Church Farm School

The Church Farm School (CFS) is a private secondary Christian school in West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania, outside of the Exton census-designated place.[2][3] In 1985, the campus was listed as a historic district by the National Register of Historic Places.

Church Farm School
Address
1001 East Lincoln Highway

Exton
,
PA
19341

USA
Information
TypeIndependent Boarding and Day School, Boys
Established1918
HeadmasterEdmund K. Sherrill II
Grades9-12
Number of students190
Average class size12
Student to teacher ratio1:7
CampusSuburban
Campus size250 acres (1.0 km2)
Color(s)Maroon and Grey
Athletics conferencePIAA District 1, Bicentennial Athletic League
MascotGriffin
NewspaperGreystock News
YearbookCFS Griffin
Endowment$120-150 Million
Website
Church Farm School Historic District
LocationUS 30, West Whiteland, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°1′54″N 75°35′41″W
Area19.7 acres (8.0 ha)
Built1918
ArchitectMedary, Milton
Architectural styleTudor Revival, Collegiate Gothic
MPSWest Whiteland Township MRA
NRHP reference No.84002733[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 26, 1984

History

The school was founded in 1918 by Charles Shreiner. Shreiner, an Episcopal clergyman, established the school in Glen Loch (now Exton) Pennsylvania, on Route 30 (Lincoln Highway), as a boarding school for boys from single parent homes, primarily those without fathers. The sons of clergy, members of the armed services, and police officers were a second focus of the school in its early days. Shreiner, because of his strict belief in the importance of discipline and a strong work ethic, was known to the boys as the "Colonel."[4]

Shortly after its founding, the school acquired the Benjamin Pennypacker House property.[5] The school integrated in 1963. After Shreiner's death in 1964, the Board of Directors placed the School under the direction of his son, Charles Shreiner, Jr., a World War II veteran, who served until retirement in 1987. The school's third headmaster, Charles "Terry" Shreiner, III, the founder's grandson, led the school from 1987 and retired in 2009. The School was then led by an interim headmaster, Thomas Rodd, Jr., who was replaced by Edmund K. Sherrill II, an Episcopal clergyman, in July 2009.

Over the first half of its history, the School's campus grew to 1700 acres, on which a large farm was operated with the help of the students. Each boy was required to work half of each school day and full-time for half of each summer. This enterprise included a large dairy farm and hog raising operation and produced many crops. The agricultural activities were gradually phased out, beginning in the mid-1970s, with most of the remaining farm land being sold off to developers in the late 1990s. The dairy barns and silos remain as a memorial of the agricultural era of the school's history.

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Exton CDP, PA." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on October 9, 2018. "West Chester Area Council of Governments Map." On the website of West Goshen Township. Retrieved on September 26, 2018. This shows the boundaries of West Whiteland Township.
  3. Home Archived 2018-11-13 at the Wayback Machine. Church Farm School. Retrieved on October 9, 2018. "Church Farm School | 1001 E. Lincoln Hwy. | Exton, Pennsylvania 19341"
  4. Diane Snyder and Martha Wolf, 1984, NRHP Nomination Form for the School at Church Farm Enter "public" for ID and "public" for password to access the site.
  5. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). ARCH: Pennsylvania's Historic Architecture & Archaeology. Retrieved 2012-11-02. Note: This includes M. L. Wolf and Brandywine Cons. (December 1981). "Pennsylvania Historic Resource Survey Form: Benjamin Pennypacker House" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-11-05.
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