Featured Item of the Month

Watercolor Map of the Farm

This map is one of a collection of watercolor maps drawn by Westtown students in the very early years of the school. The maps show the locations of the buildings extant on campus at the time, along with improvements made by the school including the grist mill and saw mill. Roads and waterways are included, as are the separate areas delineated for the two genders; the girls' garden is west of the building while the boys' woods are east of it. (Note that Street Road, south of the school, runs along the left side of this map.) This map and others like it in the collection are wonderful historical artifacts both as primary documentation of the farm and student work of the time period.

A Map of the Farm Whereon West-Town School Is situated
This tract of land contains 600 acres, 300 of which are woodland. It was purchased of James Gibbons in 1793 for $16359. The house was completed in 1798. It was 55 ft. 6 in by 110 ft. In 1812 an addition of 30 ft was made to the east and which cost $3500. Between 1798 & 1816, 2510 students have been admitted. 12th mo. 25th 1816 (Transcribed from map)

(And, if you noticed the date on the map - yes, school was in session on Christmas Day.)

Did You Know?

Westtown School's most known connection with the Wyeth family of nearby Chadds Ford is the painting, The Giant, by N. C. Wyeth which has hung at Westtown since 1923. But his children, too, shared their talents with Westtown. The art work of N.C.'s daughter, Carolyn, was shown here in 1930, while some of Andrew Wyeth's work –illustrations, pen drawings, oil paintings and portraits, according to Westtown's student newspaper The Brown and White - were exhibited for a time in the west end hall in 1935. Another of their siblings, Ann, performed for the Westtown piano club in 1939. And, a painting done in 1936 by Henriette Wyeth Hurd, N.C.'s oldest child, is part of the school's permanent art collection.