Every existing detail of the history of this area would be impossible to include here. What you will read is a compilation of information from several sources. There is a bibliography at the end of this section to allow you to continue your research if you wish.

Our entire story is not told here. Much work waits to be done to find and organize information from Upland's rich sporting history and our sports teams through the years. The "newer histories" of the Borough since the 1960's wait to be added here, to better complete this ever growing picture.

Here are only a few of the main points of the history, organizations and developments of Upland through the years from the mid17^th century through the mid 20^th century. Unfortunately, no organized history of the last forty years exists. Where possible, websites of organizations where more current information may be available are included.

To go directly to a certain topic, click the highlighted area of the topic you wish to view.  The “Background story of Upland in the 1600’s”, “About the area called Upland in the 18^th Century”, “Upland comes into its own in the 19^th Century”, “John P. Crozer”, “Organizing the new Borough of Upland”, “Upland Changes – 1927 to 1969”, “The story of Upland School District through 1967”, “The Upland Baptist Church”, “Upland’s Crozer Theological Seminary”, “Upland’s Crozer Hospital history through 1968”, and “The Upland Fire Company #1”.

Background story of Upland in the 1600's

The first European settlers in this area were the Swedes under the leadership of Governor Johann Printz. He arrived in the area in 1643 and built a permanent settlement at Tinicum Island. Some of these colonists settled on plantations located between two creeks; Mesckopenackan (the Indian name for what is now Chester Creek) and Upland Kijlen (The Swedish name for what is now Ridley Creek). The land area between these two waterways was named Uplandh by the Swedes because the land resembled an area of their homeland of that name.

The settlement of Upland was built around the point where the Chester creek flows into the Delaware River. The plantations mostly grew tobacco for shipment back to Sweden. The person who owned the plantation that covered what is present day Upland was a soldier and bodyguard to Governor Printz named Joran Kyn (Keen). It is not known whether he ever made his home here.

During this period three governments were competing for colonial supremacy on Americas east coast; the Dutch, the Swedish and the English. The Dutch in New Amsterdam (later New York) claimed rights to what they called the South River, The Swedes were already here along with some Finnish settlers who came with them, and the English sought to connect their colonies in New England and Virginia by a presence along the east coast.

We know the Swedes called this area Upland. The Dutch governor of New Amsterdam sent his troops up the river and forced the Swedes to capitulate and rename the area "Oplandt". In September of 1664 English Colonel Nichols captured New Amsterdam from the Dutch and it became "his Majesty's town of New York", under the Duke of York. When the locals heard this, they decided they could rename the area Upland again, and so they did.

Through a series of battles and peace agreements all of the settlements along the river came under the control of the English Crown by 1674. On September 25, 1676 the Duke of York's laws were promulgated as the rule of conduct on the Delaware River, and courts were established, one of which was at Upland. 

On March 4, 1681, Charles II, of England signed the great charter which conveyed to William Penn the enormous tract of land now known as Pennsylvania. William Penn came to Pennsylvania on the ship "Welcome" along with about 100 others, mostly members of the Society of Friends (Quakers) from the county of Cheshire in England. Shortly after his arrival at the old Swedish settlement of Upland he changed the name to Chester in honor of the major city in the county of Cheshire. For some time it seems that both names were used to refer to that place, but the creation of Chester County and Chester Township helped to make the town name of Chester stick.

Also in 1681,  a group of twelve men in London, England had met to form a stock company (which became known as "the Society of Free Traders") to erect one or more water powered mills in the new colony. The cost of the venture was to be divided among the investors with the profits to be shared according to the investment each made. Caleb Pusey was selected to be the mill manager and agent for the joint venture. Richard Townsend was a builder and millwright and he directed the assembly and testing of a mill in the London area. This prefabricated mill was disassembled and loaded on the ship "Welcome" and was brought out to Upland with William Penn. Upon arrival, the mill was unloaded and barged up the Chester creek.

The location of the mill was decided upon with the help of Thomas Wade, a prominent Quaker who had lived in the area for 7 years. He was well respected by William Penn and he was asked to help Caleb Pusey scout the best location. The decision was made to locate the mill at the head of tidewater on the Chester creek. This would allow the mill and other materials to be floated up the creek to this point and to enable ease of transport of the milled flour and boards down the creek to Chester and beyond.

While still in London, Caleb Pusey had paid for 250 acres of land, of which 100 acres, Caleb's "Landingford Plantation", were laid out along Chester creek in today's' Upland Borough. The 50 acres immediately to his east were that of Richard Townsend and to the north and west were the 500 acres belonging to Thomas Brassey. (See above) These men were counted among William Penn's 450 First Purchasers, and these parcels made up what is today the Borough of Upland. Caleb Pusey is best known in the area now because of his home, built in 1683, which still survives.  (see Link)

In addition to the early landholders there was another reason for the prominence of the present day Upland, which probably caused these men to come to this area in the first place. For years before the arrival of the Europeans, the local Indians had created and used a trading trail which ran from where today's Darby is located, along the general route of the present MacDade Boulevard into the Chester area, where it followed the present 24^th Street to today's Upland Avenue. Here it turned down the hill passing the current Kerlin Street and on to Front Street where it turned right and followed close by the Chester creek across the land that later would become Caleb Pusey's "Landingford Plantation", and then made a crossing to the higher ground on the opposite side of the creek.

Dr. Paul Wallace, the Indian expert, sites this Indian trail. "The Indians could here cross over on stones and keep their moccasins dry". This was the main North/South land route at the time and for many years would play an important role in the development of the area.

Caleb Pusey and his partners in the mill chose the site wisely, for wherever there was a mill there had to be a trail so that the farmers and planters could reach it. The Swedes had used this Indian trail, and, when the English settlers came, it was their only way of going by foot or horseback to the south. This trail went down to Marcus Hook, earliest settlement in the state, to Newcastle, now in Delaware, and on to Maryland. The only other way to travel was by boat. So in many of the early Quaker journals there are recitals of the early travels, with occasional mention of stopping at Caleb Pusey's house at Chester Mills on the way to the Yearly Meeting in Maryland.

With the coming of the English, the stepping stones across Chester Creek could no longer suffice. The court records tell repeatedly that Caleb Pusey was to keep a good plank bridge over the creek so that horses could cross over in safety. But progress came, and in 1706 a new road from the north to the south was finished, and alas, Caleb's Chester Mills and Landingford Plantation were not on the route. The Queen's Road entered Chester from the north along Fifth Street, moved along Market to the Market Square, and turned south over the Third Street bridge. From here on it was called the King's Road. And our present day Borough of Upland and Caleb's Landingford Plantation were not in the limelight until the 19^th century industrial boom of the Crozers.

So now, as you can see, the story of the beginnings of our Borough of Upland is tied to the developments and the ownership of the Chester Mills and of the land on which our present community exists.

Caleb Pusey continued to operate and manage the Chester Mills enterprise despite incurring the consequences of numerous hardships. In 1683, the first year of mill operations, the mill and dam were swept away in a violent fall freshet (flood). The mill and dam are rebuilt the following year and successfully operated until they were again the victim of a flash flood in 1687 or 1688. A third mill was erected at a distance of about one-half mile downstream from the location of the second mill. A mill race was constructed which carried the water to the mill from about one mile upstream. The combination of the new location and the mill race protected the mill from damage until the great flood of 1704.

During these years of trouble with nature the expenses of the repairs were so great that the outlay far exceeded the earnings of the mill and Pusey borrowed money from time to time to pay for the improvements. Many of the original partners had refused to pay more and through court settlements and forced sales by 1695 there were only three partners left; William Penn, Samuel Carpenter (merchant of Philadelphia) and Caleb Pusey. But now the venture was beginning to be profitable. In 1699 William Penn came to midday meal at Caleb Pusey's house and the visit was commemorated by the presentation of a weathervane to the mill operators. The weathervane is one of the most famous 17^th century Pennsylvania icons and shows the initials WP SC - CP and 1699. A small copy is on display at the Crozer Schoolhouse Museum in Upland, and the original can be seen at the Atwater-Kent Museum in Philadelphia.

About the area called Upland in the 18^th Century

Throughout the 18^th Century the entire circle of life in the area of present-day Upland centered on the developments, owners, support skills, and employees of the Chester Mills.

In 1705 Samuel Carpenter sold 22 shares in the three existing Chester mills to Caleb Pusey. In 1707 Caleb Pusey sold a one-quarter interest in the Chester Mills to his step-son Henry Worley and for a short time he operated the Chester Mills as "Henry Worley and Company", and he is said to have lived in the old house at the time.

In 1717, after a very full life Caleb and Anne Pusey retired to their property in London Grove.

In 1719 the Chester Mills and lands were sold to Jonathan Dickinson and Isaac Norris of Philadelphia. Under this sales agreement Norris and Dickinson got the 21 acres of mill land, but the remaining 100 acres of the original Pusey land were reserved for the Proprietor, William Penn. The Chester Mills remained in their ownership and estates until 1749. For all this time the mills remained successful as grist, fulling and saw mills for the surrounding communities. For a short time the mills were owned by the Pennell family, and then the Shaw brothers owned them until after the American Revolution.

According to Henry Graham Ashmead in 1884, "On Oct. 31, 1777, Gen. Washington ordered Gen. Potter to remove the millstones at Chester Mills so that no flour could be ground there for the British army, and we know that these orders were obeyed, but where the stones were removed to is not known. After the Revolution, due to the shrinkage in the value of real estate, the Chester Mills passed out of the ownership of Samuel Shaw, and were purchased by Henry Hale Graham, who subsequently sold them to his son-in-law, Richard Flower. In 1793, Richard Flower purchased from Oliver Evans the right to use the his patent "for elevating grain and meal from the lower to the upper stories, and conveying the same from one part of the mill to another, and for cooling the meal and attending the Bolting Hoppers." The power for the mills, we learn from this old document, then consisted "of two Water wheels situated on Chester Creek . . . called Chester Mills." The same year Richard Flower made entry under the act of Assembly at the county court of the brands exclusively used by him at these mills, which were "Chester Superfine," "Chester," "Chester Middlings, No. 2-96," "No. 4-98." While he was still engaged in milling, Richard Flower made several successful ventures in shipping flour to Europe. When the misunderstanding existed between France and the United States, previous to 1800, he, in connection with his brother, John, his half-brother, Reece Wall, and his brother-in-law, Capt. John McKeever, loaded three vessels with flour and cleared them for Liverpool. All three of the ships were captured by French cruisers and condemned in French prize courts, although one of the vessels was within sixty miles of the Delaware Bay when taken. The loss he sustained by French spoliation was so great that he never again attempted to seek a foreign market for his bread-stuff. During the war of 1812 the American troops were instructed to impress all the flour at Chester Mills for the army, but the government paid full value for all that was taken."

Upland comes into its own in the 19^th Century

Chester Mills continued to be moderately successful as a "merchant milling" operation, but it appeared as though lumber was to be the growth business in this area, so the Flowers completed the installation of a new saw mill at Chester Mills in 1811. By 1813, certainly by 1815, Chester mills had ceased to function as a flour milling center, but did continue to grow its lumber cutting function. Many of these changes were being driven by the growing cotton and woolen industries and the serious risks associated with dealing in flour for export. In 1824 William Graham Flower was operating the saw mill at Chester Mills and advertising ash planks and other assorted lumber for sale at his mill. However, after this year, he no longer offered lumber for sale from this location. He moved it to Chester for sale. Other merchants were selling "Susquehanna" lumber from locations in Chester, and nobody wanted to come the two miles up the creek to get it from Chester Mills. By 1826 the Chester Mills ground grain occasionally, but they cut an average of 310,000 board feet of lumber per year. In 1839 William Flower, still the owner/investor in the Chester Mills lumber operations, suffered a financial loss when 50,000 board feet of lumber was swept away at Chester Mills in a flash flood. On July 24, 1843 Richard Flower died leaving a mortgaged mill, six heirs and no will, and the trustee for the estate was Edward Darlington. On August 5, 1843 the Chester Mills are again severely damaged by another flash flood.  Richard Flower's estate was first advertised for sale on June 14, 1844.

In March of 1845 Mr. John P. Crozer purchased from John W. Ashmead the Flower estate of some 65+ acres. At the time of this purchase John P. Crozer and his wife still were living in Crozerville on the west bank of the Chester creek.

"In 1845, after the purchase from John W. Ashmead of the Chester Mills, John P. Crozer immediately made preparation for erecting a cotton-factory. The following year he built the mill known as No. 1, a five-story stone structure, one hundred and thirty-eight feet in length by fifty feet in width, and also erected a number of stone dwelling-houses for the mill workers. In June, 1847, there were forty-six tenements on the property, and an eighty horse-power engine had been attached to the factory, so that in the event of the water in the creek at any time proving insufficient to operate the machinery the mill would not be compelled to suspend operations. At that time there were one hundred and fifty power-looms, eleven self-acting mules, with three thousand eight hundred and sixty-four spindles, while the whole number of spindles amounted to six thousand. This mill was enlarged and contained eight thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight throstle-spindles, two thousand nine hundred and ninety-two mule-spindles, and two hundred and ninety-eight looms. In 1852, John P. Crozer built mill No. 2, one hundred and fifty-eight feet in length by fifty-two feet in width, four stories and an attic in height. It contained seven thousand spindles and one hundred and fifty looms. This mill, after it passed to Samuel A. Crozer, was enlarged, to contain seven thousand four hundred and fifty-six throstle-spindles, four thousand four hundred mule-spindles, and nine cards. In 1863, to meet the demand for the goods he then manufactured, John P. Crozer erected mill No. 3, fifty-two feet by two hundred and twenty-two feet, four stories in height, in which were used six thousand spindles and one hundred and fifty looms. This mill contained seven thousand one hundred and forty throstle-spindles, two thousand one hundred and twelve mule-spindles, and two hundred and fifty-six looms. Mills No. 1 and No. 3 had the capacity to consume ninety bales of cotton weekly, and produce eighty-two cases of goods per week. William I. Woodward was the manager of the mills of John P. Crozer's Sons. After the death of Mr. Crozer, in 1866, the mills were divided among his sons, Samuel A. Crozer taking No. 2 mill, and Nos. 1 and 3 being operated by J. Lewis, George K. and Robert H. Crozer, under the firm-name of J. P. Crozer & Sons."

In 1847, John P. Crozer relocated his family from Crozerville to their newly built home at Chester Mills, which he and his wife immediately renamed Upland due to their respect for the ancient name's history and the story of the place.

(And here is the beginning of the Village of Upland.)

Although the site of the first mills erected in the province of Pennsylvania after the territory passed into the ownership of Penn were located within this municipal district, it nevertheless remained a part of the township of Chester until May 24, 1869, when the borough of Upland was incorporated by the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County. The boundaries of the municipality were described in the order as follows:

"Beginning at a point on the north side of the Upland road where it crosses a stream of water called 'Ship Creek', thence down the said Ship Creek, the several courses thereof, about eighty perches, to the east side of Chester Creek, at low-water mark; thence up the said creek at low-water mark, and on a line of the city of Chester, five hundred and eighty perches, to a stone on the east bank of the said Chester Creek, a corner of William West's land; thence by said West's land north nineteen and one-half degrees, east seventy-four perches and seventy-three one-hundredth of a perch to a stone; thence north eighteen and a half degrees, east ninety-six perches and three-tenths of a perch to a stone by William Maris' land; thence south seventy-three and a half perches, east ninety-seven perches, to a stone a corner of Abraham Lukens' land; thence by the said Lukens' land north twenty and three-fourth degrees, east forty-eight perches and seven-tenths of a perch to a stone a corner of Richard Wetherill's land; thence by the same south seventy-two degrees, east thirty perches and twenty-eight one-hundredths of a perch to another corner of said Wetherill's land; thence by the same north twenty-three degrees, east thirty-six perches and fifty-two one-hundredths of a perch to a stone another corner of the said Wetherill's land; thence by and through the same and through lands of J. Lewis Crozer south sixty-four degrees, east ninety-two perches to a stake in the west line of Chester Rural Cemetery; thence by the said cemetery south twenty-six and a half degrees, west forty perches and eight-tenths of a perch to a post on the north side of the Chester and Upland road; thence along the north side of the said Upland road south seventy-two and a half degrees, east eighty perches, and north seventy-one and three-fourth degrees, east seventeen perches, and thirty-four one-hundredths of a perch, to the place of beginning, containing three hundred and thirty-five acres of land."

Ten years subsequent to the erection of the borough, on Sept. 18, 1879, the court made an order adding to the incorporated area of the borough of Upland as follows:

"Beginning at a stone a corner of Abraham C. Lukens' land, and a corner of the said borough of Upland; thence partly by the said borough of Upland, and partly by the borough of North Chester, north twenty and one-half degrees, east ninety-four perches and fifteen one-hundredths of a perch to a stone, a corner of the said Abraham C. Lukens' land; thence partly by the same and partly by lands of the heirs of Jesse J. Maris, deceased, north seventy-seven degrees, west one-hundred and thirty perches and three-tenths of a perch to a stone; thence by lands of the said Jesse J. Maris, deceased, south five and one-fourth degrees, west eighty-five perches to a corner, a stone by Samuel A. Crozer's land, in a line of the said Upland borough; thence south seventy-three degrees, east ninety-seven perches, to the place of beginning, containing sixty-five acres two roods thirteen perches, thirty-nine acres two roods and two perches thereof being lands of the heirs of Jesse J. Maris, deceased, and twenty-six acres and eleven perches being lands of the said Abraham C. Lukens."

Ashmead's 1884 History of Delaware County points out the following about the village of Upland; "Forty years ago (1844) the site of the thriving Borough of Upland was occupied only by the mansion-house of the then owner of the land, six tenement-houses for the mill-hands, a cooper-shop, a four-story stone grist-mill, and a frame saw-mill, with the usual out houses on ordinary farms. To-day (1884) it is one of the neatest manufacturing villages in the United States, containing a population approximating three thousand persons.

On the hill crests to the north of the village are located the palatial residences of the Crozer family, the well-kept grounds adding largely to the attractiveness of the place. The Chester Street Railway Company has extended its road to Upland, which affords easy access to the city and the mills, and many of the private residences and stores are supplied with gas by the Chester Gas Company. In 1854 the Bank of Delaware County issued notes of the denomination of twenty dollars, on which were engraved a view of Upland as a vignette. At the present time (1884) the same engraving is used as a head-piece on certificates of stock issued by that corporation."

Upland comes into its own in the 19^th Century, through the efforts and works of John P. Crozer

John Price Crozer was born Jan. 13, 1793.  He was the son of John and Sarah Price Crozer.

The first ancestor of John P. Crozer in America was James Crozer, who, with his four brothers, Samuel, John, Robert, and Andrew, emigrated from Ireland in the early part of the eighteenth century. Soon after arriving in this country James Crozer was married to a lady of English descent named Gleave, whose parents resided in Springfield.

John Crozer, the father of John P., married Sarah Price, daughter of John Price, of English descent. He was a carpenter, and pursued his occupation in Philadelphia until after his marriage. After residing for a short time on a farm owned by the estate of John Knowles, he purchased the farm at Springfield where John P. was born. The property is now owned by Swarthmore College. Though following the humble trade of a carpenter, he possessed an education far superior to his calling, and was a good Latin scholar and well versed in the classics. His religious views were in sympathy with the Society of Friends, though he was not a member of any denomination.

Sarah Price Crozer was a woman of strong religious convictions, gentle and charitable towards all. The children of John and Sarah P. Crozer were Elizabeth (who became the wife of John Lewis), James, Sarah (who became Mrs. Samuel Y. Campbell), John Price, and Samuel.

The educational advantages of John Price Crozer were very limited. He began attending school at the age of six years at the little stone school-house about three-quarters of a mile from his home, and here all the days of his school-life were spent, except for a short term of three months, at a school about two miles away. The amount of knowledge that could be acquired at these schools was very meager, and was mostly comprised in the three "r's," - " readin', ritin', and 'rithmetic." He was, however, a serious student, and supplemented by the small but well-selected library of his father, he acquired a much better education than was usually attained in that day.

From his early childhood he had been accustomed to the hard labor of the farm, and from the age of seventeen he assumed most of its management. In consideration of this fact, upon attaining his majority, his father gave him a one-third interest the farms' profits. In 1816 his father died, and his mother's death occurred the next year.

He wanted to purchase the farm to prevent its falling into the hands of strangers, but became convinced that it was not practical.

In 1820, after leasing the farm pending its sale, he made an extended trip through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and the then sparsely-settled country in Indiana and Illinois. The trip was made almost entirely on horseback, and covered a distance of twenty-seven hundred miles, lasting from April to December. Upon his return the farm had been sold, and his share of the proceeds was about two thousand four hundred dollars. This, together with a little more than one thousand dollars, was his sole capital, and with it he began his business career.

His first enterprise was in partnership with Mr. G. G. Leiper, who had bought the home farm, was a saw and merchant gristmill. The capital was furnished equally, and the rent of the mill owned by Mr. Leiper was to offset Mr. Crozer's personal services. After accumulating a large stock of lumber, a depression in business prevented profitable sale. To prevent a failure, which he foresaw, he retired from the business with the consent of his partner. He then decided to engage in cotton manufacturing, and to this end he rented Mr. G. G. Leiper's mill on Crum Creek. His entire capital was about three thousand seven hundred dollars; this, with two thousand dollars put into the business by Mr. John Lewis, was the entire capital at startup.

The business was at first small and encountered many difficulties, but through great personal effort he was at last on the road to success. In 1825 he bought the property known as Mattson's paper-mill, on the west branch of Chester Creek. After altering it as needed, he moved his machinery there in the autumn of that year. From this time on his business interests grew larger and larger, and continued to increase as long as he remained in business. In 1845 he purchased the Flower estate, about two miles from Chester. He erected an elegant and spacious mansion, and he and his family moved there from West Branch on April 19, 1847, and gave it the name of Upland. From this time to the date of his death he made his home at Upland. Being a man of great business concerns, and sensitive to the duties of a Christian; and being aware of the responsibilities of wealth, made him an active worker in charitable projects.

Mr. Crozer died at his home at Upland, on Sunday morning, March 11, 1866. Among the many good works he accomplished, and to which he was a generous contributor, were the building of the First Baptist Church at Upland, the endowment of a Professorship in the University at Lewisburg and the founding of the Normal School at Upland. After his death, his family endowed the Crozer Theological Seminary. He was president of the Pennsylvania Colonization Society; president of the board of directors of the American Baptist Publication Society; president of the Pennsylvania Training-School for Feeble Minded Children at Media; president of the Home for Friendless Children at Twelfth and Fitzwater Streets, Philadelphia; president of Women's Hospital at Philadelphia and president of the Pennsylvania Baptist Education Society. He was one of the founders of the Christian Commission, and, together with George H. Stuart, represented the city of Philadelphia at the meeting in the city of New York, on Nov. 14, 1861, where the Commission originated. During the war of the Rebellion he gave the use of his school at Upland for a hospital. He passed away at the age of seventy-four, in the full possession of his strength of mind, still planning future acts of benevolence.

Mr. Crozer was married on the March 12, 1825, to Miss Sallie L. Knowles, the daughter of a near neighbor of his youth. She was a lady of intelligence and education, and an active participant in all of his plans for good. They had nine children; Samuel A., Margaret, Elizabeth, J. Lewis, Sallie K., James, George K., Robert H., and Emma. Of these James died Oct. 25, 1838, Sallie in August, 1852, and Margaret in March, 1870. His widow died August 3, 1882, at the age of eighty-two years."

Organizing the new Borough of Upland

On June 28, 1869, the Borough Council of the new Borough of Upland was organized for the first time by the motion of Mr. Augur Castle, nominating Mr. F. B. Jarman, President and Mr. Benjamin Crowther, Secretary. George K. Crozer was unanimously appointed the first Borough Treasurer. What was the object of the petitioners for a corporate borough? The Chief Burgess stated the object to be "for the purpose of having a local government here so that law and order might prevail in the village".

Law and order did, indeed, seem to be of prime importance.  F. B. Jarman reported at the Council meeting of July 27, 1869 that he had obtained the consent of Mssrs. Crozer to make a "lockup" in the cellar of the Reading Room and that the Chief Burgess had consented to put men to work on it at once.  Note: The Reading Room was located in the North half of the home at #33 Main Street, and the remains of the old cell can still be seen there today. (2009)

Financing the borough was another immediate problem. During 1869 the assessed value of all property and incomes in the Borough was found to be $8,477.78. The following costs were incurred for that year: Police Officer-$600.00; Cost to maintain the Lockup, $150.00; Stove and Coal, $25.00; Collecting Tax, $43.00. This year the Council levied the first tax of 1.5 mils on the dollar of all property and income for Borough purposes. Council appointed Joseph Dansfield to be Tax Collector. The Committee of Ways and Means was instructed to write out the name of each property holder, tenant and single man in the borough with the amount of tax opposite each name in a suitable book for the use of the Tax Collector. His compensation was fixed at 5%.

The Borough Council decided to get on with the business of governing by resolving that the meetings be limited to one and one-half hours duration unless extended by unanimous consent.

Council soon had plenty of business to discuss in those one and one-half hours. Mr. Joseph A. Kyte was engaged as policeman to begin service Monday, September 6, 1869. His hours were to be from 5 P.M. to 2 A.M. with six hours of service on Sundays, at a salary of $10.50 per week. Mr. J. William Lewis was appointed to procure a revolver and star badge. Mr. Kyte resigned, his reason being that he could not comply with a condition of employment which required that he move into the village.

Early ordinances might as well have been passed in 1969 as in 1869, since they dealt with pulling down hand bills, riding or driving immoderately, corner lounging (loitering), and that catch-all; nuisances. The newly-appointed policeman, Thomas Aaron, wanted some further information on "corner-lounging", to which the Council replied that, "it was only necessary to notify once . . . . and that anyone to persist in obstructing the sidewalks after having once been notified (no matter when), policemen being certain of the same, they are liable to arrest".

As most other governing bodies, Upland Borough Council soon found taxes inadequate, and in 1870, the Committee on Ways and Means levied a tax of 5 mils on the dollar on all incomes and property. Some of the money may have been used to handle the traffic problem; a somewhat different one from modern times in Upland, as the Street and Road Committee was empowered to provide a place to impound stray cattle.

The early fathers took their responsibilities seriously. The secretary was requested to write Mssrs. DuPont to instruct their teamsters to avoid driving through Upland with wagons loaded with powder. Matters of health were of concern too. Council ordained that while smallpox prevailed among the colored people of Chester City and South Chester Borough in 1872, it should be unlawful for them to engage in work in Upland and that any persons employing them should pay a penalty of $5 or suffer imprisonment in the lockup for 24 hours. An ordinance was also passed prohibiting the throwing of garbage, ashes or refuse of any kind into the streets and providing for disposition of same in boxes and barrels where it could be hauled away twice a week.

The town moved steadily forward. By 1876 the committee appointed to name the streets reported a plan for that purpose which was adopted, and the committee was authorized to provide suitable boards with the names of the streets and place them in the proper position. As various streets were opened up and improved, they were accepted into the borough; on September 7, 1880, Ninth Street from Mulberry to Main Street and Church Street from 8^th to 9^th were accepted by the council.

There were always some troublemakers to keep life interesting. Sunday ball playing kept cropping up, was stopped temporarily only to spring to life again when the police committee had passed by. Justice Compton had his problems with a shopkeeper who kept his shop open on Sundays for the sale if cigars; he even had a list of persons whom he had seen coming from the shop on Sunday. The shopkeeper promised to cease doing business on Sunday.

A special meeting of Upland Borough Council was held on May 11, 1883 to consider the proposition of the Chester Street Railway Co. to lay railway tracks to Upland and to consider an amendment to an ordinance granting them right-of-way. President Samuel A. Crozer remarked that while it was of no particular interest to him individually to have the cars run out here, he thought it would be of great benefit to the Borough and believed that a majority of the taxpayers were in favor of making some concessions to the company by grading the roadway. The ordinance was adopted giving Chester Street Railway Co. exclusive right to construct, maintain and operate a street railway on Upland Avenue in Upland Borough from Ship Creek to No. 1 Mill and on to Kerlin Street from the borough line to Upland Avenue provided said railway be built within one year from the date of the ordinance, May 11, 1883. Two important terms were laid down; steam power should not be used to propel the cars, and all horses used in hauling cars should carry a sufficient number of bells to denote approach of the cars except Sunday during daylight.

Another modern convenience arrived in 1883, when Pennsylvania Globe Gas Light Company offered to replace coal oil lamps with naphtha lamps, furnish naphtha, light them and keep them clean and in repair for the sum of $23 per annum, each lamp to be lighted at dusk in evening and burn until 2 o'clock in the morning for 21 nights in each month. Upon investigation, the new system was adopted.

The policemen reported giving lodgings to 85 tramps in one week in February, 1885. It was decided to give lodgings in the lockup to all applicants rather than have them on the streets during the night.

After much discussion, Council resolved to erect a building 21 feet by 30 feet, two stories high with the first story arranged as the police station and the second story as a council chamber. A lot, 35 by 50 feet, was purchased in front of No. 3 Mill. The first meeting was held in the new building on December 6, 1886.

Newspapers came and went in Upland. In 1885 Joshua Taylor edited and published the "Local", a four-page independent weekly at Upland. Issued each Saturday, it was in existence only a few years. A McDaniel edited and published "People's weekly" at Upland in 1886. This was a journal of eight pages, issued on Tuesday. "The Advertiser", an eight-page monthly, issued free of charge, was established in 1891 with E. A. Stringer as editor and publisher, but publication was suspended after a few years.

Another step in progress came in 1889 when the telephone company was granted permission to erect eight poles at 8^th Street, two poles on Kerlin Street, three on Upland Avenue and four on 6^th Street.

By 1899, Upland seemed to be a very busy little community. The Chester Directory, 1889-90 listed the following professionals and tradesmen in Upland: three doctors, three barbers, three bakers, two clergymen, one carpenter, three druggists, three dry goods store keepers, five grocers, three hucksters, three shoemakers, one stationer, fourteen dressmakers and seven tobacco and cigar storekeepers.

Various railway companies began petitioning Upland for the right to introduce electricity as a motive power as early as 1890. One of the several that received permission was the Media, Middletown, Aston and Chester Electric Railway Company. This company was granted the use of the following named streets on which to construct, maintain and operate an electric street railway: beginning in Mulberry Street at the dividing line of the Borough of Upland and the Township of Chester, then southwest along Mulberry to 8^th, thence southeast along 8^th to Hill, thence across Hill to Upland Avenue, then east on Upland Avenue to Kerlin Street and south along Kerlin to the boundary.

The Board of Health report of February 29, 1896 gives a picture of the ebb and flow of life in Upland of that day. During the year ending February 29, 1896, 44 births were reported - 23 males, 21 females. Burial permits were issued for 41 deaths with causes as follows: pneumonia 7, consumption 0, marasmus 3, cancer 2, congestion of brain 2, heart trouble 3, old age 2, asthma 2, meningitis 2, railroad accident 2, apoplexy 1, asphyxia 1, peptic ulcer 1, diarrhea 1, intestinal catarrh 1, menopause 1, premature birth 1. Four cases of typhoid and one case of diphtheria were reported in the year.

Events of law provided spice to ordinary days. The Borough Council received a communication from John M. Carroll of Boothwyn claiming $138 for damages to his horse and wagon by reason of the street breaking through on Upland Avenue near Third Street. The Street Committee, on investigation, noted that Mr. Carroll's damaged horse was again at work. Mr. Joseph Carroll, speaking for his brother, said that bills for horse hire, wagon repairs and other expenses had amounted to $66 for which he was willing to settle. The Street Committee countered with an offer of $50. John M. agreed.

On November 1, 1897, the Police Committee reported that Elisha Moore's store had been burglarized, and five special officers were appointed to hunt the burglars. Shortly afterwards, one of the burglars was arrested.

Ordinances for electric lighting of street lamps were passed in 1897-98. These provided for furnishing electricity for light and power to the borough and to individuals and corporations for commercial and domestic purposes.

The midsummer meeting of the Delaware County Historical Society was held in Upland Baptist Church on June 22, 1899. Included in the program were "literary exercises", one of the speakers being the Rev. Henry G. Weston. He spoke of "John P. Crozer - the Man", but included some very interesting remarks about Upland. "Upland has its comforts, but its chief distinction is not what has been done for its inhabitants but what has been done to them. Upland has made men and women . . . . . There have come to me, in chance meetings away from Upland, testimonies unsought and unexpected from business men, which have been most gratifying of the habits ingrained in this village. I do not claim perfection for this community, or that we have not our admixture of unworthy characters, or that in the best there are no undesirable traits; but I think you may search the land over for a factory village whose history for fifty years can rival this."

Prices were modest in 1900. That year the wages of the borough workmen were fixed at 15¢ per hour. Also in that year, Joseph Laird, Sr. contracted to remove ashes and garbage and do borough hauling for these rates: removing ashes and garbage one year, $208; working on streets, $2.25 per day for man, horse and cart; hauling stone from quarries, 40¢ per perch; hauling stone from station, 30¢ per ton.

The Street Committee reported on December 2, 1901, that Samuel A. Crozer had, at his own expense, macadamized 6^th Street from the top of the hill above Main Street to Upland Avenue, as well as on Main Street from 6^th Street to the Baptist Church. The committee also reported a number of citizens, by private subscription, had purchased a steam roller and watering cart for use on borough streets. On November 6, 1905, the Street Committee read a statement listing $9,598.09 in highway improvements in Upland personally contributed by the President of Council Samuel A. Crozer over the past four years. This amount did not include numerous small repairs to streets and culverts.

Mr. Samuel A. Crozer died June 28, 1910. The Chester Times' headlines reflected the mood of Upland, "News Yesterday of the Borough's Great Loss Cast Gloom Over County". Mr. Crozer was buried July 1, 1910, with private services at Crozer mansion followed by public services at Upland Baptist Church.

Mr. S. A. Crozer lived and died in the great tradition of the Crozers of Upland. During the lifetime of this family nine mansions were built and occupied by the sons and daughters of the founder, John P. Crozer. The 1847 home of John P. Crozer, the elder, was near the old mill race; Samuel A., eldest son, at 6^th and Main. J. Lewis' home was entered from Summit Street and was bounded by Upland Avenue and Hill Street. Samuel A. Crozer, Jr. lived on the Crozer Seminary campus. John P. Crozer, grandson of the founder, lived between 8^th and 10^th Streets on Main Street (later the Allcutt's home). Elizabeth C. Griffiths' "the Gables", was at 6^th and Main Streets, while Emma C. Knowles' home was on Summit Street across from J. Lewis Crozer.

The Chester Times reported, August 2, 1910, that "Beginning this week the S. A. Crozer & Sons mill will close each Thursday afternoon until Monday, until further orders". The reason was the difficulty in securing cotton. John P. Crozer, who succeeded his father as manager of the mill, announced that rent of all houses owned by him would be lowered 50% during the time the mill ran on short time.

Mr. John P. Crozer (the Younger) was nominated and unanimously elected President of Borough Council to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Samuel A. Crozer. Following his father's tradition, Mr. John soon was reported to have purchased a street sweeper at his own expense for use on the borough streets.

The Club House of Upland Athletic Association was presented to the organization by John P. Crozer in 1912. Dr. Anna Broomall's "Delaware County, Pennsylvania", Volume 1, described the Club House, when fully equipped, it was to cost approximately $50.000. The main entrance would face the ball park and be adjoined on the east by the swimming pool. The second story would contain a hall for meeting seating 550, including the gallery. The first floor game room was to contain 2 bowling alleys; two regulation sized pool tables, one convertible pool and billiard table, card table, reading table, etc. The room was also to have a large fireplace, bath rooms, toilet rooms and a large and complete kitchen.

			The blowing up of the covered bridge was the big topic of 1915 and for years to come. At least 2000 persons witnessed the demolishing of the covered bridge at Upland on February 8, 1915. It was the climax of a Kentucky feud motion picture. The bridge was described as slowly rising and then suddenly collapsing and falling into Chester River. The spark that  caused the destruction was set off by A. E. Allcutt, dynamite expert with DuPont Powder Company. The old bridge, which had stood for more than seventy years, was scheduled to be replaced by a new concrete structure. Lubin Syndicate of Philadelphia heard about the plans for the new bridge and contracted for the privilege of taking views and doing the dynamiting. The company's scenario writer, in about three hours, turned out a love story around the  old crossing

called "On Bitter Creek". The story concerned the well-to-do Yause family and the less fortunate Kirbys on either side of the river. The Yause family built the bridge and opened it free to the public. A sister in the Yause family fell in love with a Kirby; they met at the bridge, exchanged notes, and became engaged. A feud ensued and shots were exchanged. The Yause family then erected a toal booth and demanded a kiss from any Kirby who desired to pass. The grand finale took place as some opponents of the Yause family are crossing the bridge and it is dynamited. 20 years later, the two principles meet in college, are later married and return to old scenes.

The coming of the automobile brought new problems to the town. In 1919 an ordinance was passed regulating the parking and standing of vehicles on public highways of the borough. It was unlawful to permit any vehicle to remain standing on any public highway in the borough overnight. It was also deemed unlawful to permit any motor vehicle to stand on any highway in the borough from one hour after sunset until one hour before sunrise unless said vehicle should show at least two white lights on the front and one red light on the rear of sufficient brightness to illuminate the license tag and make the number clearly visible. Council also resolved that any person who informed of the violation of the traffic laws and rules, to the Justice of the Peace, upon the conviction of the violators, would be paid $1 as compensation.

In 1870 Upland reported a population of 1,341; by 1923, it had grown to 2,500. The assessed valuation in 1922 came to $875,850 with a tax rate of 20 mils. There were four miles of paved roads.

Upland Changes - 1927 to 1969

Perhaps the most obvious change is the different physical appearance of Upland. The great homes of the Crozer family have either been put to private use or swept aside in the name of progress. Everything from private and public housing to schools and nursing homes has evolved from the Crozer estates.

It was during the late 1920's and early 1930's that changes were made in the street system of the borough. One of the earliest targets for change was the junction of Kerlin Street and Upland Avenue. As early as 1927 the council passed an ordinance to widen Kerlin Street from Upland Avenue to the Kerlin Street bridge. The legal problems involved with this project resulted in inaction at the time. Instead council concerned itself with the use of traffic lights and stop signs to control the flow of traffic.

During the 1930's the borough leaders pondered the question of what to do with the road situation on Upland Avenue from Kerlin Street to 6^th Street. The trolley line was no longer in use, but the tracks remained. Should the borough pay the expense of the track removal, or would the Transportation Company or state assume the financial burden? Needless to say the council did all that was possible to get some other agency to remove the tracks. Finally the borough had to carry these costs.

In the spring of 1929 the Upland Borough Council discussed the possibility of providing public sewers to the borough. Two years later a plan for linking these sewers with Chester's was approved. With all of the legal entanglements resolved, a contract was awarded at a bid of slightly over $46,000 in 1932. For a few years many of the borough streets were closed to traffic as the sewers were being installed. As is the case today, costs ran higher than anticipated and the total cost was over $82,000.

In 1934 other changes in the appearance of Upland came about as the Philadelphia Electric Company was granted a contract to install street lights in the borough. This public improvement, along with the sewer system and traffic light changes, did much to alter the physical appearance of the borough.

Understanding our history requires more than a description of public improvements. Sooner or later discussions of the borough's past turn attention to the Great Depression and its effects on Upland.

The full effect of the depression can be recognized from several facts mentioned in the Minutes of Borough Council. In 1928 the borough treasury contained over $11,000. By 1932 the balance was slightly over $1,000. Much of the reason for this sharp decrease is that while the expenses of the borough continued, the ability of its citizens to pay taxes lessened. For example, there were 30 citizens exonerated of taxes in 1930 and 290 citizens exonerated in 1932.

The financial situation brought about by the depression gave rise to a taxpayers association in Upland. The views about a tax reduction were presented by this group to Borough Council in 1933. The tax rate was reduced from 13.5 to 12 mils. It had been as high as 15 mils from 1928 to 1931. In 1934 the sewer assessments were also lowered.

Another insight into the financial situation of the borough during the depression centers around attempts to maintain or increase the taxable areas within the town. An example of council's attempt to maintain a steady tax base is their reaction to the sale of the Chessauque Mill in 1934 and the possible removal of the Collins and Aikman firm from the borough in 1940.

Borough leaders attempted to broaden its tax base by examining the possibility of taxing the Crozer Seminary properties in 1930 and new lands purchased by the Salvation Army in 1938. It was found impossible to tax these institutions, but the Seminary agreed to give $60 per month to the Upland Boy's Club. In 1939 the council passed an ordinance prohibiting additional tax-free land in the borough in reaction to the 1938 Salvation Army land purchase. In 1947 the Seminary donated $250 for a police car radio.

In the late 1930's war clouds were gathering in the world.  Five months before Pearl Harbor was attacked a local committee of civil defense was established. The start of World War II brought this report in Council, "Officer James Ilg, of Parkside, informed council of the urgent need for the immediate organizing of Civilian Defense Groups and told of the procedure which had been followed in Parkside. The minimum requirements of the plan were ten fire policemen to be badged. . . . one fireman to be sent to Edgewood Arsenal to receive instructions in handling incendiary bombs. He also pointed out that our fire apparatus would be called to help handle any fire in defense industries in the Delaware River Area, which would leave the problem of combating local fires entirely on the auxiliary group."

Within the next few months, the borough purchased six practice incendiary bombs for public instruction and decided to rent films of instruction. In June of 1943, as the American effort in the war increased, a flag pole and honor roll was erected at 6^th and Church Streets to honor those men of Upland who gave their lives in the war effort.

When our nation became involved in the Korean War, military operations had changed so instead of civil defense consisting of public instruction on incendiary bombs, it consisted of air-raid drills in the schools and evacuation plans for the borough. The borough had a civil defense unit composed of no less than eight different divisions. There were even plans to build a footbridge across Chester Creek at 3^rd Street in case evacuation became necessary.

The early 1940's brought a federal housing project to the borough. The industries along the Delaware River, with their increasing labor force, created a need for such housing in the area. The population growth in the borough from 1940 to 1950 reflects the importance of the federal housing. Also of importance to the borough was the type of housing established by the federal government.  By 1946 the Borough Council had enacted a zoning ordinance forbidding future row homes in the borough.

This zoning ordinance was soon the subject of much public and private discussion in Upland. Another of the Crozer estates, the J. Lewis Crozer tract, was the target site for a development of row homes. In 1947 the owners of the J. Lewis Crozer tract asked the Borough Council to change the zoning code to allow business on Upland Avenue and permit units of 15 instead on 6 for row homes. Council did amend the ordinance to allow 8 homes in a row and would permit a total of 162 units. The only immediate result was the erection of the Merton-Price building in 1948. Five years later the talk of an 8 row home unit in that area resulted in citizens petitioning council to disapprove any such plan. Council did reject the row home idea and the tract remained undeveloped until the current Upland Shopping Center was erected in 1967.

Upland was changed physically in 1951 when a housing development on Mulberry Street was begun by the Nessen Building Company. This development of double homes extended beyond the Upland-Parkside boundary line. By the mid 1950's, Upland had grown physically in its northern and western areas.

The story of Upland School District through 1967

Prior to the year 1849 the children residing at Upland were compelled to attend school at Sneath's Corner (now Brookhaven), or at the "Old Mud Wasp" school at Cartertown. (it was located somewhere on the grounds of the old Yanks Poultry Farm in Feltonville, Chester Township). The distance from Upland to these schools was a serious difficulty to the residents of the village, for in the winter season and early spring the roads would often be almost impassable for weeks at a time, the clay soil having softened to a thick adhesive mud. Female children frequently could not go to school for days.

John P. Crozer, in the year 1849, proposed to the school directors of Chester Township that if they would establish a school at Upland he, at his personal expense, would erect a building which could be used exclusively for school purposes without cost to the board. This offer was accepted, a schoolhouse was built on Race Street, not far from the Pusey house, a school (today we call it the Crozer Schoolhouse) was established, and Mrs. Warren Dixon was employed to teach the pupils. Unfortunately she left no records behind. By 1853 the teacher was a Mr. A. Williams who noted in his school "diary" that the term had been 240 days in length and that Independence Day was celebrated as a school holiday.

In 1855, the same Mr. Williams carefully recorded an unusually large enrollment of 45 males and 42 females. Yet since compulsory attendance had not yet been enacted, an average of only 30 pupils attended daily, and the average student was present for a mere one-quarter of the long school term. It is enlightening to note that this early schoolmaster attempted to adapt his requirements to the pupils' individual needs and abilities as he wrote in his meticulous hand the following:

Sometime in the course of its short school life, an evening class for the benefit of working children was established in this building. Although exact records of the operation are missing, it is known that the night school was conducted with 22 students on roll throughout 1856.

School House #2 - Hill Street School

When the borough of Upland was incorporated, in 1869, it was made an independent school district. For the first time our schools were completely under our control and administration. But the inadequacy of these two school buildings to house the burgeoning school population soon became apparent. James W. Baker, then county school superintendent, wrote in the annual "Pennsylvania School Report" of 1876 that "Upland needs and has needed more school room for the last four or five years. Both schools are badly over-crowded. Although there is almost enough money in the treasury to provide needed space, they, (i.e. the local school board) have made no attempt to do so." The over-crowded conditions were somewhat relieved in 1880 when School #1 was sufficiently enlarged to accommodate four classes. Further relief was afforded by the addition of two more rooms to School #2 in 1884.

Existing records indicate that a night school was conducted in School #2 at least from January of 1883 through 1888. In the opening year J. W. Parsons, district principal, instructed one class; Miss Mira Goodhart, a second class. Subsequent teachers were Miss Lida Sullivan, 1884-1885; Miss Harriet Castle, 1886-1887; and Miss Irene Compton, 1887-1888. Here the records end, but some interesting data remain. Usually more males than females were on the roll; these included adults as well as children. The enrollment fluctuated wildly, numbering as many as 58 one month and a mere 23 the next. Attendance was poor and dropped sharply during the winter seasons. The one truly consistent feature seems to have been the course of study which presented the traditional three R's plus spelling.

With the establishment of a high school in School #2, Upland took a giant educational step forward in 1884. Miss Lida Sullivan, then district principal, served as instructor until the close of the 1888 term. These school terms were long, often opening late in August and extending into the following July. Holidays were infrequent and short; the Christmas break seldom lasted more than two or three days. Enrollments were small and rarely averaged more than 20 to 25 students.

Since no grade levels were indicated before 1889, pupils presumably "went" to high school, not to a specific grade. The curriculum seemed extremely ambitious to say the least. Listed as compulsory subjects were reading, spelling, penmanship, United States history, geography, physiology, written arithmetic, algebra, grammar, and composition. In addition, most students were enrolled in the literature class and, after 1885, in the bookkeeping class as well. A small number, ranging from 10% to 40% of the group, also studied geometry and philosophy. As to whether the latter two courses were restricted to the advanced, the brilliant, or the interested students only, no clue remains. Pupils were graduated at the end of any term when they attained a general average of 75% or higher - contingent upon a minimum mark of 70% in both grammar and arithmetic.

In September, 1889, Harry S. Borneman replaced Miss Sullivan as district principal and high school instructor. His most notable contribution probably was the establishment of two grade levels in the high school, since successive teachers followed this practice. Walter L. Phillips succeeded Mr. Borneman in 1891 and introduced physics into the curriculum. In his ledger dated October 12, 1892, was the terse note, "Columbus Day observed. 1,000 people on the school grounds".  S. D. Knapp filled the post in 1893, followed by George McCracken, who served from 1894 to 1897. During his tenure, Mr. McCracken added the subject of drawing to the course study. Mr. Fred Parsons next held the dual position for three years and was responsible for the addition of Latin to the program, which by then must have proved equally burdensome to both pupil and teacher. Others elected successively to the post but of whose service no accounts can be found were Harvey Parsons, 1901-1902; Harriet Castle, 1903; Alvin Kriebel, 1904; and Professor A. F. K. Krout, 1905-1907.

The winds of change swept in with the coming of George Pedlow in 1908. This principal drastically altered the curriculum, introducing English history and civics; retaining the study of algebra, composition, geography, written arithmetic, bookkeeping, and Latin; and discarding all other matter. Mr. Pedlow resigned, however, in January of 1910 to accept a position in the Chester system, and Miss Jennie Hammond completed his unfinished term. That June the board of directors voted to close the high school permanently and to send only the upper section to Chester High School in the fall semester. Mr. Chester O'Neal was elected principal and teacher of the lower school group for one year, after which all high schoolers were enrolled in Chester. Incidentally, Mr. O'Neal was the first to recommend exemptions from final examinations in any subject in which a pupil attained a yearly average of 85%. Succeeding him in 1911, R. F. Beatty served as principal and eighth grade teacher until his resignation in 1912. The situation then became highly stabilized with the election of Miss Nellie E. Pretty to the vacant post - a position which she filled with great distinction for some thirty years.

Upland must consider itself fortunate in the diligent, dedicated character of its early elementary school staff. Foremost among these teachers were the Castle sisters, as they were familiarly known. Miss Hanna Castle taught first grade for some four or five decades; Miss Sally, after instructing at various levels from second to seventh, settled in fourth grade in 1915 and remained there to the end of her teaching career; Miss Harriet conducted combined seventh and eighth grade until leaving to marry in 1909. Miss Ella Rodeback, elected to the faculty in 1888, taught fourth and sixth grade groups until her assignment in 1909 to fifth grade, which position she retained until her retirement. Entering the system in 1898, Miss Lillian Ross instructed at all levels from third to seventh until 1912, when she resigned to accept a post in Chester.

Two outstanding teachers were engaged by the board in 1899. The one, Miss Nellie E. Pretty, instructed fourth grade until her aforementioned election as principal and eighth grade instructor in 1912; the other, Miss Janet Dawson (Booth), taught second grade for one year and third grade for four years. She resigned in 1904 to marry but returned in January, 1921, to lend her invaluable services to our district again. Many other capable local women served on the faculty, notably: Miss Mabel White (1901-1914), who taught in second, third, fourth and seventh grades; Miss Priscilla Carroll (1903-1910), second grade; Miss Jennie Hammond (1903-1910), seventh, and eighth grades; Miss Pearl Tompkins (1910-1918), third, sixth, and seventh grades; and Miss Bessie Mahon (1914-1918), fourth and sixth grades.

Because of large enrollments, teachers ruled their classes with a firm hand. Students absent five or more days during a term were reported to the board who, in turn, notified parents of the penalties attached thereto. Moreover, the directors had decreed that any act of misconduct, disobedience, or disrespect was just cause for suspension. Pupils suspended under this regulation were subject to severe penalties, reported to the current visiting board member, and reinstated only with his express permission.

Reports of academic progress were issued monthly until 1917 when the number marking periods were reduced to six per term. For promotion, pupils had to attain a general average of 75% in all subjects. However, the more capable ones could advance to a higher grade at any time during the school year on the recommendation of their teachers. In like manner, those averaging below 50% could at any time be transferred to a lower grade. Not until 1912 were students given an opportunity for summer study in failed subjects with promotion contingent upon their success in September re-examinations.

Teacher welfare was a completely neglected area. It was 1919 before a need for death and sick leaves was recognized and a modest schedule provided at partial salary. These salaries themselves were extremely low until a new state law of July, 1919, imposed drastic increases - as much as $15 per month in some cases.

With a dedication equal to that of the faculty, members of several boards of school directors devoted much time, energy, and effort to assure the smooth functioning of our school system. They met with many situations common today - damaged property, defective equipment, prolonged absenteeism, teacher recruitment, needed classroom space, tax assessment (six mils in 1900) - all were there to be solved a century ago. There were numerous problems which now seem quaint. There was the controversy which raged over vaccination at the turn of the 20^th century, resolved in September, 1902, when the directors voted to exclude all pupils who did not obtain a certificate of successful vaccination. There was the need to notify neighbors to keep their chickens out of the school yards (1901) and to ban the turning loose of horses in these same yards (1905). There were the complaints about boys running to the foot of Upland Avenue to fetch water for Hill Street School, silenced by installing city water (1907). And, so indicative of its time, there was the board demand that teachers not release pupils during class hours to carry dinners to their working parents without first obtaining the consent of the board president (1912).

During the World War I period the school buildings were so crowded that the "old gym", located behind the home at 33 Main Street, was pressed into service as additional classroom space. Teachers were elected and resigning throughout the terms, lured by higher-salaried offers. So desperate were the directors to keep a full staff that they voted in 1918 and again in 1919 to award an extra month's pay at the close of the term for any teacher completing it.

The board members took a deep interest in the academic quality of the education presented to our students. Once a year they met with the faculty to reexamine the course of study and determine its continuing soundness. They also received book agents, viewed demonstrations, and adopted the texts they deemed most excellent. Each month a different director was assigned to visit every classroom. This member returned to the board with a detailed report, not only on the academic progress of the pupils, but also on their deportment, their posture and even their method of holding their pens. The commencement exercises, held in the Baptist Chapel until 1912 or 1913, were a special concern of the board. They undertook all arrangements - from music, to speaker, to printing. The board's intimate association with the students and concern for their thorough training were, in a very telling degree, responsible for the excellent academic reputation enjoyed by our pupils throughout the county.

In 1953 an elementary school was built a 6^th and Main Streets at a cost of nearly $500,000.  Mabel Jackson graduated from West Chester State Teachers College in 1931. She came right to the Upland School system and taught fourth grade from 1931 to 1944. In 1945 she taught sixth grade and from 1946 to 1967 she taught seventh and eighth grades. She was also assistant principal for several years. She retired in 1967.

The Upland Baptist Church

In the spring of 1851 John P. Crozer began the erection of a church at Upland. Prior to this, religious services were conducted by Baptist clergymen in a room in #1 Mill. In March of the following year the structure was dedicated, and on Nov. 17, 1852, when fully completed, was publicly recognized as a house of worship.

Rev. John Duncan was the first pastor, but he resigned in 1854, and Rev. William Wilder was called and accepted the pastorate of the church, continuing until July, 1865. In November of that year Rev. James M. Pendleton was installed as the minister, a relationship which was continued for eighteen years, until October, 1883, when he resigned.

During Dr. Pendleton's tenure, the church prospered and in 1873 the church was enlarged for the second time. The improvements made in that year cost fourteen thousand dollars. The first addition to the original building was made in 1860.

Not only did the membership of the Upland Baptist Church increase threefold during the pastorate of Rev. Dr. Pendleton, but a mission chapel was established at Leiperville, and another at Bridgewater, while the Baptist Churches at Village Green and in South Chester were originally offshoots of the Upland church.

John P. Crozer left $10,000 in his will to be invested, with the income to be used for the maintenance and upkeep of the church buildings, the parsonage and graveyard of the Upland Baptist church.

Upland's Crozer Theological Seminary

John P. Crozer had a very sensitive conscience about how to use his money. He gave liberally to his church, charitable institutions and causes in the area. He wanted to establish some educational enterprise that would benefit the largest possible section of the public. He established a "normal school" in 1858. He constructed a large stone building known as "Old Main" on the now Crozer-Chester Medical Center campus. His efforts were challenged by an epidemic of scarlet fever followed by smallpox which decimated faculty and student body alike.

When he founded the school, his intention had been to give underprivileged but worthy young people an opportunity to acquire a good education in order to become good teachers. His hopes were frustrated by some wealthy parents, who saw in his school an opportunity to obtain good educations for their children at a nominal cost. Soon the normal school effort lapsed.

The large building was not used consistently for the next few years though it was used as a prison hospital during the Civil War. After the hospital was set apart for the reception of Confederate wounded, a picket-fence, twelve feet in height, was built, surrounding the grounds, and guards were stationed to prevent the escape of convalescent prisoners of war. Notwithstanding the vigilance of the authorities, one dark stormy night in August, 1863, Capt. Edward Shay, of the Sixteenth Mississippi Regiment, and Lieut. Davis, of Gen. Trimble's staff, evaded the guard and escaped.

The hospital furnished accommodation for more than six thousand wounded soldiers, and many men, North and South, remembered with grateful hearts the kindness they received while inmates of the hospital at Chester.  At the conclusion of the war, in 1865, the building was returned to its owner, John P. Crozer, and in December of the same year Col. Theodore Hyatt of the Pennsylvania Military Academy leased the property until the summer of 1868.  

When John P. Crozer died in 1866 he stipulated in his will that his heirs use the building and some of his money to create an educational institution of some sort. The heirs and their mother pondered the idea of a seminary. There was a department of theology at the University at Lewisburg, now Bucknell University, but it had not been supported by the Baptist Church and did not have an endowment.

Philadelphia ministers met and endorsed the idea of a seminary at Upland. The Lewisburg faculty supported the idea with appropriate resolutions and the college agreed to abandon its Department of Theology. The family; Sallie Knowles, Samuel A., J. Lewis, George K. and Robert A. Crozer plus his daughters, Mrs. Elizabeth Griffith, Mrs. Margaret Bucknell and Emma Crozer gave 20 acres and $250,000 to establish a seminary in their father's name.

The Seminary was chartered in April of 1867 and opened for students in 1868.

A board was named and assembled for the first time on June 12, 1867 at 10 A.M. at the American Baptist Publication Society in Philadelphia. Samuel A. Crozer was named president, Horatio Gates Jones, secretary, and J. Lewis Crozer, treasurer. Samuel A. served as chairman until his death in 1910.

A constant benefactor of the Chester community, Mr. Crozer's concern for the school was extraordinary. He visited the campus weekly and sometimes daily. When scholarship money was needed, he provided; when student housing was needed, he built it. The list could be extended infinitely. Something of the measure of the man is indicated in the fact that in 41 years he missed only two official board meetings. No mean accomplishment for a man, who managed a business, visited every major city in Europe and crossed the Atlantic Ocean over seventy times.

Crozer Theological Seminary began with a fine endowment. No Baptist seminary had ever started with so fine a gift or excellent a location. As a long time professor at Crozer, Henry Vedder, said "Crozer was born full-grown". Being "born full-grown" also involved the board's selection of a president. Henry Griggs Weston, the choice, was an outstanding Baptist minister and educator. He brought age, stability and respect of all Baptists to the School. He served as president from 1867 until his death in 1909 at the age of 89.

The school always stood for the best in scholarship. Early students were put through a rigorous schedule; learning Latin, Greek, Hebrew and almost memorizing their theological manuals. In later years, though the area was conservative Crozer's excellence in scholarship and objective research led it to become one of the leading classical liberal seminaries in the east. Professors were chosen from among the best graduates of the University of Chicago. Lecturers came from Union, Yale and Harvard, Crozer's chosen peers. The seminary was an excellent place to study.

Permanence, civility and urbanity were also hallmarks of Crozer. The grounds were like a park, well ordered and quiet. Henry Vedder said, "the ideal place to lead the life of a scholar".

Add to the above, stability. Through the munificence of the Crozer family, who were on the board, the budget was balanced and funds were always available for worthy causes and students. For example, someone suggested that Crozer needed a chapel. Without fanfare Samuel Crozer had his workmen appear on campus one day with bricks and lumber to build one.

To the historian, stability is a virtue and a vise. Since the school was endowed and did not look to the general public, the community or the Baptist constituency for support, it was somewhat isolated, and since professors moved here and generally stayed all their working lives, the school did not always have the flexibility or sensitivity to change that would have allowed it to keep "up with the times". By the end of the 1950's, Crozer faced the post World War II era with answers to questions of the 30's and 40's. Recognizing the need for change, new faculty and new administration allowed Crozer to perform through the 1960's as a vital institution providing a climate where men such as young Martin Luther King, Jr. came to prepare for service to their world.

Crozer Theological Seminary closed and merged with another Baptist Seminary in New York in the late 1960's.

Upland's Crozer Hospital history through 1968

In the summer of 1882 Mr. and Mrs. J. Lewis Crozer held a conference on the porch of the home of Mrs. E. M. Glass in Linwood. Three of their friends, Mrs. E. M. Buehler, Miss Rebecca Wuddell and Mrs. S. K. Ubil were present. The subject of the conference was the expressed desire of Mr. and Mrs. Crozer (J. Lewis) to use some of their money for the care of incurables inasmuch as nobody else had made any provision for them. This conference, it should be noted, was held only months after the Jackson explosion and during the period that the women of Chester were taking the first steps toward the building of a hospital in Chester. (February 17, 1882, Jackson Pyrotechnical Explosion - 8 Firemen were killed)

The planning went forward and was undoubtedly stimulated by the actual opening of Chester Hospital in 1893. Mr. Crozer set up a fund of $500,000 to be used for the erection of a Home for Incurables and a hospital to be built after the death of Mrs. Crozer. J. Lewis Crozer died in 1897. Mrs. Crozer then decided to activate the terms of the will prior to her own death and build the home and hospital as a memorial to her late husband.

The home building was erected on land east of the Crozer Seminary in 1898 and the hospital east of the home was built in 1902.

The stately J. Lewis Crozer Home for Incurables admitted its first patient on April 26, 1900. She was Miss Martha Magraw, age 63, from Media. She lived at the home until her death 13 years later at the age of 76. Men as well as women were admitted. Many of the patients were arthritics, a disease with which Mr. Crozer was particularly sympathetic as he had long been a sufferer. The J. Lewis Crozer Home for Incurables and Crozer Hospital continued to serve the public of the surrounding area of Upland for many years.

On October 1, 1949 a vigorous new Administrator, Retired Navy Captain Dr. John T. Bennett, was appointed. He served as Administrator until April 30, 1960. He felt it was time to enlarge the old Crozer Hospital and to modernize it. A public campaign to raise funds, just before Dr. Bennett's arrival had produced $329,682 on a goal of $300,000.

The first new addition was a yellow brick wing which was started in 1949. Another section followed in 1954 and a third in 1957. These were connected by a tunnel to the old hospital and home buildings. A Hill-Burton Grant of $244,000 and a Ford Foundation Gift of $83,000 in 1957 helped to provide for the new construction. Crozer Hospital thus became a 269 bed hospital. The Sillet legacy also helped to provide the 1954 addition.

On Thursday June 10^th, 1948, under the Chairmanship of Mrs. George Dempsey, a project known as the "June Fete" was held on the hospital grounds. For the next 20 years this popular summer social event increased its productivity of funds for the hospital. In one three year period, under the Chairmanship of the late Mrs. Joseph DiMedio, the June Fete provided $175,000 in furnishings for the new hospital wings.

In 1959 the Delaware County Court approved a simplification of the name so that "The J. Lewis Crozer Home for Incurables and Crozer Hospital" became officially known as "Crozer Hospital".

In 1960 Administrator Mr. Elton W. Barclay came from the Administrator's position at Stetson Hospital in Philadelphia to become Administrator at Crozer.

Crozer Hospital, without the drain of free care which staggered Chester Hospital, was not only solvent but was able to build a new 5 story Central Wing which was dedicated on November 10, 1963.

Much community discussion and many, many meetings of Boards and Committees gradually produced a climate in which the merger of Crozer and Chester Hospitals seemed to become the only logical long range solution. The Hospital Survey Committee of the Greater Philadelphia area had by now come into being and highly recommended the merger. On June 1, 1963 the Crozer Hospital Administrator, by agreement of the Boards of Directors of both hospitals, took over the management of Chester Hospital as well as Crozer Hospital. On November 29, 1963, the new legal entity, the Crozer-Chester Medical Center came into being. The combined board was made up of 15 men representing both units.

At this point the history of the Crozer-Chester Medical Center really begins. All assets of Chester Hospital and their corporate worth, which was considerable, were thrown into the new amalgamation. This included properties, the building funds already raised and existing endowments. Much of the personnel would also be absorbed. The combined strength soon demonstrated that the Chester area would be the beneficiary of medical and surgical services far better and more complete than either hospital could possibly have provided by itself. Good results were immediate and almost spectacular and the usual frictions incidental to all such mergers were less than might have been expected.

On September 1, 1964, a residual legacy in excess of $2,000,000 from the Gibson Estate, which originally was to have been divided between the two hospitals, now was made available to the Crozer-Chester Medical Center. Using $700,000 from the former Chester Hospital New Building Fund and a grant from Hill-Burton, work was begun early in 1965 on a four story Southwest Wing to adjoin the Central Wing dedicated late in 1963. This new wing would house food services and laboratory facilities on the basement level, administrative offices on the first floor, 27 semi-private patients' rooms on the second floor, another 27 similar rooms on the third floor and a suite of 11 operating rooms, 7 major and 4 minor, as well a recovery room on the fourth floor. The total cost would approximate $3,500,000. This wing was dedicated on February 13, 1966.

On June 11, 1966, with the assistance of a $50,000 memorial contribution, a one story wing to house a Department of Physical Rehabilitation was opened for both inpatient and outpatient care. In 1967, a portion of this section was devoted to Inhalation Therapy and on November 1, 1967, a school for Inhalation Therapists was established. This school made the third such education enterprise on a technician level, since the Schools for Medical Technology (lab) and Radiological Technology (X-Ray) had been functioning in both hospitals for several years.

In 1967, a campaign for the erection of another new wing produced a little more than $2,000,000 and work on this wing was started in 1968. On October 1, 1968, James H. Loucks, M.D. became the Administrator.

The Upland Fire Company #1

The roaring twenties were barreling along on January 26, 1926, the day the Upland Fire Company #1 was organized. Calvin Coolidge was in the White House, Gifford Pinchot was in the governor's mansion at Harrisburg and J. Joseph Thorpe was the Burgess of Upland Borough. Times were good. Upland had about 500 households and a population of 2500 and the borough was growing.

In vogue were dirigibles, human flies, the Charleston and speakeasies. Delaware County deputy sheriffs, on that day, dumped 3000 gallons of moonshine into a sewer at Media. Upland's bowling team in the City League was smarting from 3 to 1 drubbing by the Good Will Fire Company team.

There were many things a man could do or places he could go on a cold, gray Tuesday evening other than to a fire company organization meeting. There was a final rehearsal for a minstrel show sponsored by the Upland Baseball Club at the Club House, a full slate of boxing at the Princess Theater, 7^th and Sproul, and a waltz contest at the Edgmont Ballroom in Chester. W. C. Fields, Edmond Lowe and Carol Dempster were featured in silent movies at Chester motion picture theaters.

Despite all of these diversions, a determined group of Upland citizens called a fire company meeting for that evening. For ten days prior to January 26^th, these men canvassed the entire borough for prospective members. A brief item in the Chester Times on January 25^th, mentioned that 150 to 200 charter members were expected to turn out at Upland Borough Hall for the meeting. As it turned out, that figure was optimistic.

On the evening of January 26, 1926, 34 men met at Upland Borough Hall to form a volunteer fire company.

George R. Blythe, as temporary president, called the meeting to order.  E. H. Gilpin served as acting secretary and treasurer. The group was addressed by Walter Webb, a Delaware County district fire chief, who told of the benefits a community derives from having its own fire department.

An election was held with the following results: Charles McAteer, president; John MacDade, vice president; Duncan McDonald, recording secretary; E. Howard Gilpin, financial secretary; Joseph G. McCarroll, treasurer. William S. Cowan, Jr., I. Herbert Seaman and Robert Turner were elected trustees; Bert L. Greenwood, chief; Thomas Cluelow, 1^st assistant chief; Robert Jones, foreman and James Lister, Sr. solicitor.

The newborn organization knew what had to be done. Little time was wasted in appointing an 11-man building committee, with Averill Mason as chairman. The committee was instructed to locate suitable land for an engine house and to solicit money from property owners for a building fund.

With this much accomplished, the meeting adjourned and Upland Fire Company No. 1 was on its way to becoming an institution. Down through the years its members would become known for their public spirit, selfless devotion to duty, courage in the face of danger and as providers of a center for social activity in the borough.

The next several meetings were concerned with cementing the company into a solid organization. A charter was applied for, a constitution written and a by-laws committee appointed. Dues were set at 15¢ per month for active members with an initiation fee of $2.00. Contributing members' fee was $1.00 per year.

Starting from the top, the Building Committee visited John P. Crozer, perhaps the borough's wealthiest and most distinguished citizen, who assured them of his support.  Mr. Crozer and two other eminent Upland citizens, Albert R. Granger and George R. Blythe, were elected honorary presidents of the company.

Finding a suitable parcel of land to build a fire house on was not a simple task. A number of sites were considered, but because the company was not incorporated, it could not legally acquire property under its name. There was also the matter of insufficient funds. So, for most of the year 1926, the members of Upland Fire Company busied themselves with formalizing a charter and with fund raising activities. Some of the early ways and means they used to raise money were; selling chance books, producing a carnival, holding a tag day and staging a minstrel show. By the end of the first year, the company had $1,528.37 in the treasury. Early in 1927 the charter was approved by the State.

The ink was hardly dry on the charter when Upland Fire Company received an invitation toparade at the Delaware County Firemen's Association Convention on June 11, 1927, in Drexel Hill. The invitation was accepted. Fifty members signed up for uniforms. Shaws Band of Upland, a 15-piece group, was hired for the event and Hugh B. Hayes was named Chief Marshall. Mr. Hayes was able to obtain the "Upland Dilly", a man-drawn fire cart, for display in the parade. The antique hand pumper had been purchased in England in the mid 1800's by a member of the Crozer family, brought to Upland, and used for fire duty at the Crozer mills.  It was a fitting symbol for the borough's first official fire company. Sometime after the 1927 parade, the Dilly was donated to the company and it has been pampered and painted by Upland firemen ever since, although they have never used it for active service in a fire.

The word was spreading that Upland had a fire company. In August, 1927, representatives from companies in neighboring communities asked that Upland lend them a hand when they answered a fire call in the borough. Felton Fire Company donated hose to get the new group started.

With the charter granted, the building drive gained momentum. On April 12, 1928, a committee was appointed to secure an apparatus. Nearly a year later, they located a horse drawn chemical wagon that was put up for sale by the City of Philadelphia. The membership voted to buy it. In the meantime, Upland Methodist Church consented to allow Upland Fire Company to ring the church bell in case of fire. Keys to the church were provided for two members, Mr. Gilpin and Mr. Cluelow.

In June, 1928, the Ladies Auxiliary was formed, with Mrs. Marie Simpers as the first president. The fire company appointed John Stinson, Joseph Taylor and Robert Jones to help the ladies get organized. Less than six weeks later the Auxiliary made its first contribution, in the sum of $53.35, to the building fund. Through the years, the Auxiliary would prove to be an extremely valuable and much appreciated source of funds and support for Upland Fire Company.

Then came a windfall, Mr. John Pretty, owner of Pretty's Store, said he was willing to donate a lot adjoining the silk mill on Upland Avenue for a fire house. The membership accepted the offer unanimously and plans were quickly drawn up for a two-story brick building, 22 ft. by 40 ft., but there was still a problem of money. It was not until a year later, July, 1929, that a $17,000 mortgage was obtained from Delaware County Trust Company. Bids were let out and construction was started.

By August, 1929, the cornerstone was in place. During the same month, the company acquired its first motor driven apparatus, a 1924 model Reo Truck, purchased from Philadelphia Suburban Gas and Electric Company. Regulation blue uniforms were adopted.

On August 15, 1929, the Upland Fire Company Relief Association was formed, upon orders from Borough Council, for the purpose of providing insurance for members.

Plans were made for dedicating the fire house and housing the "new" apparatus. Hanley Hose Company of Chester, the only fire company to contribute to the building fund ($50.00), was voted the honor of conducting the dedication and housing ceremonies.

It is ironic that on Black Friday, October 29, 1929, the day the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began, painters and carpenters were putting the finishing touches on the new fire house in Upland. The building was completed on November 1 and dedicated on November 6. Upland Fire Company No. 1 had a $17,000 mortgage on their hands and 10 of the most difficult economic years in history ahead of them. Somehow, they made it.

The Reo Truck, sparkling with a fresh coat of red paint, sat in the new fire house for more than two months without being called into service. A pool table and piano were installed to help the volunteers wile away the hours. On February 13, 1930 the alarm sounded and Upland Fire Company was scrambling to its first fire as a complete unit. The conflagration turned out to be a field fire on the property of Josiah Smith, the company's solicitor.

For the next seven or eight months, minor fires occurred at the rate of one per month. The Upland firemen got their first real baptism under fire in September, 1930, when they answered an alarm on the estate of Mrs. Hoskins at Knowlton. A barn burned down, but the house was saved. Upland Fire Company was congratulated for its good work.

The first indication in the company's minutes that things weren't going so well was given in May, 1931. The membership voted not to hire a band and not to parade at the County Firemen's Convention in Upper Darby that year because so many of the members were out of work. A charge of 1¢ per rack for pool and 1¢ per game for shuffleboard was discontinued. Many members' dues were in arrears for more than a year. A rule was passed allowing them to work off their dues owed at a rate of 25¢ per hour by cleaning windows and doing other odd jobs around the building. Then, the membership voted to absolve all members of back dues.

During this period in the early 1930's, the treasury balance slipped from 7¢ on January 12, 1932 to a deficit of $16.58 in March, 1933. Several emergency financial meetings were called. On more than one occasion the mortgage was saved by a $1,000 contribution from an anonymous donor. On another occasion Borough Council donated $10.00 to the fire company to be paid on the principal owed on the building. The Ladies Auxiliary came through in the nick of time, month after month, with enough cash to pay the electric bill or buy coal. To save money, bonding of the treasurer was discontinued. Through this travail, the company faithfully responded to all fire calls.

Early in 1934 the treasury was back in the black. The young fire company had weathered the financial crisis and it was never again to experience a deficit.

A special meeting was called in July, 1934, to consider ways and means of raising money to buy a new fire truck or to repair the old one. Residents were solicited; there were corn boils, carnivals, card parties and minstrel shows. Enough money was collected to make a down payment on a new International Harvester pumper, which was delivered on January 1, 1935.

The new apparatus stimulated member activity and provided a much needed boost to morale. On June 15, 1935, after years of nonparticipation, Upland Fire Company was once again in the line of march at the Delaware County Firemen's Association parade.

In 1936, Parkside Fire Company gave Upland its old siren, which was in need of repair. It was fixed and mounted on the fire house roof. During the summer of 1938, Upland bought a new siren and the practice of sounding the siren every night at 6 P. M. was started.

The company's tenth anniversary was observed with business as usual. The fire house was accepted as an institution in Upland. Its auditorium served as a meeting place for Borough Council, unions, boys' clubs and baby clinics; as a polling place, draft registration headquarters, Red Cross Emergency Station and the site of many special events. During the early 1940's, the basement was leased to Sun Oil Company for use as a shooting range.

With the advent of World War II, activity tapered off. Many members went into the armed forces. The one who remained, were working long hours or taking part in Civil Defense activities. Minutes of monthly meetings went unrecorded for nearly two years.

When the men returned from the war, there was an infusion of new blood into the Upland Fire Company. Starting with the nine year tenure of John Lord in 1947, many improvements in the fire fighting organization and system were instituted. Under succeeding presidents Ray Hamilton, John Adkinson, Richard McClintock, Robert Baker, Jr., and Joseph E. Blair, noteworthy gains were made in training methods, equipment usage, alarm systems, communications, membership and financial growth.

A milestone in the company's history was reached on June 13, 1951, when a mortgage burning ceremony was held in the fire house. Charter members in good standing put the match to the papers. The following September, the company voted to buy a new apparatus. They chose a 500 gallon Oren pumper truck with a 300 gallon booster. The vehicle was delivered in June, 1952, and the Franklin Fire Company was asked to house it.

Organization of the Fire Police was begun in September, 1954, and in October, 1955, this group was sworn in by the Burgess of Upland to serve the borough. One of the worst fires in the borough's history occurred in January, 1955, when Upland Baptist Church burned.

Another new fire engine, a Seagraves, was purchased and housed in June, 1960. Upland now had two modern and efficient engines, the older vehicle having been sold. Only the "Dilly" remained.

Parking had been a serious problem for many years. This problem was finally solved in January of 1966, when a lot across the street from the fire house was purchased from the McClure estate.

Upland Fire Company is fortunate that it has never had a fatality among its members, but it has had its share of injuries in the line of duty. March 25, 1967, was a bad day for injuries when six men were hurt fighting a fire at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.

In the first forty years of existence, Upland Fire Company weathered many trials and crises. The company's survival is a tribute to hundreds of dedicated members and friends down through the years who have worked hard to keep it alive. Its existence is proof of the need and of the services performed for the community. Well deserved recognition and honor to the company was forthcoming in October, 1968, when Robert Baxter, Jr., past president of Upland Fire Company No. 1, was elected president of the Firemen's Association of the State of Pennsylvania.

On September 13, 1971, Upland Borough was hit by a flood from the Chester Creek and the firehouse, which was located on the banks of the creek, was under water. The building suffered major structural damage, forcing the company to keep the trucks on the vacant lot across the street from the firehouse. The building was repaired enough to make it safe to resume fire operations. After several meetings with the Borough Council, plans were made to build a new firehouse. Construction was started in 1975 at 6^th and Wake Road and completed in 1976. The old fire house was sold to a vending machine company.

For further information on the Upland Fire Company No. 1, visit their website.