Pocopson Scout plans historical signs, mileage markers
By Mike McGann, Editor, UnionvilleTimes.com
Chris Hartsky, a Pocopson Boy Scout, makes his presentation to the township Board of Supervisors Monday night.
POCOPSON — As the old saying goes, “no matter where you go, there you are.”
But now, thanks to the work of a local Eagle Scout candidate, those walking and running along the trail near the Barnard House will also know exactly how far they’ve come — hopefully by this fall.
Chris Hartsky, a junior at Unionville High School, presented his plan for an Eagle Scout project to the township Board of Supervisors Monday night to place distance markers along the trail, along with four signs highlighting the history of the area.
Hartsky, a member of Troop 31, said the trail is 1.3 miles, so 13 markers would be placed along the trail. The markers will be made from treated wood and painted green and tan, with milages listed for people walking or running in either direction. Although supervisors initially asked about whether it was necessary to place so many markers — the fact that they’ll be roughly 500 feet apart and that other nearby trails have been marked the same way seemed to reassure them.
In addition to the markers, four signs with historical information about the immediate area will be put up, he said. The signs will be about 8 inches square, black with silver letters on anodized aluminum. Each of the signs will highlight a specific aspect of the area: one focusing on the Dutch settlers that were the first Europeans in Chester County; a second about William Penn and his description of the area; third, the role of the local area, and specifically the Barnard House in the Underground Railroad, which was an underground network that aided slaves to find their freedom in the north prior to 1865 and finally fourth, Pocopson’s Native American heritage and the fact that it is one of the very few township’s in the area named for a Native American term for “roaring waters” a reference to the Brandywine Creek, which borders the township.
Hartsky told the supervisors he planned to have the project done by the end of summer, but that he expected most of the work done by the end of spring. The budget for the project is $573, primarily for materials for the mile markers and the signs, which will come from the Parks and Recreation budget.
“It sounds like a great project,” said Supervisor Georgia Brutscher.
The 1.3 mile loop is part of a larger network of trails running throughout the township.
