The Spring House

As Henry Pleasants tells us, “The proximity to water (for baptisms) is said to have determined the present location for the church.” The Spring House may be the oldest structure at St. David’s, as protection of a good water source was a priority for the early settlers. The stonework for the Spring House is set with a masonry composition using sand, clay and lime, commonly used in rural 18th century structures.

Legend suggests that British Major General Grey organized his troops on the hill above the spring house before the Battle of Paoli (1777).

An article from, “The Franklin Repository,” of 1858 tells us that there is “a beautiful spring of water, which has always been a favorite resort for those attending this religious sanctuary.” People “spread their humble repast on summer days and reclined beneath the overhanging trees waiting for the services of the afternoon.”

The springhouse with its early masonry composition is probably the first structure built on the property