennett Township </b>established.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1723</td> <td><b>London Grove Township </b>established. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>1725</td> <td><b>London Britain Township </b>established. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>1729</td> <td><b>East and West Marlborough Townships</b> established from Marlborough Township. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>1770</td> <td><b>Pennsbury Township </b>established from Kennett Township. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>1852</td> <td><b>Franklin Township </b>created from New London Township. </td> </tr> </table> <p>So when was New Garden Township established? The official “Court Decree” giving the residents of New Garden the status of “Township” is lost - there is no record of it in the County Archives.</p> </body>