Collier/ Forsythe House

The Collier/ Forsythe house is a 2-and-one-half story, 8-bay dwelling with a wood-framed gable roof. The original core of the home is the 3-bay section on the right end which was constructed in 1738 by James and Mary Collier. The property was part of a 250 acre tract divided off of a larger 1000 acre William Penn land grant. An addition was constructed in 1855 by William Forsythe which added an additional 5 bays to the existing structure. The Forsythe family was active in the Birmingham Meeting. When the Quaker Meeting split in 1827 the Forsythe family followed the Orthodox Meeting, while the Painter family who lived on the farm across the road attended the Hicksite Meeting. When the Orthodox Meetinghouse was constructed in 1845 there were several members of the Forsythe family serving as trustees. The exterior walls of the Collier/ Forsythe house are built up in coursed rubble and the roof is clad in wood shingles. Doors with relatively plain surrounds are placed in the third bay from either end of the main façade. The exterior presents a symmetrical, unified formal appearance that reflects a long and consistent Chester County Quaker building tradition. The serpentine stone used in the construction was likely quarried at Brinton's Quarry on present day New Street about one mile to the east. The building was converted into a duplex and used as a tenant house for the Mather estate up until the early 1960's. In later years it was a tenant house for professionals for the Radley Run Country Club. The historic structure was restored and converted back into a single family private residence. Carefully cross Country Club Road and enter the public parking area by the tennis courts and face north towards the Dairy Master's Cottage.