Ivy Cottage (West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania)

Ivy Cottage is a historic residence located in Exton, a census-designated place in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Built in 1799 by politician and soldier Richard Thomas, the cottage started out as a plain stone farmhouse in the double-door Georgian style.

[1][2] The property descended to Sarah Roberts Thomas (1823–1897), who lived in Philadelphia and summered at Ivy Cottage with her husband, William M. Bull (1820–1883).

[1] Ivy Cottage was constructed in 1799 as a plain Quaker farmhouse in the double-door Georgian manner, a vernacular style widely used in Chester County at the time but relatively unusual in West Whiteland Township.

[1] Bull's 1881 renovation incorporated corbelled chimneys, elaborate mantles, slate roofing, a large porch on the western wall, and an enlarged service wing faced with stone and featuring picturesque dormer windows.

Ivy Cottage circa 1881