Friends, or Quakers, were among the earliest settlers in this area. The four Walton brothers arrived in New Castle, Delaware, in 1675. Nathaniel, Thomas, Daniel and William were adventurous, young and unmarried. They walked along the bank of the river for nearly 50 miles and "upon arrival at the creek, Poetquesink, selected this place for their future dwelling since it reminded them of their home near Bibury in England."
    William Penn arrived  in America in October 1682 and after this time more Friends came to this area. The Indians and early settlers were on friendly terms. "Although the rude cabins of the white settlers dotted the banks of  the streams and much land was under cultivation, wild animals still existed everywhere. The cries of foxes, panthers, and wolves were often heard."
    The first meetings were held in homes of the area starting about 1683, probably those of  Giles Knight, John Hart and Sarah Seeley. An acre of land was given for Byberry Friends Meeting by Henry English in 1694. On this land a meeting house was built -- "made of logs, ridged and notched at the corners, chinked with mud and covered with bark, and served as a place of worship for twenty years."
    Soon after the erection of this log house the Meeting was officially organized as the Byberry Preparative Meeting. In 1714, this building was replaced by a stone meeting house, 35 by 50 feet. This one was two stories high and had "windows, small glass set in leaden sash, attached to a wood frame, hung on hinges so as to open and close". There was an open fireplace outside on  the west end of the building. A cast iron sheet conducted heat into the room where the women sat. The men warmed themselves outside before entering. In these days, the men and women sat on separate sides of the building.
    In 1742 the Meeting agreed to "wall ye graveyard with stone, and Joseph Gilbert, Evan Thomas, Jonathan Knight and Daniel Knight were appointed to provide materials, employ workmen and see ye work done." The graveyard wall is still standing.
    In 1758 a new roof was put on the Meeting House and an addition 30 by 35 feet was made. Sometime later stoves were introduced. In 1808 the present building was erected at a cost of $2600. The money was raised by subscription except for $60.00 given by Abington Meeting "in consideration of a like sum formerly received from Byberry for a similar purpose." The Meeting grew until in 1826 there were 500 members. At this time a separation occurred in the Yearly Meeting between the followers of Elias Hicks and the Orthodox Friends due to a theological dispute. A small group of Orthodox members withdrew and built a small meeting house about a half mile south, near the site of Parkwood Shopping Center.
    During the 1800s many members were "disowned" for such reasons as marrying a non-member of the Society of Friends, joining the militia, or "selling spiritous liquors". With the change in the nature of the community from large Quaker farm to public lands nearby, the membership has dropped to about 75 Friends.
    As early as 1727 an inventory of local property mentioned the ownership of slaves. About this time the Yearly Meeting issued a testimony against keeping slaves. Most of the Friends recognized the evil and "released theirs from bondage". Those who did not were disowned. Assistance was given to the freed slaves by their past owners. There was considerable interest locally in the Underground Railroad. So much controversy on slavery ensued over the years that Byberry Hall was built on adjoining grounds to keep heated discussions out of Meeting.
    "The children of the first settlers were brought up with a very limited chance of obtaining an education, and many were unable to write their own names. In 1710 it appears that Richard Brockdon commenced a school at Byberry, but did not continue more than a year."
    About 1720,  "such things as fortune telling and astrology were in considerable repute, and many of the settlers, even the most respectable, frequently resorted to them. During this age of superstition, Friends were awakened to the importance of properly educating their youth, and the Meeting was soon impressed with the necessity of erecting a suitable building for school purposes. It was a log building about  18 feet square. Those who were educated about this time were generally spoken of as possessing considerable literary qualifications. In this building, located near the Meeting House, school was kept until 1772, when being no longer fit for the purpose, it was pulled down. The school was then moved to the Meeting House, where it continued until after the Revolution. During this period, reading, writing, and arithmetic were taught as "Practica" and those who could write a legible hand and perform an example in "Double Rule of Three" were looked upon as having a good education. Byberry Friends School was considered one of the best of the many schools that were operating at this time.
    "In 1789 a new 20 foot square school house was built which was soon found too small. In 1794 John Comly was put in charge at $15.00 per month. The enrollment increased and many came from a distance to study various subjects including Greek and Latin."
    In 1823 the present school building was erected, which is now used for the school and for the First Day School or Sunday School. It is recorded that the lower floor, 20 by 30 feet, accommodated 50 pupils normally and as many as 70 in the colder months. In time of severe winters, the school was closed for as long as three months at a time.
    A single row of backless benches was placed around the walls so that all the pupils had their backs to the teacher. A wood burning stove stood in the center of the room. Part of the upper floor was partitioned off for the library, while the remaining part was used for classes until the later part of the 1800s. It was extremely difficult to get qualified teachers, many remained only a few months. Most of the early teachers were men.
    School continued here up to the 10th grade until 1918. It closed because of decreasing enrollment with the coming of more public schools in the area.
     In  1960 the building was enlarged by the addition of a new room and a modern kitchen and bathroom facilities. The school was reopened in September  1968 as Byberry Friends Nursery School and Kindergarten to offer pre-school education to 3 and 4 year old children. The kindergarten class was added in 1969. Since 1992, Kinder Care runs the school at Byberry Friends.
    Over the years Byberry Friends Meeting and School have played a vital part in this community, and we invite you to share in our heritage.