Historic deed donated to historical society

DAMASCUS, PA — Longtime Wayne County Historical Society (WCHS) member David Maxey recently donated a documentary treasure to the WCHS: a deed from John and Richard Penn, William Penn’s heirs, dated 19 December 1801, to Thomas Shields for the Manor of Damascus.

The manor, consisting of 4,390 acres, was located in what is now Damascus Township. Thomas Shields, a Philadelphia goldsmith, was one of the very few large landholders who actually ever lived in Wayne County. The Penns’ title was good even after the Revolution because the manor land had been laid out before July 4, 1776 and was thus protected under the Divestment Act of 1779. Much of the Penns’ land had not been surveyed and was lost after the birth of the United States.

The deed will be protected by archival acid-free materials and kept safe in the WCHS archives, soon to be made even safer in its new climate-controlled addition. David Maxey has also provided a transcription of the deed, which will be placed in the society’s files.