{"id":3871,"date":"2026-08-14T16:16:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T16:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=3871"},"modified":"2026-08-14T16:16:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T16:16:51","slug":"westtown-township-fired-its-entire-historical-commission-all-six-members-just-started-their-own-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=3871","title":{"rendered":"Westtown township fired its entire historical commission. All six members just started their own society"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><div><div><audio><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p>Members who were fired from Westtown Township\u2019s historical commission after disagreements with local officials over historic preservation have launched their own society, operating independently with a mission of protecting buildings and history in the area. <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=3869\">Meet Soupy Island\u2019s longtime caretaker | Inquirer South Jersey<\/a><\/p><div><\/div><p>All six former members have signed on to form the board of the Westtown-Brandywine Historical Society, which they started within weeks of the Chester County township\u2019s three elected supervisors\u2019 July vote to remove them from the commission. <\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>\u201cAlthough it\u2019s very disappointing to see the township operate the way that they did, it was perhaps an opportunity for us to build something even better,\u201d said Stephen Wahrhaftig, one of the society\u2019s founders. <\/p><div><\/div><p>Wahrhaftig, who served on the township\u2019s commission for four years, had been involved with other historical organizations. One, which was privately run, seemed to operate more efficiently and effectively without political oversight, he said. <\/p><div><\/div><p>Within the new society\u2019s first two meetings, the group had already sketched out a long list of potential events and activities, Wahrhaftig said. <\/p><div><\/div><p>\u201cI was crushed when we were all dismissed, sad and angry. But within two weeks, we all came back together and said, \u2018OK, let\u2019s try something new and different,\u2019\u201d said Christine Gunsaullus, who served on the township\u2019s historical commission for more than a year. \u201cI feel like we\u2019ve continued without missing a beat.\u201d<\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>The newly-formed society has already teed up four events in the coming months. They\u2019ll host a hike and historical tour of Crebilly Preserve, . They\u2019ll launch a historical book club. In October, the society will have a table at Westtown Day \u2014 something that the commission once helped found \u2014 and will give historical tours of Oakbourne Mansion and Park, where festivities are held, and have activities for children. <\/p><div><\/div><p>And they\u2019ll host a presentation about the Darlington Inn, the 19th century historic property on the Crebilly tract that the township also purchased when it sought to preserve the farm. At that talk, they\u2019ll show \u201cwhat a gem we have and why it\u2019s important to save,\u201d Gunsaullus said. <\/p><div><\/div><p>That stance regarding the inn and its future is the very thing that the commission members believe led to their dismissal. <\/p><div><\/div><p>The township\u2019s officials previously rejected assertions that the commission\u2019s wholesale removal was due to differences regarding the future of the Inn, which sits on a two-acre parcel at the corner of State Routes 202 and 926. The inn was acquired in 2024 as part of a larger battle to preserve Crebilly. It was purchased with taxpayer money separately, and the township plans to sell it off to recoup the funds it used to buy it, and to prevent ongoing maintenance costs of the property. <\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>The then-historical commission had argued that the inn was worth preserving, and asked officials to include a facade easement to protect the property from being demolished for commercial construction. The supervisors declined to do so at the time, but nothing precludes them from adding it in the future.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=3867\">70-year-old man shot and killed in East Germantown, police say<\/a><\/p><div><\/div><p>The historical commission was composed of volunteers, appointed by the board of supervisors and acted as an advisory body, with no governing power. The supervisors said in July they would be re-examining the goals of the commission, and invited the fired members to reapply once that process was complete.<\/p><div><\/div><p>Even with the abrupt parting, the new society doesn\u2019t foresee any tension blossoming between their new organization and the township they once served. They received the OK to represent the new group at the annual Westtown Day, which they think \u201cbodes well\u201d for working together, especially now at an arm\u2019s length away. The township did not immediately respond to a request for on the group\u2019s formation, or their relationship moving forward.<\/p><div><\/div><p>The society will offer free membership to those who want to join, and the intent broadly is to do what they accomplished with the township \u201cbut do even more and do it better and do it faster,\u201d Gunsaullus said. That includes a newsletter, lectures, and historical tours. They\u2019ll also be able to look broaden the scope beyond Westtown, hence the society\u2019s name, and welcome members from outside the municipality.<\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>Without being under the restraints of the township government, they envision they\u2019ll be able to offer more and varied events. But in some ways, it\u2019s the same: The leadership is composed of working architects, engineers, an author, and people with marketing expertise. All but one member is retired, making the society a labor of love, Gunsaullus said.<\/p><div><\/div><p>\u201cWe\u2019re very pumped up about what we\u2019re able to accomplish now,\u201d Wahrhaftig said. <\/p><div><\/div><p>And they\u2019ve seen an outpouring of support, they said. <\/p><div><\/div><p>\u201cThe response we\u2019ve gotten from the community, from other historical societies and commissions \u2014 everyone is supporting us, wants to know how they can help, wants to provide venues for us to continue giving talks,\u201d Gunsaullus said. \u201cWe\u2019re very grateful for the support we\u2019re getting from other historical geeks in the area.\u201d<\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>There are no plans to make the society a nonprofit at the moment, they said, but they aren\u2019t sure what the future holds. They\u2019re operating with no funding (but that\u2019s not exactly unfamiliar; their finances were already \u201chilariously abysmal\u201d under the township, Wahrhaftig noted), and may consider donations. <\/p><div><\/div><p>But aside from money, \u201cIt takes time, passion, and creativity, and we\u2019ve got plenty of that,\u201d Gunsaullus said. <\/p><div><\/div><div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"128\" height=\"128\" alt=\"The Inquirer logo\" class=\"wp-image-47\" src=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/faba80d67140212ba32240655442c529.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n        Inquirer Chester County\n      <\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Want to get Inquirer Chester County straight to your inbox every week? Sign up here for our guide to the news, stories, and events shaping life in your community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><div><\/div><p><i>This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer\u2019s high-impact journalism can be made at <\/i><i>inquirer.com\/donate<\/i><i>. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at <\/i><i>lenfestinstitute.org\/supporters<\/i><i>.<\/i><\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=3866\">Three Philly men stole government checks worth $68 million and then resold them online, feds say<\/a><\/p><div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The six volunteers believe they were removed over a dispute regarding a historic building. Now, they&#8217;ve launched their own group to highlight the region&#8217;s history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-pennsylvania"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Westtown township fired its entire historical commission. 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