Freemen, Founders and Friends

This tour is a tribute to the freemen, the founders, and the Friends who forged a legacy of liberty, equality, and belonging in Kennett Square.

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Freemen, Founders and Friends

Kennett Square, Pennsylvania 19348, United States

Created By: Kennett Heritage Center

Tour Information

Often celebrated for its charm and opportunity, Kennett Square has a deeper, quieter history: one of resistance, resilience, and hope. Follow along as we explore the stories that helped shape Kennett Square.

As you walk these streets, you’ll encounter homes, churches, and the landscape tied to the lives of freedom-seekers, abolitionists, educators, spiritual leaders, and everyday citizens who chose justice over comfort, and courage over silence. Their names may not always appear in textbooks, but their impact echoes in the foundations of the community they helped build.

Through these stops, we honor not only the well-known figures but also the unnamed and overlooked—those who risked everything for freedom, those who opened their doors in defiance of slavery, and those who built strong, enduring Black institutions in the heart of town.

This tour is a tribute to the freemen, founders, and Friends who forged a legacy of liberty, equality, and belonging in Kennett Square.


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What You'll See on the Tour

In 1901, Dr. Isaac D. Johnson, a respected homeopathic physician in Kennett Square, built this stately house. But long before this house stood, Dr. Johnson’s legacy was already being written—not in bricks and mortar, but in courage and... Read more
From 1851 to 1858, this modest house was home to Esther Hayes, a Quaker and dedicated abolitionist whose convictions shaped every aspect of her life. A founding member of the Longwood Progressive Friends Meeting, Esther didn’t just speak ... Read more
Long before Edwin Brosius became a successful businessman in Kennett Square, his life was shaped by something far more profound than clay and kilns—conviction. Edwin grew up in a Quaker household near Andrew’s Bridge in Upper Oxford Tow... Read more
Today, the two duplexes at 200–206 East Linden Street give little hint of the bustling, smoky world that once stood in their place. In the mid-1800s, this spot was alive with the heat and rhythm of Brosius’ Pottery, one of the busiest... Read more
If walls could talk, the buildings at 217 and 219 East Linden Street would have more than a century of stories to share—of sermons, healing, and community strength. In 1854, the first non-Quaker house of worship in Kennett Square rose at ... Read more
In the years following the Civil War, two veterans—Perry Stout and Joseph Carter—continued their service to community and faith. In 1879, their names appeared as trustees on the deed for an old schoolhouse on North Walnut Road, securing... Read more
Long before East Linden Street echoed with hymns, the roots of New Garden Memorial U.A.M.E. Church had taken hold in the rich soil of a powerful movement for independence and faith. This church’s story begins in 1813, when Peter Spencer, ... Read more
The house at 322 E. Linden Street holds the story of Joseph Carter, a man who forged his own path to freedom and left a lasting mark on Kennett Square. Born into slavery in Virginia, Joseph made a daring escape around 1856 to avoid being so... Read more
The two rows of houses along E. Linden Street, built in 1846, may seem quiet today, but they were once the heart of a growing neighborhood—constructed as housing for the workers of the S & M Pennock Company. When Quakers Samuel and Mo... Read more
In 1853, Deborah Yerkes married Samuel Pennock, uniting two people and two passionate voices for abolition, justice, and progress. Both were founding members of the Longwood Progressive Friends Meeting, a group known for its bold stance on ... Read more
  Built in 1861 by Jane Elizabeth Hitchcock Jones, this house is more than a home—it’s a place steeped in conviction, resilience, and community spirit. Before coming to Kennett Square, Jane and her husband, Benjamin S. Jones, were at t... Read more
View the grey house across Willow Street- #12 In 1839, brickmaker Samuel Glasgow bought 3 acres of land just down the hill from here, making him the first free Black to own property in what would become Kennett Square. Fifteen years later, ... Read more
In 1857, Thomas Melton, an African American blacksmith working for the S & M Pennock Company, bought a lot at the corner of North Walnut Road and State Street in the unsettled section of Kennett Square. But Melton wasn’t just a skille... Read more
Long before it became an appliance shop, this corner hummed with the clatter and heat of the S & M Pennock Foundry, as mentioned earlier. The foundry was known for producing top-quality agricultural tools and machinery—but it also pla... Read more
In 1855, Anthony Goodwin, a free Black man, purchased this home for his family—planting roots in a town where opportunities for African Americans were still hard-won. In 1878, he ran for a seat on the Kennett Square Borough Council, and a... Read more
The Record reported, “On August 4, 1860, the streets of Kennett Square came alive with music, speeches, and celebration. Nearly 1,000 people of the colored population gathered to mark the 26th Anniversary of the West Indian Emancipationâ€... Read more
This is the last stop on our tour.  Together, these stories form a tapestry of courage, conviction, and community—woven through Kennett Square's streets, homes, churches, and lives. The Freedmen, Founders, and Friends Walking Tour invite... Read more

 

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