Glen Mills
Thornbury Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
An early American industrial village. John Taylor built Sarum Forge here ca. 1739. He erected Pennsylvania's first iron-slitting mill, 1746, and 90 years later this was acquired by the Willcox family for its Glen Mills paper operations. Here, paper was made for U.S. currency, 1868-78; produced so as to foil counterfeiting, it was internationally known. By 1882, when the R.R. station here was built, this was a busy commercial area.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
This Delaware County hamlet grew up around water-powered industry that reached back before the Revolution, when a forge was raised here around 1739 and Pennsylvania's first iron-slitting mill followed in 1746. Nearly a century later the Willcox family turned the site to papermaking, and in the years after the Civil War their mill produced paper for United States currency—engineered so cleverly to defeat counterfeiters that it earned international fame. By the time the railroad station arrived in 1882, Glen Mills bustled as a center of commerce.
Why it matters
From colonial ironworking to security paper for the nation's money, Glen Mills traces the long arc of American industrial ingenuity in a single village.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Attractions
- American Bandstand14.9 mi away
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Related people
- · John Taylor
- · Willcox family
Themes & tags
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