Parkesburg

Parkesburg is located in Chester County, one of William Penn,s original three counties. The town was first known as the Fountain Inn, after a 1730s tavern, and the tavern later became the town,s first post office. Fountain Inn was renamed Parkesburg after prominent politician John G. Parke. A number of important businesses had connections to Parkesburg, including the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, which was later a part of the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1872, Horace Beale moved his ironworks from nearby Hibernia to Parkesburg and named it the Parkesburg Iron Company. The company had a competitive baseball team, and major?leaguers such as Babe Ruth played against the team. The town also was home to one of the first airfields in the county.

Bruce Edward Mowday is the author of five Arcadia volumes: Coatesville, Downingtown, West Chester, Along the Brandywine River, and Chester County Mushroom Farming. Parkesburg is a collaboration involving the Parkesburg Free Library, the author, and local citizens. Many of the photographs in Parkesburg were drawn from the library's collection.