Driving north through Avondale, Pennsylvania on Route 41, the Lancaster Pike, it's not hard to imagine what the town looked like 100 years ago, because many of the buildings still remain.
The Allen Block is an active residence today, and is seen in this historic photo taken about the time the Borough of Avondale was created in 1894. Although part of New Garden and London Gove Townships, the Borough has its own personality, with origins under 2 separate grants from William Penn. New Garden was the western part of a grant to Letitia and William Penn Jr., called the Manor of Stenning. The London Grove portion was given to Penn, Jr. in 1706 as part of a grant from the London Company, a group of prosperous London merchants overseeing these holdings.
The Eastern Branch of the White Clay Creek runs along the Western edge of the Borough of Avondale, and many lovely Victorian homes are located in its boundaries. The name Avondale comes from the early holdings of William Miller, who called his land "Avondale Farms." Today, several historic Miller residences still exist outside of the Borough.
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