The Barclay Park grounds have been open land since the time of the native Lenape, even as West Chester grew around it. The Rutter Orchards here grew the famous Rutter peach. In 1867 Civil War iron merchant Joshua Hartshorne made it his estate, and in the 1930’s the property became The Barclay, a Quaker boarding home. This open space with its majestic trees served as an informal town green for over 80 years. It was saved from development on several occasions. In 2013 when this land was about to be lost to residential construction, citizens organized to raise funds, public and private, to purchase it for a permanent park. They had support from borough, county, and state officials, land conservancies, and the landowner. The park was dedicated April 22, 2016.
Save The Barclay website transitions to Friends of Barclay Park
Thanks to borough, county, and state officials, land conservancies, the Barclay Grounds Preservation Alliance and many donors, the land was purchased to create a permanent park. The park was dedicated April 22, 2016.
The Barclay Home (also known as: the Joshua Hartshorne Estate; North Hill; and The Barclay) was accepted into the National Register of Historic Places because the “Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history”. [Social History, Architecture]. The justification for…Read More
After another fight by the neighbors to retain the character of the property a 10 year moratorium on development of the grounds was established in return for allowing the building to be zoned for commercial office space.
To meet expanding needs … the Barclay proposed to erect a number of small houses and an apartment house on its property. This proposal was apparently abandoned due to local opposition, and the park-like setting of the Barclay remained intact.
After the passing of Joshua Hartshorne the site was purchased from the Hartshorne heirs by two prominent local businessmen who donated it to the Barclay Home (a Quaker home for the elderly). In a Daily Local News article of the day, Mr. Kay (one of the two donors) was quoted…Read More
On April 13, 1866, Joshua Hartshorne purchased a plot of land in West Chester for the site of his retirement home from John and Maria Rutter. Joshua Hartshorne was a Civil War iron merchant.
The Park was part of a nursery operated by the horticulturist John Rutter. John Rutter is known for developing the Rutter peach varietal, which he developed by selective cultivation.
