Finding Aid for the Old Eagle School Collection, 1895-1928

The Old Eagle School traces its roots to the 1760s when German settlers built a church and small schoolhouse on the property in the southeast corner of Tredyffrin Township. Part of the ground was also used for burials as early as the 1770s. The building was used as a school for about a century. It is now administered as a historic site by a board of local citizens. Note that newspaper clippings about the Old Eagle School are stored with the research files. A copy of The History of The Old Eagle School, by Henry Pleasants, 1909 (with 8 illustrations) is in the TEHS library. Also see oldeagleschool.org.

Folder 1: printed matter:

The Old Eagle School Property, 1770-1895. [Subscription solicitation leaflet]

Report of the Trustees of the Old Eagle School to the Contributors for the Restoration of the Property, 1897, 15 pages. (6 copies).

Lessons from the Lowly – The Old Eagle School, 1902 (Philadelphia: Ferris & Leach), unpaginated booklet, about 25 pages; contains 9 pages of unattributed verse, and 8 photographs – 5 of the school, and 3 others.

The Evolution of A German Cradle, 1767-1903, Being A Historical Account of the Old Eagle School in Chester County, Pennsylvania, 59 pages, [1903]. Contains a list of German residents prior to 1788; a list of burials at the school, 1767-1895; and the Treasurer’s Report for 1895-1903.

An Historical Account of the Old Eagle School Property, 11 pages, undated [ca. 1903]. Contains a one-page list of burials in the graveyard on the property.

Board of Trustees of the Old Eagle School, Appointed by the Court of Common Pleas of Chester County, Penna., undated [ca. 1903]. A small historical booklet. (6 copies).

The Old Eagle School, 1767-1912, New Year Assurances. [leaflet of verse]

The Old Eagle School, 1767-1913, A New Year’s Reminder. [leaflet of verse]

The Old Eagle School, 1767-1914, New Year Reflections. [leaflet of verse]

Calendar card, 1962

Promotional brochure, [1980s]

Bicentennial brochure, 1988

Folder 2: Legal Papers:

Two packets of typescript testimony regarding applications for the appointment of trustees of the Old Eagle School, 1895. The two documents comprise about 65 pages. Both are in very brittle condition. Unfolding for close examination is not possible without conservation measures.

Photocopy of the official Chester County legal decision regarding the ownership of the property, from the proceedings of the Chester County Court of Common Pleas, 1895.

Folder 3:

Letter and notes concerning legal actions in 1891 to divide the property and return it to a board of trustees.

Folder 4:

Trustees’ correspondence regarding removal of a body buried at the school without permission of the trustees, 1895.

Folder 5:

Trustees’ correspondence, accounts, and legal papers, 1895; 1915-24.

Folder 6:

Trustees’ correspondence, accounts, and legal papers, 1923-28.

Cheryl Leibold