Air Quality Testing in Ivyland, PA

Ivyland was founded in 1873 by Edwin Lacey, a Quaker who was related to John Lacey, a brigadier general in the American Revolution. Edwin Lacey purchased 40 acres (16 ha) of land between Jacksonville Road (today’s PA 332) and the Reading Company’s future New Hope rail line, today’s New Hope Railroad, which was completed to New Hope in 1891. It, as well as a large hotel which was planned for the town, was intended to serve the centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

According to the borough’s website, Edwin Lacey, who apparently was no botanist, named the town for the vast amount of “ivy” growing in the area, which turned out to be poison ivy.

The railroad line from the county line to Bristol Road opened November 9, 1874. Samuel Davis quarried the stone for the bed and for a bridge over a local stream, supplied horses and carts for the grading, and boarded the construction workers. In return, he took payment as stocks and bonds, and was also offered a lifetime pass on the railroad. He is reported to have stated “I never knew dividends to be paid out of passes. I have asked friends to put their money in this railroad, promising them interest on their investment, and I can’t let them down. Furthermore, if I cannot afford to pay my way on the train, I had better stay home.”