Hershey’s Mill is nearly 800 acres of rolling terrain in horse country of historic Chester County. Over centuries much has occurred on this East Goshen township land.
Sir William Howe and his British troops encamped on this property after the battle of Brandywine during the Revolutionary War. In 1789 French nobleman Louise Philippe, Count de Baujolais and the Duke de Montpenier took refuge in the surrounding woods. Hershey’s Mill land is also where General Anthony Wayne fox hunted before the Revolution.
Across from the current Main Gate, water often flows over the original Hershey’s Mill dam adding a certain charisma to the ongoing legend of Hershey’s Mill.
Historic records reveal much about the property, but less is known about the manor house. The Sullivan House could very well have been the main home on what was referred to in 1806 as the “plantation”. Historians differ about the past. A smaller structure may have been the original home from 200 years ago.
In 1745 Thomas Pratt acquired the estate. In 1806 Thomas Rees, the second owner willed the plantation to his son, Benjamin. It changed hands many times in three-quarters of a century before being owned by Enoch P. Hershey and his wife Rachel. In 1912 Hershey sold the property to Wylie H. Vilas who in turn sold it to John J. Sullivan in 1926. This land was north of Greenhill Road and was about 38 acres in area. However Sullivan of this purchase by selling 25 acres to H. Walter Young in 1948 and the remainder to Joanne Sharpless Delmage in 1954.
John J. Sullivan, born in 1877 as the first of nine children, spent his younger days in the Rittenhouse Square family home. After developing prestige as a prominent Philadelphia lawyer, Sullivan acquired Hershey’s Mill as part of more than a 2000-acre farm. He visited on weekends. As a confirmed bachelor, Sullivan had great love for his home, his land and church. He was also the founder of Malvern Retreat House. After he made this his permanent home, a niece remembers meeting Indians on the grounds during the 1930s when Sullivan was Indian Commissioner. He was extremely proud of his great improvements like the wide staircase and fine antique furniture. He’d greet his fox-hunting friends early in the morning on the front portico then later entertain them in grand style on the rear terrace high above the countryside. Because of an abundance of hickory trees, the estate became known as Shellbark Hollow. Sullivan made at least ten land purchases ranging from one to about 148 acres in size. After his death in 1958, the main house was virtually destroyed by vandals. Rescued from a state of disrepair by the first developer of Hershey’s Mill, it was renovated as a meeting place for resident.
Now the Sullivan House is restored both inside and out. So the Sullivan House in Hershey’s Mill is key in helping all of us relive and preserve a bit of history as it continues to be enjoyed. Beside the dining room, and main living area used by residents and private partiers, model railroaders have reconfigured the third floor with a multitude of switches complete with scenery as trains move between rooms. The Sullivan House is a place to experience life today.