Property granted the meeting and house built
beginning at said Urin’s lot or Garding, and so running, 60 feet along and fronting the street towards the prison house, thence down the lower edge in Chester Creek—thence along the Creek 60 feet—thence to the place of beginning ... to the use and behoof of the said Chester—the people of God called Quakers and their successors forever.[656]
In the year following, it was urged by the monthly meeting that Friends agree with workmen to build a meeting house at Chester 24 feet square by 16 feet in height.[657] The first meeting house, built on the ground above mentioned, was completed about 1793.[658]
First land devised for schools in 1769
Hoskins wills ground for schools
Poor to be schooled
The earliest record of schools established by Friends dates back to about 1770. Though this is the first record of a device of property for the purpose, and the minutes of the meeting are also negligent of educational affairs, it does not seem probable to the writer that the locality was without schools. There were probably neighborhood schools, not subject to any organization on the part of the meeting. On December 31, 1769, Joseph Hoskins, a Friend, willed a lot of ground for the use of schools,[659] and though his death did not occur till some years later, the meeting appears to have known of the intended bequest and to have built a school house in 1770.[660] It was further ordered by the will that the sum of thirty pounds be paid to John Eyre and James Barton for the schooling and education of such poor children of the inhabitants of the borough of said Chester as the preparative meeting shall for the time being think fit to order and direct.[661] Mr. Jordan in his history of the county, describes the schoolhouse:
The schoolhouse was built of bricks, laid in Flemish bond, the ends of the headers being burnt black, a style much in vogue at that time. In the south gable large numerals, 1770, were inserted in the wall, the figures being formed by the black ends of the headers.[662]
School at Middletown probably in 1740
Land donated by Taylor and wife