Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 157, No. 4
Wednesday, January 25, 2023
$1.50
Himes begins role as township manager for New Garden By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer The New Garden Township Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution 877 at their Jan. 17 meeting that formally approved the appointment of Chris Himes as the township’s new manager, a position he began on Jan. 23. As part of his new job, Himes will also serve as the township’s open
records manager, recycling coordinator and volunteer coordinator, as was approved at the meeting. Himes replaces former township manager Ramsey Reiner, who left the township in September of 2022. Himes will begin at New Garden Township on the heels of his role as the assistant city manager for Manassas Park, Va., where he oversaw the city’s admin-
istrative functions of finance, IT and human resources. As the lead for enterprise technology planning and implementation, Himes supported the city’s economic development initiatives for small business development, and also oversaw Manassas Park’s community services in economic development, health, mental health and housing. Himes also served as a
member of the board of directors for the Prince William County Chamber of Commerce as well as the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance. A graduate of Virginia Tech and the University of Southern California, Himes served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for ten years, primarily as a helicopter pilot, where he amassed over 2,000 flight hours.
INSIDE Vermeil and Davis
laud new Old Timers members at banquet
2023 Health & Medical Guide
By Chris Barber Contributing Writer
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Former Philadelphia Eagles coach and football Hall of Famer Dick Vermeil joined Phillies broadcaster Ben Davis with words of good cheer and encouragement for the five inductees who were honored on Saturday at the Kennett Old Timers Baseball Association banquet. An audience of more than 200 cheered as Vermeil and Davis welcomed new members into the society of talented local baseball players for their past accomThe life, the living and the journey of Bob Meyer...1B plishments at the Kennett Fire Company Red Clay Room. Vermeil is locally beloved,
as was obvious by the warm greeting he received when he arrived. He also led the St. Louis Rams to a 1999 Super Bowl championship and was recently elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A Chester County native, Davis is a former Major League catcher who is now a broadcaster for the Philadelphia Phillies. The Kennett Old Timers Baseball Association annually inducts several local baseball players who have excelled on the baseball diamond at the at the January banquet. They have been following that tradition since 1974. Many members of the
New appointments In other township business, the township’s Park and Recreation Board of Directors appointed Helen Doordan as chairperson for 2023, Sadaf Cheema as vice chair and Brianna Small as secretary. The Open Space Review Board of Directors appointed Chris Robinson as chairman for 2023, Randy Lieberman as vice chairman
Courtesy photo
Chris Himes, former assistant city manager for Manassas Park, Va., began his new position as New Garden Township manager on Jan. 23.
and Steve Dooley as secretary, and Lieberman and Continued on Page 2A
FROM OUR LENS KATS, in Pantomime
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
The Kennett Amateur Theatrical Society (KATS) presented The Magic Lamp: A-Ladd-In Trouble this past weekend for three shows at Kennett High School. Directed by Gary Smith and Ken Mumma, the production was the theater group’s 22nd annual Pantomime in the British Tradition. To learn more about KATS, visit www.callkats.org.
Continued on Page 3A
Oxford Arts Alliance Stevens will showcases music and the not seek third art of drum making term on Kennett The new exhibit opens on Feb. 3 Township board By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer
Samb and view the beautiful art of hand-built drums. Music will be performed at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.. The If you stroll past the exhibit will run from Feb. 3 Oxford Arts Alliance through Feb. 24. on the First Friday in Paco comes from a famFebruary you may be lured inside by the sounds of African drumming. The Arts Alliance has once again brought in a highly unique exhibit. On Friday, Feb. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m., come inside and listen to the music of master hand drummer Pape Demba “Paco”
ily that have been griots in his native Senegal for hundreds of years. As a griot, Paco is one of the keepers of the ancestral history, stories, and Continued on Page 2A
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer In an announcement that concluded the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors meeting on Jan. 18, longtime supervisor Scudder Stevens announced that he would not seek a third term as a supervisor. Stevens, who was first elected to the board in 2011, will end his second term on Dec. 31, 2023. His decision to make his announcement early this year, Stevens said,
LI V IN G H IS TORY
was to allow ample time for a candidate seeking to campaign for election to the three-person board in November, to join current board chairman Geoffrey Gamble and vice chairman Richard Leff. “This path needs to be open for all,” he said. Stevens’ comments provided a general sweep of Kennett Township over the past 12 years, one that has seen a once all-Republican board go all Democrat; Continued on Page 2A
by Gene Pisasale
Primitive Hall: A tribute to the Pennock family By Gene Pisasale Contributing Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
Just off of PA Route 841 in southern Chester County stands a beautiful brick house on a hillside overlooking the scenic Brandywine Valley. Its story is also the story of one of the earliest settlers of this region—a family that became well
known throughout the area. Although nearly three centuries have passed since its construction, the house remains wonderfully preserved. This home is Primitive Hall, and a visit there brings you back to our early 18th century roots. Primitive Hall was built in 1738 by Joseph Pennock, who inherited the land in
1703. It was part of a large tract originally purchased by his maternal grandfather, who acquired the property from William Penn in the early days of the colony. His grandson Joseph later sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to start a new life in North America. The tract of land in West Marlborough Township was 1,250 acres,
but Joseph previously gifted a portion to one of his sons. The remaining 700 acres formed the property on which the home sits today. The building appears to simply be an elegant brick house, but it is much more. Inside you see a large foyer and immediately realize that this home was different from ones typically built
back then. The structure is a spacious 52 feet, 2 inches wide and 40 feet deep. The Primitive Hall website notes that the house is a unique adaptation of a William Penn-style home: two Penn town houses put together. It is actually four three-story brick sections connected in the center by a large hallway. Continued on Page 3A