River Bend Farm is a historic farm located in East Coventry Township,

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States ** Chester County Council, boy scout council in Pennsylvania. * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in a bend of the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river in eastern Pennsylvania. It flows for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map(). accessed April 1, 2011. from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Pottsville ...

near Pottstown. The farm house is a good example of early Chester County construction techniques, being built with stuccoed stone walls and pegged rafters. The farm was owned, but not lived in, by

Michael Hillegas Michael Hillegas (April 22, 1729 – September 29, 1804) was the first treasurer of the United States. Biography Hillegas was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Margaret Schiebenstock (1710 – July 21, 1770) and George ...

, the first

Treasurer of the United States The treasurer of the United States is an officer in the United States Department of the Treasury who serves as the custodian and trustee of the federal government's collateral assets and the supervisor of the department's currency and coinage pr ...

. It was also owned by members of the Joshua family political dynasty. ''Note:'' This includes The farm was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1980.

History

Henry Casdorp's family bought on "Turkey Point," including the current farm site, on November 28, 1763, from Pennsylvania's proprietors, Thomas and Richard Penn for £60. They sold the land for £2,400 to

and Jacob Winey on May 23, 1764. The property sold included a house, which was likely a log cabin built before the Casdorp purchase. The new owners, in turn, sold 300 acres sixteen months later to

Daniel Hiester Daniel Hiester (June 25, 1747 – March 7, 1804) was an American political and military leader from the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War period to the early 19th Century. Born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Berks County in the Pro ...

who bought the property for his son John. River Bend Barn

Daniel's sons were active during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. His son Daniel became a brigadier general in the Pennsylvania

Militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

and was elected to the first four U.S. congresses, representing Pennsylvania, and was later elected to represent

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. The elder Daniel's son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

fought at the

Battle of Brandywine The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777, as part of the Am ...

, and after the war was elected a major general of Militia. He was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1806, and John's son

Daniel Daniel commonly refers to: * Daniel (given name), a masculine given name and a surname * List of people named Daniel * List of people with surname Daniel * Daniel (biblical figure) * Book of Daniel, a biblical apocalypse, "an account of the acti ...

was elected to congress in 1808. The house has two stories plus an attic. The first two stories have exceptionally high ceilings for the colonial period, 9 feet, 7 inches for the first floor and 8 feet, 11 inches for the second floor. Another National Register of Historic Places listed site,

Fricks Locks Historic District Fricks Locks Historic District or more simply Frick's Lock is an abandoned village, along the also abandoned Schuylkill Canal, in the northeast portion of East Coventry Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. This 18th-century village outla ...

, lies about 600 yards south of the house. Starting in 1974, the

Limerick Nuclear Power Plant The Limerick Generating Station is a nuclear power plant located next to the Schuylkill River in Limerick Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, approximately northwest of Center City, Philadelphia. The facility has two General Electric ...

was constructed to the east of the house, directly across the

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1765 Houses in Chester County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Chester County, Pennsylvania