How long does it take to get from 4th and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia to the Greentree Building at Gay and High Streets in West Chester? If you follow the directions given by Google, you will head south on I-95 and cover a distance of 33.4 miles to get you there in about 42 minutes. But what if it is 1822, and you are starting off from the Cross Keys Tavern at 4th and Chestnut, and heading for the Green Tree Tavern in West Chester? The good news is that by simply following Market Street and then the West Chester road, the distance is about 26 miles. However, the trip in 1822 would take you a bit longer. As reported in the book “Historic Newtown Township”:
“In 1822, Messrs. Taylor and Peters, proprietors, announced that the stage would depart from the Cross Keys every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, at 7 o’clock promptly, change at Fox’s and arrive at 1 o’clock same day at Benjamin and Abner Miller’s in West Chester. On alternate days the coach returned to the city. ‘Fare through $1.25. All baggage at the risk of the owners. Newspapers and packages carefully forwarded as usual.”
If you noticed the stop at Fox’s, that is the Newtown Square connection. The old Fox Chase Inn (still standing at 3405 West Chester Pike and currently housing the law firm of Lamb McErlane) was a stagecoach stop for many years on the line running from Philadelphia to West Chester and points west. After a stage coach ride of about three hours out of Philadelphia, the stage would pull into the Fox Chase Inn. Passengers could get out, stretch their legs, and go inside for food and refreshment, while the horses were cared for and watered, and any packages and mail for Newtown residents were delivered to the tavern owner. The through passengers would then climb back into the stagecoach for the remaining three hour trip to West Chester. Going from Philadelphia to West Chester in 1822 by this relatively quick mode of public transportation was the equivalent of the six-hour drive from Philadelphia to Boston today.
And if you chose instead to walk at a brisk 20 minutes per mile pace or three miles per hour, it would take about nine hours. They were a hardy breed. How many of us can do that walking distance today?
For more history on Newtown Square, Delaware County, and membership information, please visit our website at nshistory.org.
