With historical insight from the Downingtown Area Historical Society.
The corner of East Lancaster Avenue in Downingtown holds more than just modern pavement and brick. It tells a layered story of education, commerce, faith, and community life spanning more than 160 years. Two buildings, long gone but once central to the east end of town, stood as landmarks of their time, first captured in a photo from around 1910, and now replaced by the current East Ward Elementary School.
On the left side of the 1910 image stood a modest structure that began its life in 1864 as a schoolhouse, serving local children in Downingtown’s east end. This school remained active until 1873, when all grades were moved to the newly constructed Central School on West Lancaster Avenue.
Three years later, in 1876, entrepreneur John Hunter Wills purchased the now-vacant school and transformed it into a general store. Wills’ store became a staple of daily life in the area until his retirement in 1911. Following that, E. E. Decker rented the space and operated a meat market; a venture cut short when the building was tragically destroyed by fire on September 5, 1912. By 1914, the Borough acquired the property and repurposed the lot as a school playground, keeping its connection to education alive.
To the right of Wills’ store stood another historic building with a different origin story. Constructed in 1860, it served as the second home of the Downingtown Methodist Episcopal Church. The congregation had previously worshipped in a church built in 1833 directly across the street. In 1889, the growing congregation sold the 1860 building to the School Board for $3,500, moving temporarily to Bicking Hall while constructing a new sanctuary on Brandywine Avenue.
From that point forward, the former church served as an educational facility; part of the School Board’s effort to reduce overcrowding at Central School. It remained in use as a school until 1923, when it was replaced by a new East Ward School.
Today, the story comes full circle. The current East Ward Elementary School, visible in a second photo taken from the same vantage point as the original image, was built in 1968. Remarkably, it is the fifth distinct school building to serve the children of Downingtown’s east end.
These humble structures may no longer stand, but their legacies continue through the generations of families educated, employed, and enriched on East Lancaster Avenue. Their stories remind us how buildings shape (and are shaped by) the evolving needs of a growing community.
Special thanks to the Downingtown Area Historical Society for preserving and sharing the rich history of our town.
