The Experience
Near the center of Willistown lies an authentic crossroads village dating back to the late 18th century. The historic town was once known for providing goods and services to the surrounding farm community and remained a favored place for political and social organizations to hold meetings in the schoolhouse, tavern, and community hall for decades.
The buildings, having remained largely intact, provide an exceptional example of a self-sufficient community of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The small crossroads village of Sugartown is located near the center of Willistown Township.
Willistown today is as it was in the past, largely rural, although with the western extension of the mainline meeting the township line, it is strongly oriented to Philadelphia. Sugartown is one of the four villages, which flourished in the 19th century.
The History
Originally called “Shugart Town” after an early 19th-century tavern keeper Eli Shugart, the name morphed into “Sugartown”, and remained since the late eighteenth century. It was the most active of the township's nineteenth century commercial centers, featuring an inn, general store, blacksmith and wheelwright, cabinetmaker, saddler, shoemaker and a doctor.
Since 1890, the village has experienced minor physical change; as a result it is a strong example of Chester County's once ubiquitous rural crossroads village. Hundreds of bits and pieces of historical memorabilia and artifacts have been retrieved and records like the account books of the general store, recording everything sold, remain intact.