Gillingham Store - Fallsington Historic District - Fallsington, PA
N 40° 11.161 W 074° 49.121
18T E 515435 N 4448419
This is one of six historic buildings marked by the historical society. This structure is located at the head of the town common.
Waymark Code: WM736F
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 08/25/2009
Views: 2
Gillingham's was built after the fire of 1910 which destroyed the original store on the site. Its construction is of wood frame above fieldstone base. Originally a general store, since its acquisition by Historic Fallsington, Inc., it has served as the office of the organization. There is a museum store inside. The Office of Historic Fallsington, Inc. in the Gillingham Store on Meetinghouse Square is shared by the Museum Store. For more information on the museum store click HERE
Isaiah V. Williamson, born 1803 in Fallsington, apprenticed in the original store. There he learned the retail trade. He went on to found a dry goods business in Philadelphia. He became one of the richest men in the area and a major philanthropist. In 1889, shortly before his death, he gave $2 million to found the Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades, which continues today.
About the Historic District
Fallsington is an authentic 300-year-old Quaker settlement. This village pre-dates other Friends historic districts by at least 50 years. Little known, and underrepresented in history books, it is one of the best existing examples of authentic pre-colonial life in America. There is a decent history of this village found in a nice book called The Buried Past: an Archaeological History of Philadelphia By John L. Cotter, Daniel G. Roberts, Michael Parrington. It can be found on Google Books which can be found SOURCE
HERE (page 363-367). One last interesting note, looking at Google Earth, it is clear to see this village, via Main Street, was at one time connected to the Lincoln Highway.
District Nomination Form Narrative
In 1971, the Village of Fallsington was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This nationally-registered historic district takes its name from nearby "Falls of the Delaware." Immediately surrounding the historic district is a neighborhood of residences of various ages, circa 1700's to 1990's. This old general store is one of thirty structures which make up the historic district, and one of the newest, if not the newest. It is one of several homes with a field stone base. The following
limited text is excerpted from the original district nomination form submitted to the Department of Interior in 1971.
Gillingham Store, now Headquarters of Historic Fallsington, Inc. Modern, on old foundations.
SOURCE
Address
Meetinghouse Square
Fallsington, PA 19054