Various Derbydown Post Office Records; Chester County, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Wanda Copyright 2004. All Rights Reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ********************************************************* These were in the Post Office file at CCHS regarding Derbydown. I transcribed them exactly as written. 1) The following was typewritten. Derby Down From: Topographical Division) Application dated Oct. 25, 1892 signed by John H. Webb proposed P.M. Shows the proposed office was to be called Spring Dell. This is crossed out and Derby Down written in. Office will be on east side of Pomeroy & Newark R.R. 50 yards distant. 50 inhabitants of village, 200 population to be served. 2) Article from Daily Local News 3/26/1893 Derrytown, located at Springdale, on the Pomeroy and Newark Railroad, is the newest post office in Chester county. The commission of ‘Squire John H. Webb, who is in charge, was signed by Postmaster General John Wanamaker, on the third of March, the last day of the Republican administration. (handwritten under the article was “W. Marlboro” 3) Article from Daily Local News 4/27/1893 West Grove and Vicinity. From the Independent, --Chester county has another plum for Congressman Robinson to interest himself in and a chance to secure a “worker.” It is a new post office, Derbytown by name, located a short distance from Rosenvick, in West Marlborough, secured through the influence of Milton Darlington. 4) Typewritten info DERBYDOWN, CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA POSTMASTER DATE APPOINTED John H. Webb March 3, 1893 (Established) William H. Smale May 6, 1899 Sarah Matilda Turner January 17, 1903 J. Howard Humpton April 4, 1904 John S. Ogden July 16, 1908 Discontinued March 31, 1910. Mail to Chatham. 5) Typewritten. Writes Robert F. Brinton, under date of May 1935: Morris Canan, former Post Master of Steeleville, told me he knew how Derbydown got its name. He says John Mullen was at meeting when the name of Post Office was to be chosen. He said that a number of names had been discussed and were either in use or rejected. After some time somebody’s hat fell off the table and some one said “there, that is what we will call the Post Office….we will call it DERBYDOWN.” The name was sent to Washington and approved. Derby hats were in style at the time. 6) Coatesville Record 7/14/1944 Chester County post offices, many of which passed out of existence with the coming of rural free delivery of mail, got their names in peculiar ways in many instances, according to the Chester County Historical Society. At sometime there was in the southeast corner of Highland township a settlement around Ogden’s Mills on Doe Run Creek. It is now largely ruins. About seventy- five years ago John C. Ferron moved in and opened a general store. He had big ideas and wanted also a port-office. So after talking about it for a year or two he circulated a petition and secured the government’s blessing. He received the P. M. Commission and the office was opened in his store under date of July 26, 1872. But strange to relate it was called Rosenvick. The Ferron family loved this name. It was a town in Ireland near their ancestral home. There were only 15 or 20 families to be served and the P. O. Department never got any profit from this office since the Postmaster got all the money he received from the sale of stamps as his salary. After three years John C. Ferron was succeeded as P.M. by James Ogden, a member of the family owning the mills, and on his death in 1894 Martha J. Ogden succeeded. Here commission was dated May 16, 1894. She acted for eleven years and then Samuel E. Waters became Postmaster on May 10, 1905. About this time the first P. M., Mr. Ferron, after farming for a time became one of the County Commissioners. The demise of Rosenvick post-office occurred at the end of August in 1907 and mail then went to Springdell, another village where the post-office was differently named. And this gives rise to another odd tale. Early in 1893 the Springdell folks thought that if Ogden’s Mills and Doe Run, located on either side of them, could have post-offices, why couldn’t they have one of their own? So they set out to get it. They were told that there were dozens of post-offices with names like theirs and some other name would have to be used. So at a meeting to decide on a name, every resident had his own preference and they could not agree. They were about to give it up and leave when a hat fell off the table. Some one said “there is the name for us— Derbydown.” So it was agreed and proposed to the P. O. Department, and the name was adopted. Derbydown post-office was established with John H. Webb as Post-master. His commission was signed P.M.G. John Wanamaker on March 3rd, 1893, the last day of his administration. There were five incumbents in the postmastership of Derbydown and then, in 1910 this post-office, like so many small offices in the early part of this century, was discontinued and their patrons served by Rural Delivery. Both Derbydown and Rosenvick postmarks are scarce. The Chester County Historical Society’s collection has a few and needs many more. One of the latter office was recently donated and is highly appreciated.