The house at Rt. 252 and St. David’s Road has come to us through generations. In 1715, when St. David’s Church was built, a road was needed for Newtown residents to get to church on Sundays. The new road was built then, and a small farmhouse on the corner a few years later. The house stayed in the Price family for most of the 18th century.
There is a datestone on the house that says “R. E. + C. 1810”. The large addition was built in that year. We think the “C” may be Caleb Yarnall Lewis, the oldest son of Joseph Lewis, who owned the property. Caleb was 11 at the time, but children were put to work at a younger age. When Joseph died, Caleb ended up with the property.
By 1860, Caleb was one of the largest landowners in the township. In 1878, the map shows that he owned the land from Newtown Street Road all the way down St. David’s Road to Darby Creek. Along the former, he owned the house, a smaller tenant house, the blacksmith shop, a store with post office and a wheelwright shop. That whole bustling crossroads village, known as Wyola was owned by Caleb.
And who was Caleb Lewis? Here is the man as described by contemporaries at the time of his death:
“Caleb Y. Lewis, one of the more interesting characters in Delaware County, died last Tuesday from a paralytic stroke at Newtown Square in his 91st year. Mr. Lewis was a bachelor and accumulated considerable property in his lifetime. He was in earlier and later life a farmer, and for many years 
during middle life a merchant. He was in many respects a recluse, caring nothing for society, and rarely leaving home except to attend to necessary business. He was an excellent type of the old-time Friend, and never cared to keep up with the remarkable growth of the nation. His dress and manners were the same as in the first decades of the century, were common in rural districts. He was honest and upright and was known throughout the county as being a man of few words, an unchangeable determination. His four brothers were all prominent men, one of them, James, having sat in both Houses at Harrisburg and refused a nomination to Congress. Mr. Lewis will be buried Monday in the quaint old burying ground at Newtown Square.”
For more history on Newtown Square, Delaware County, and membership information, please visit our website at: https://nshistory.org/