What is now Delaware county was originally just a smaller sub-section of Chester county.

In 1687, The “Providences” were separated into Upper & Nether Providence and remained a part of Chester County until 1789, when Delaware county was created.

Nether Providence remained predominantly a farming community through the 18th century.

Due to the strength of two large creeks (Crum Creek & Ridley Creek), mills began to be established along both and continued to prosper through the industrial revolution.

In 1853, the West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad opened the countryside to the city and development began in earnest along the newly laid railroad.

What today is known as the Moylan-Rose Valley Station was originally called Manchester Station.

In the 19th century, one of the prominent families in the area were the Lansdale’s. Mr. Lansdale was an attorney as well as a Vice President of the Pennsylvania Railroad. He constructed a country house on Rose Valley Road called “Stance”. For the locals, that estate is now known as Coles Hill.

On January 26, 1886, a small article was published in the Delaware County Daily Times that stated the following;

“Mr. Lansdale, the gentleman who has recently erected a new house near Manchester Station, on the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad, has presented a petition asking that the name of the station be changed to “Moylan” in honor of a Revolutionary general; also to have a post office established at the same place. This will be a great convenience to the inhabitants of Rose Valley and South Media.”

Brigadier General Stephen Moylan served with honors during the Revolutionary war and was an “aide-de-camp” to George Washington.

“While stationed at the Continental Army Headquarters in Cambridge, Moylan wrote a letter to Col. Joseph Reed, a fellow officer and Washington's military secretary concerning the need to procure armaments and gunpowder from the Europeans to replenish their own depleted supply. In the letter dated January 2, 1776, Moylan stated that he wished to carry the “full and ample powers from the United States of America” to Europe to support the revolutionary enterprise. This was the first recorded written usage of the term United States of America. The following June, the United States of America was the prominently displayed heading for Thomas Jefferson's Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence. Irrespective of whether the term was used in conversations by Washington or others prior to Jan. 2, 1776, Moylan was the first to commit the term to paper.”

So while Lansdale’s petition to the railroad was to honor Brigadier General Stephen Moylan, it was actually also self-serving, as Mr. Lansdale’s full name was William Moylan Lansdale, the great grandson of the above general!

It sure took me a while to piece together the history of where the name Moylan came from!

By the late 19th century, all of the lands surrounding the railroad station were being subdivided to provide for country estates of the “new wealth” of Philadelphia.

The development on the north side of the train station began in 1890 with the creation of Moylan, Glenwood, Oakland, Orchard and Lake Avenues. Individual lots were sold to end users (not a planned development) and each new owner would design & construct their residences individually. That really provided for a unique & diverse stock of architectural styles, as the sale & development of this entire neighborhood took place over the span of 40 years (with minor in-fill development after WW-II).

The house that I am representing is called Lyncroft, and one can find the house name on the stone pillars at the driveway entrance, over the front door and over the living room fireplace!

It is an unusual design for the area, crafted in the style of a California Craftsman yet finished in a more conservative east-coast style with a complete, original stucco exterior. What is a California Craftsman? If you are an architectural buff, one thinks of the works of Greene & Greene and Bernard Maybeck as the primary designers of this style.

The design provides for inter-connectivity between the indoors & outdoors, usually in a linear fashion with most rooms providing access & windows on multiple walls to increase the natural flow of air through the home. Often incorporating structural elements as part of the design aesthetic (exposed rafter tails, stone & timber elements, etc.) and incorporating multiple porches & patios.

Unfortunately, i have yet to be able to attribute this amazing house to a specific architect, but the original family was certainly of means to construct a large house of this detail.

James Renwick Kerr and his wife Anne Rulon Wetherill Kerr were the first owners of the home, constructed in 1905. Anne Wetherill Kerr is from a very prominent family! Her Father was a direct descendant of Joran Keen to whom in 1644, the Swedish Crown patented the territory upon which much of the present day City of Chester is located!

During the 18th & 19th centuries, Chester was a significant port of call and a center of the industrial revolution.

Her father & uncle started one of the largest engine manufacturing companies in 1871 called Robert Wetherill & Co. Their specialty was the Corliss steam engine and they highlighted their engines during the Centennial exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876.

Married at the age of 24, it is hard to imagine that Mr. & Mrs. Kerr had the financial means to design & construct such a beautiful residence. One can only guess that this was likely a wedding present from her parents, to keep her close to home!

James Renwick Kerr spent his adult life as a sales executive with the Allied Chemical Company, but was also an avid member of the Rose Tree Hunt Club. They actually sold this property in 1925 to acquire a 42-acre estate called Boxwood Farm in the Rose Tree Hunt section of Upper Providence.

Horse racing ran in the family, it appears, as one of his brothers operated a successful horse stable in Trainer and was an award winning steeplechaser. He was 20 years older than James and also an executive at Allied Chemical Company. He likely brought his brother into the business.

With very few alterations to the residence since its construction, what stands today on the corner of Moylan and Orchard Avenues is a well-loved & crafted home that provides exceptional details combined with modern updates throughout.

The current owner is a well-known architect, primarily focused on the design & construction of large-scale commercial & educational buildings, like the new U.S. Embassy in London, Dilworth Park’s reinterpretation & renovation at Philadelphia’s City Hall, the Sculpture Building & School of Art Gallery at Yale University and the restoration & redesign of the former Evening Ledger building in West Philadelphia to the Schuylkill Yards office & retail complex next door to 30th Street Station.

A spacious pebble drive welcomes guests to the front entry off Moylan Avenue and continues for egress out onto Orchard Avenue. The double car garage is a solid masonry structure that still retains the original carriage house doors.

Surrounding the nearly 1 acre parcel are so many mature specimen trees, shrubs & perennials that provide exceptional privacy from any neighbors and four seasons of interest.

One of the few changes to the structure is at the front entrance. Originally an open porch, a previous owner had enclosed the porch so that a gracious foyer would provide ample space to welcome guests prior to entering into the main residence.

The floor plan provides for great circular flow between all of the rooms. One can access either the large family room or the formal living room from the entry foyer. The primary staircase to the 2nd floor is just to the right of the large fireplace in the living room. Two sets of doors leads one directly outside to either the side covered porch or the rear brick patio that is covered with mature Wisteria over the pergola.

The dining room is directly on the back side of the fireplace, with a 2nd fireplace and windows in two of the walls, with coved crown molding at the ceiling & recessed lighting. When the current owners completely renovated the kitchen, they elected to retain the distinct separation of spaces, yet crafted a unique pass-through window to the dining room. There is a vestibule area between the kitchen, family & dining rooms that has a large walk-in pantry.

The renovated kitchen attempts to retain a more original/authentic feel with the inset cabinetry painted in a rich blue/green color. A large 48” Viking stove anchors the southern wall and every wall has abundant cabinetry. An efficient island can seat two for casual meals or just gathering for chit-chat. There are soapstone counters and Mercer tiles decorate the backsplash. A small rear porch was modified to provide for a first floor laundry.

Just outside the kitchen is a fully fenced perennial & vegetable garden along with a unique pond that was constructed to retain the rain water from two of the downspouts. A wall of built-in shelving provides great storage for firewood out of the weather, and there is a gate to the front drive as well as two other gates to the rear patio or back yard.

Back inside, the large powder room is located in the corner of the family room by the rear staircase. The family room itself has a wall of built-in bookshelves & storage cabinets, and a lovely bay window overlooking the front yard that is the perfect spot for your cats or dogs to watch the comings and goings outside.

On the 2nd floor, the owner’s suite occupies the entire space over the living room. One of the most beautiful, original details is the sleeping porch and is still used to this day to enjoy evening breezes and cool-night sleep-outs! There is a single closet, just for shoes! Originally part of another bedroom, there is a small home office area overlooking the rear yard that has its own storage closet, and a walk-in closet connected to the owner’s suite.

There are two hall bathrooms on the 2nd floor. The one closest to the owner’s suite has both a stall shower and a soaking tub, while the bathroom for the remaining guest rooms on this floor has a stall shower.

There are three spacious bedrooms on this floor, and two of them have wood burning fireplaces! One of them has been enhanced with three walls of built-in bookshelves, so could easily be used as another home office (in addition to the one in the owner’s suite).

There are actually TWO staircases to the 3rd floor!

One takes you to the unfinished attic that provides exceptional storage as well as access to one of the air conditioning systems. The other staircase takes you up to even more living space! There is a large family room that has two distinct spaces that can easily be divided for either casual entertainment (think TV room!) or maybe a great space for home schooling.

There are two more bedrooms and the 3rd full bathroom that has another stall shower.

The majority of the home has a full, unfinished basement for additional storage.

Many of the systems are relatively new. The boiler was replaced in 2018, the hot water heater in 2015, the air conditioning systems in 2017 and a whole house generator was added in 2016. The house is serviced by 200 AMPs and the last of the remaining knob & tube wiring was just replaced in 2023.

The location is so convenient to so many things! You are in walking distance to the Rose Valley/Moylan SEPTA station (referenced earlier!) which provides direct access to the Drexel & University of Pennsylvania campuses, 30th Street Station and downtown Philadelphia.

One can access I-476 in less than 5 minutes. That gets you to the airport in under 15 minutes (without rush hour!).

Just 5 minutes away are all the fabulous shops & restaurants of downtown Media (and all of the various festivals that are promoted & sponsored by the Media Business Authority), a farmer’s market along with a very unique Trader Joe’s that is housed inside the historic Armory building! Just 15 minutes in the either direction, you can get to the Whole Foods in Newtown Square or the beautiful campus & arboretum at Swarthmore College along with the Swarthmore Coop.

Into the arts? Within 15 minutes of the property, you can explore, participate or volunteer for so many artistic venues.