Historic business signs preserved at CCHS

Posted by Press Release on July 6, 2011

Three historic business signs from Chester County have been
preserved by the Chester County Historical Society through a grant from the
Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Before the preservation work, the lettering of three metal
signs advertising local nineteenth-century businesses was quickly disappearing
and becoming unreadable. The goal of the work was to retain as much of the
original material as possible.

“The choice to keep the weathered overall
appearance reminds us that these signs come from a time gone by,” said Ellen
Endslow, Director of Collections and Curator, at the Chester County Historical
Society. “The preserved signs don’t look brand new.”

One sign advertised daguerreotypes by George Pyle
(1821-1888). Pyle grew up on the family farm in West Marlborough and
became a teacher. His interests in chemistry and mathematics no doubt led
to his study of this first affordable photography form with John Mayall of
Philadelphia in 1846.

Another sign is an advertisement for the law practice of
James Bowen Everhart (1821-1888) of West Chester. Everhart’s father
William had a successful dry goods business and was able to purchase the
Wollerton farm in the 1820s, now the southwest quadrant of West Chester
borough. William Everhart also built and operated the Mansion House
Hotel. James Everhart was a veteran of the Civil War and a member of the
Pennsylvania Senate.

Daniel Husted (1799-1893) and his shoe and boot shop are
remembered in the third sign. Born in New Jersey, by his mid-twenties he
set up business in West Chester. Numerous advertisements in the Daily
Local News reveal a prosperous shoe and boot enterprise that was successful
enough to employ nine people.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary
source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500
museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that
connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national
level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain
heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support
professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.

The Chester County Historical Society is a not-for-profit
educational institution whose mission is to promote an understanding of the
history of Chester County and southeastern Pennsylvania by collecting,
preserving, exhibiting and interpreting that history and its relationship to
the region, and nation beyond, to audiences of all ages and interests. For more
information, call 610-692-4800 or visit ChesterCoHistorical.org.