The William Garrett House

William Garrett constructed the house in 1805 on the corner of his father’s Bryn Clovis property. The House is an excellent example of a modified “Quaker Plan” or three-room plan so prevalently used in homes among the Quaker community. He lived there with his wife Anne, and their children Mary Ann, Jemima and William. Garrett came from a family of a rich Quaker tradition, so when he married Anne, a non-Quaker, it was a scandal in the community and he was written out of the Quaker Meeting. Garrett died at the young age of 37 and the home was sold out of the family. It was eventually purchased by Angela B. Matlack, wife of Wilson M. Matlack and daughter of Joaquim Bishop, Sugartown’s platinum refiner. Angela Matlack shopped at Historic Sugartown’s General Store, appearing frequently in Hillery John’s Day Books in the early 1880s. Angela’s husband, Wilson, was a Civil War veteran and served as Captain of the Washington Troop of Chester County, the local unit of the National Guard of Pennsylvania in 1874.

In 2001, the Garrett House languished along Providence Road as new luxury homes sprung up around it. Before long, the 1805 home was slated for demolition. Historic Sugartown sprung into action, working out a deal to acquire the building if they removed it from the property. Over the course of 2001, the building was lifted from its foundation and began a slow trek to Sugartown. Now restored to its c. 1805 appearance, the Garrett House is home to a fine collection of Willistown-crafted tall case clocks.