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Avon Grove

Avon Grove School District โ€“ Avon Grove School district is located in West Grove, Pennsylvania. Avon Grove School District is a K-12 public school system that serves over 5,000 students in four schools: Penn London Elementary School (K-2); Avon Grove Intermediate School (3-6); Fred S. Engle Middle School (7, 8); and Avon Grove High School (9-12).

Geography: The District is located in a rural-suburban setting 34 miles southwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 18 miles northwest of Wilmington, Delaware. Avon Grove covers 67 square miles and consists of five townships, namely New London (1714), London Grove (1723), London Britain (1725), Penn (created from Londonderry Township in 1817), and Franklin (1852), which were created and organized in that order. Avondale (1894) and West Grove (1893) are the two boroughs within London Grove Township. Due to the closeness of the two boroughs (less than three miles in distance from each other), it was natural that the area became known as Avon Grove.

Student Demographics: 75 percent Caucasian; 19.5 percent Hispanic; 2.5 percent African American; 1.9 percent Asian; and less than 1 percent both American Indian/Alaskan Native and multi-racial.

The Avon Grove School District operates:

  • Penn London Elementary School (K-2nd)
  • Avon Grove Intermediate School (3rd-6th)
  • Fred S. Engle Middle School (7th-8th)
  • Avon Grove High School (9th-12th)

Visit the Official Avon Grove School District Website here.

1. Township Information

2. About West Grove โ€“ West Grove is a city in Chester County, Pennsylvania. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,652 people, 864 households, and 679 families residing in the borough.
The village of West Grove derived its name from the Friends Meeting House on Harmony Road built in 1787 several miles west of the Friends Meeting House in the village of London Grove. West Grove was separated from London Grove Township and became an incorporated borough on November 29, 1893.

The “Father of West Grove” was Joseph Pyle. Born in Penn Township in 1836, Joseph Pyle opened a general store in 1860 in the brick building that is currently empty but housed a Rite Aid Pharmacy, Eckerd Pharmacy, and West Grove Pharmacy in the past. This building was constructed by Pyle and is believed to be the oldest brick structure in the center of town. Joseph Pyle constructed many of the commercial buildings along the present-day Exchange Place, including the Roselyn Theater Building in 1867 (torn down in 1980), the National Bank of West Grove building in 1883 and the K&P Building in 1885. Appointed postmaster of the borough by President Lincoln in 1864, Pyle served twenty-two years. Furthermore, Pyle introduced the manufacture of brick, planned and installed the first public water system, was President of the West Grove Improvement Company which financed the construction of the casket factory in 1885, served on Borough Council and was Burgess (Mayor) from 1900-1903.

The first election of borough officials was held in the West Grove Hotel on February 20, 1894. John P. Cheyney was elected the first Burgess (Mayor) in what amounted to a Democratic landslide. The Democrats won every office including Mayor, six school directors, two Squires, Constable, Assessor and Tax Collector, two Assistant Assessors, three Auditors, Town Clerk and High Constable. The first council meeting was held March 6, 1894, in the Library Room on the second floor of the National Bank Building on Exchange Place. The current mayor of West Grove is Stephen B. Black, Republican, who has been in office since August 2000.

3. About Chester County โ€“ Chester County, Philadelphia, and Bucks were the three original Pennsylvania counties created by William Penn in 1682. At that time, Chester County’s borders were Philadelphia County to the north, the Susquehanna River to the west, the Delaware River to the east, and Delaware and Maryland to the south.

The fourth county in the state, Lancaster County, was formed from Chester County on May 10, 1729. On March 11, 1752 Berks County was formed from the northern section of Chester County, as well as parts of Lancaster and Philadelphia Counties.

The original Chester County seat was the naval shipbuilding city of Chester. However, it became part of Delaware County when it was formed from the eastern portion of the Chester County on September 26, 1789. This took the county seat out of Chester County, so West Chester became the new county seat that year, and has remained so to the present. The former Valley Forge Army Hospital, constructed during World War II, was one of the largest military hospitals in the United States.