Institution

Nicholas Stimmel purchased 1.65 acres on either side of Ridley Creek from Joseph Dicks in 1789. According to property law, it gave him rights, for 999 years, to build and maintain a dam across the creek. Dams were necessary to increase volume and pressure sufficiently to divert water into a mill race where it would enter the mill, turn a wheel, and then return to the creek. The wheel at the Old Mill was on a horizontal axis, not on a vertical axis as we are used to seeing.Stimmel sent snuff to his son, a tobacconist in Philadelphia, who acquired the mill from his father in 1794. Coincidently years earlier, Thomas Leiper had built a successful snuff mill on nearby Crum Creek. Leiper went on to support the Revolution as a founder of the First Troop, Philadelphia City Calvary. His residence, which he named Strathhaven, is now a museum on Avondale Road in Nether Providence Township.In the following years the Old Mill was used for many purposes, grinding grain, then bark for the medicinal treatment of malaria, and finally in 1826 as a paper mill owned by Park Shea. He was in business until 1850, when it was abandoned, until Antrim Osbourne revived the mill in 1861. Rose Valley, and other local communities, had many mills throughout the 18 and 18th centuries, driven by the Ridley, Chester, Crum and Darby Creeks. With the arrival of electric power for industry, the mills became obsolete and closed down.

As you proceed past the Mill Race on the Old Mill Trail you will find the remains of a dam along Ridley Creek. Rose Valley started when Nicholas Stimmel built the first mill here in 1789 to produce snuff, a popular 18th and 19th century smokeless tobacco He created a dam on the creek with stone from a nearby stone quarry to provide water power for the Old Mill. The mill dam eventually was repaired and improved by Antrim Osbourne for his 1861 woolen mill.

Saul Preserve Points of Interest S2 Mill Dam

Director

Philadelphia lawyer Maurice Bower Saul and his wife Adele Scott Saul moved to Shoenhaus (Rose Valley Farm) in 1911. It was a 1860s mill owners house dramatically redesigned by architect William Lightfoot price, founder of the 1901 Rose Valley Arts &amp; Crafts community. Saul was instrumental in organizing Rose Valley as a Borough in 1923, and eventually gifted 17 acres to the community for a school and wildlife preserve. A stone marker and plaque at the trailhead were dedicated to the Saul's honor in 1974.The Saul Preserve is one of three in Rose Valley, and along with the Chadwick preserve, has trails which are indicated on a walking map, located in an information kiosk at each entrance. The map identifies many connecting trails and numerous points of interest along the way. It can be downloaded by a QR code, or photographed for reference along a walk. The kiosks also provide practical and educational information for preserve visitors.Among the Saul Preserve points of interest are the remains of a dam and mill race originally constructed in 1789 to divert water from Ridley Creek to the "Old Mill". Antrim Osbourne operated a textile mill there until it was destroyed by fire in 1885. Other points of interest include "Saul's Allee", a wide shaded path boarded by mature American Linden or Basswood trees, and a famous 150+ year old Tulip "Wolf Tree". Other species include Pagano Dogwood, Bigleaf and Umbrella Magnolias, Pignut Hickory, London Planetree and Coastal Plains Willows.The trails are preserved and improved by the Rose Valley Environmental Advisory Council, which actively supports the annual removal of invasive species and replenishment of native trees and plants. The EAC is installing black walnut post and Moravian tile trail markers. The EAC a;so compiles information to advise Rose Valley Borough on environmental decisions, educates the community about preserving natural resources, and implements programs like rainwater runoff and deer population management.

The Maurice Saul Wildlife Preserve is a 17.5 acre bird and nature sanctuary along the scenic Ridley Creek in Rose Valley, PA. The 0.8 mile out and back forest route includes connecting walking trails that are both kid and dog friendly. Parking and the trail are behind the Old Mill, and a QR coded map at the trailhead kiosk shows the paths. There are wayside trail markers along the way, and numerous points of natural and historic interest.

A snuff mill owned by Nicholas Stimmel was first built here in 1789. His son Phillip had a tobacco store in Philadelphia, and ownership of the mill passed to him in 1794. In 1814 the mill was sold to William Smith, and then in 1818 it was sold to John White who was the first to use the name Rose Valley Mills. Until 1821 he ground bark as a fever medicine, but the growing use of quinine put him out of business. Park Shee rented the mill from 1825 until 1850 and operated it as a paper mill. When Ridley Creek rose 20 feet above flood stage on August 5th, 1843, two small buildings associated with the mill were swept away, and the breast of the mill dam was damaged. For nearly 20 years the mill was abandoned. Antrim Osbourne bought the abandoned mill in 1861, and repaired the dam and mill race. Osbourne drove out the bats and owls from the original mill, and built a larger woolen mill from stone in the adjacent cliff. His business, by 1873, had 2300 spindles, 100 looms and 15 sets of cards (for spinning). To house his many employees, Osbourne built two sets of houses on opposite sides of Rose Valley Road. On the right, there are three double houses of six rooms each, which were the mill manager's homes. On the left, a large tenement style building which was were the workers lived. It was eventually divided into six homes, and is now three separate properties.In 1862, Osbourne built his own home on a hill overlooking the woolen mill. He lived there until his death in 1890. Five years earlier, in 1885, the mill suffered a devastating fire and closed. Osbourne's wife tried to revive the mill without success, in part due to improvements in steam and then electric power, she eventually sold off all the property.In 1905, Charles Shoen, father-in-law of William Price's partner Hawley McLanahan, purchased Osbourne's house and had Price convert it into a magnificent residence, still known today as "Shoenhaus". Shoen made his fortune with patented pressed steel railroad cars. Philadelphia lawyer Maurice Saul purchased the house in 1925, made additional improvements over the next two years, and eventually amassed 400 acres.The mill across Rose Valley Road, originally called Hutton's Mill, ground livestock feed and eventually produced sandpaper and bobbins. Osbourne purchased it in 1879, and during his time it turned out yarns and material for underwear. It became Guild or Artsman's Hall in 1901 and has been Hedgerow Theatre since 1923

As you proceed on the Old Mill Trail from the Saul Preserve kiosk, you will see on your right the remains of a stone mill race. The mill race was originally constructed in 1789 of stone from the nearby stone quarry to divert water from Ridley Creek to the Old Mill. This was the head race, the part of the mill race that turned the mill wheel. Further past the gap in the mill race, which is the remanent of a sluice gate opened in high water to protect the mill from flooding, was the mill dam on Ridley Creek. The tail race to return the water from the mill to Ridley Creek no longer exists, but would have crossed where the parking lot is today.

Saul Preserve Points of Interest S1 Mill Race

The Rose Valley Nursery was started by Maurice Bower Saul and Adele Scott Saul, who, as active members of the community, created wonderful gardens on their estate and founded the Rose Valley Nursery. Mr. Saul, a successful Philadelphia lawyer, was instrumental in establishing the Rose Valley Borough in 1923. He eventually donated land to both the School in Rose Valley and the Old Mill, and of course the Preserve.Adele Scott Saul was a sister of Mildred Scott Olmstead, who with her husband Allen Seymour Olmsted owned Thunderbird Lodge for many years. Bobby Saul, their son, was raised at Shoenhaus among the gardens and greenhouses, and he and his wife, Mary Whelan, took over the nursery. before WW2. Bobby tragically died in the war, Mary remarried Ed McLaughlin, and the Nursery moved in 1950 to Middletown Road. Mary had two sons with Bobby and two more sons with Ed. Andy Saul still volunteers in the Preserve.Before them the Shoen family had a working farm, and the Sauls had purchased that part of the property. Shoen primarily had orchards and vineyards, and the Sauls and then McLaughlins expanded and planted seedlings on their adjacent floodplain and upland property to provide stock for the nursery. Among the remaining species are white pine, American sycamore, northern blackwood, black locust, and bigleaf magnolia. The Environmental Advisory Council has recently planted a number of scarlet oaks to replenish this area of the Preserve.The Saul's Roost is well know among older Rose Valley residents. As children they called part of it Daffodil Hill, for the numerous daffodils that bloomed every spring. The pine woods were considered magical for the quiet provided by the deep forest bed and overhead cover, that stayed cool and and comfortable in the summer heat. The switchback entrance to the Overlook Trail was created as an Eagle Project by Scouts of Troop 272, headquartered in Rose Valley.

Proceed about 50 yards on the Overlook Trail. To the right at the Connector trail you will see a stand of white pine trees. This is the area of Saul's Roost. The pines, and hemlock trees to the left, and the dead oak before you, were planted to provide saplings for the Rose Valley Nursery. Pines are ideal habitat for great horned owls, who safely roost their brood above the forest and also stalk their prey through the night sky.

Saul Preserve Points of Interest S3 Saul's Roost

The Stone Quarry provided the stone for the mill dam and mill race. It may have been the source for some of the stone for the Old Mill, or the mill houses or Antrim Osbourne's own house. There were many quarries in the area, in the midst of the rich Piedmont Uplands section of southeast Pennsylvania. The quarry behind Hedgerow Theatre, across from the Old Mill, provided stone for many Will Price designed houses, including the Rose Valley Improvement Company on Porter Lane.Surrounding areas relied on the Piedmont Uplands for quarried stone. Included were sandstone, granite, limestone, mica schist and serpentine. One of the most well known early quarries was Thomas Leiper's 1780s Lower Avondale Quarry near Crum Creek. He provided stone for Swarthmore College, and built the first railroad near Bullens Lane to move stone to Ridley Creek for transport to the Delaware River and up to Philadelphia.Antrim Osbourne's son recalled quarryman Pat Maguigan, a "red haired Irish giant", during the 1870s. When he had a particularly hard rock to crack, he would "spit on his hands, wave his sledge over his head and bring it down with such a thump and grunt as fascinated me". He would work hard all week, drink hard on Sunday and return to work on Tuesday, "crestfallen and repentant with resolutions galore". Pat, who lived with the mill workers in the tenement (Guest House), was a glutton for hard work, and "the jolliest, gentlest creature I ever knew". Pat said the Bobbin Mill (Hedgerow Theatre) was haunted with "fairies of low and high degree". It was well known that hobos occupied the woods on the east side of Rose Valley Road.

Proceed about 30 yards up the Wolf Tree Trail from the Old Mill Trail. Just past the Connector Trail, on your right, you will see a very large sycamore tree and a stand of ostrich ferns. Just behind these is the Stone Quarry, mostly shist, which provided the stone for the mill dam and mill race. If you walk in about 20 feet, you will see the stone bench wall, about 4 feet tall and 12 feet wide. On the very left lower edge is a vertical score from a previous core boring of stone.

Saul Preserve Points of Interest S4 Stone Quarry

Wolf trees are named for lone wolfs. They now provide a safe home for many birds, small animals including mammals, and various insects. They also tell a story of earlier times and the history of a place.The Wolf Tree in the Saul Preserve measure 13.75' in circumference, a 52.5 " diameter. Using a Tree Age Calculator, with a growth factor of three for Tulip trees, the tree is approximately 157 years old. It would have germinated just after the Civil War during the time Antrim Osbourne was restoring the mill dam and mill race to build his woolen mill nearby. Local legends recall a cabin just to the north, with the tulip tree providing shade, but no remains have been found. Some older residents know it as the princess tree.Dr. Roger Latham, an ecologist and conservation biologist, was the 2008 founder and past chair of the Rose Valley Environmental Advisory Council, and still very active in the organization. During an annual work day, he gives a walking tour for those interested in learning about the Saul Preserve and efforts to reduce invasive species and bring the woods back to native health. On May 14, 2022 he featured The Wolf Tree on his tour. He identified it as a tulip, not related to poplars but in the magnolia family, with large tulip-like flowers, blooming in the spring.Invasives like garlic mustard, knotweed, multiflora rose, Japanese honeysuckle and Norway maple have no natural enemies to keep them in check. As they spread, they disrupt the forest's natural life processes because they do not support the food and habitat needs of native micro-organisms, insects, birds and wildlife. As the EAC removes Invasives, they are adding native trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants to restore the Preserve's ecology.

Proceed from the Old Mill Trail about 400 feet up the Wolf Tree Trail. Look up and above you to the right, at a very tall and uniquely shaped tree with wide branches, towering over most other trees in the woods. This is The Wolf Tree, the only one of its kind in the Saul Preserve. These trees were planted before the forest, are very old, and now an important part of the woodland ecology,

Saul Preserve Points of Interest S5 The Wolf Tree

Northern basswood is a large and graceful deciduous tree that grows to about 150 ', and has asymmetrical heart shaped and coarsely toothed leaves. Basswoods are found throughout eastern North America though centered in the Great Lakes region. They provide wood for beehives, crating, furniture, and excelsior. It is also a popular honeybee tree, producing a distinctive flavor and pale color.It could be said the all of Rose Valley is a Saul Allee. Philadelphia lawyer Maurice Bower Saul and his wife Adele Scott Saul moved here in 1911 and quickly made it their home. In 1923, Saul led the effort to create the Borough of Rose Valley, and organizing 250 residents to petition, won approval on December 23, 1923 in the Court of Quarter Sessions. It created a separate municipality of 410 acres of which 363 had been in Nether Providence and 47 in Middletown Township.The destiny they sought was to preserve the simple residential environment, quiet roads and lanes with old shade, seclusion and privacy. These early residents preferred the peace and quiet of country life, and the scenic beauty of the Valley. Then the Sauls loaned land from their orchard for the School in Rose Valley, which started construction of the new campus in 1934. In 1953 they deeded this land to the school for a permanent home. They also rented the Old Mill to the Rose Valley Folk, for the payment of one red rose annually, and eventually mortgaged them the property in 1956. The stone plaque you passed at the entrance stands as a testament to their vision and generosity.

Proceed into the Preserve about 1/3 mile, on either the Old Mill or Wolf Tree trails, or the Overlook Trail further up the hill, to the Saul Allee Trail. On the floodplain adjacent to Ridley Creek, you will notice a large open lane with mostly tulip trees, northern basswood and mountain basswood on either side. This is the Saul Allee (tree lined walkway), so named for this stand of trees, planted for the Saul's Rose Valley Nursery, and then allowed to grow and mature in place. These trees are approximately 70 to 80 years old. The Saul Allee is both the name of the trail and our last point of interest in the Saul Preserve.

Maurice Saul Wildlife Preserve

Saul Preserve Points of Interest S2 Mill Dam

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources