Land: History of Paoli Parade Ground: Chester Co., PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Judy Ardine . ****************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: Printing this file within by non- commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ ****************************************************************** June 29, 1869 VILLAGE RECORD History PAOLI PARADE GROUND - At the last term of the Court of Chester County, on a petition presented, the Court appointed Captain William Wayne, General Henry R. Guss and Captain N.A. << Pennypacker>> as Trustees to take charge of this property. For some years past various depredations have been committed which rendered it necessary that some steps should be taken concerning the grounds. All the original trustees are deceased, and no military organizations now exist in the county. Vandal hands have broken and defaced the monument until it has been almost entirely destroyed; an attempt was made to take the whole top of the monument, it was moved an inch of so on the pedestal, but finally had to be given up. A great piece was then knocked off the top. Sometime since, the corner stone was broken out and all the memorials it contained stolen therefrom. Various parties have been cutting timber off the land, which with the other outrages, make it imperatively necessary that something should be done, and it is fit that the care should be confined to the surviving soldiers of the late war. On the morning of September 21, 1777, the neighboring farmers found the dead bodies of fifty three American soldiers lying dead on this field, the victims of British barbarity. They were all buried in one grave, and a heap of stones marked their resting place. On September 20, 1817, the monument was erected over their dust, by the Republican Artillerists, and finally the ground around it - the 'Massacre Ground'- was purchased by the military organizations of the county. The first deed was given by Cromwell Pearce and wife, of East Whiteland township, Chester county. It is dated December 24, 1822, and granted and conveyed forever to Lieutenant Colonel William Darlington and Major Samuel Anderson, Commanding officers of the Chester and Delaware Battalions of Volunteers, a tract or piece of land situate in << Willistown>> township, in the said county of Chester, containing twenty two acres and one hundred and ten perches of land, more or less, commonly known as the Paoli Parade Ground, have and to hold the said tract or piece of land with the appurtenances unto, in Trust as a place of parade forever, for the use of and benefit of all Volunteer Corps lawfully organized that have contributed towards the purchase of the same, or that may think proper to assemble together.'This piece of land did not contain the monument, and on September 20th, 1832, the lot on which the monument stands, containing ten perches of land was ceded by John Griffith and wife to Colonel William Harris, Colonel Emmor Elton, John S. Yocum and David Meconkey... officers of 1st Regiment of Chester and Delaware County Volunteers...