“Christmas elves did it.”
That’s the official explanation for the holiday decorations bedecking the Barnard House on Wawaset Road in Pocopson Township.
The adornments – an assortment of red ribbons, greenery and a live tree – magically appeared over the weekend. A note on the tree indicates that it pays tribute to the E. Barnard family, Mary Dugan, and Rusty Jones, all of whom are being recognized for “their devotion to the Underground Railroad.”
In the early 1800s, the Eusebius Barnard House, a Chester County historic landmark, served as a station for escaping slaves in the Underground Railroad movement; more recently, it has served as a source of conflict in the township. Pocopson assumed ownership of the house and its surrounding 68 acres from the county in 2008 with the goal of preserving it as a township building – replacing the existing, renovated garage on Denton Hollow Road – as well as the home of the Kennett Underground Railroad Center.
The repurposing has generated protest, pitting the members of the Barnard House Steering Committee against a group of residents who have expressed concerns about the project’s management and price tag. Opponents of the project have also questioned the building’s suitability for township administration.
But for now, one could borrow a line from a popular Christmas carol: “All is calm; all is bright.” Candles in the window of the Barnard House hearken back to the day when candlelight was used to let slaves know that a residence would welcome them.
Asked about the décor, Supervisor Georgia Brutscher, the former supervisors’ liaison for the Barnard House Steering Committee, initially insisted it represented the work of Christmas elves. But then she added: “And people who really care about that property.”
The tree itself offers another clue – not to mention a potential olive branch. One ornament features the words: “Peace to all this holiday season” from the Barnard House Steering Committee.
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