Chester County

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The Federal-style building at 28 West Market Street, West Chester, PA, is widely known as the "Lincoln Biography Building".

Built in 1833 by William Everhart (1785-1868), a former Congressman, philanthropist and prominent borough resident, the building was initially  numbered 14 West Market and was first referred to as the "Everhart Building".

Squire Everhart was born in West Vincent Township, the son of a Revolutionary War soldier.  He fathered eight children and, from his home on Gay Street, served as chief burgess and justice of the peace in West Chester.  Everhart was a successful merchant for 60 consecutive years until his retirement in 1867.

In 1829 Everhart purchased the 99-acre Wollerton farm, which is today the southeast part of the heart of West Chester.  (His wife's grandfather, "old" Isaiah Matlack, owned most of the northern part of the borough.)  On this property, Everhart constructed more than 100 brick buildings and laid out four streets named for his friends, Isaac Wayne, General Isaac Barnard, Charles Miner and Dr. William Darlington, all former Congressmen.  Some historians believe that the Lincoln Building was West Chester's first "office building," constructed specifically to be rented as offices for various businesses.

In 1860 the building was being rented from Squire Everhart by the Chester County Times, an early weekly republican newspaper.  The Times was owned by Joseph J. Lewis, Esq. and Samuel Downing, proprietor, and edited by E. W. Capron.

Early that year they were provided with a three-page handwritten biographical sketch from Abraham Lincoln, which he had prepared at the urging of an associate, Jesse Fell, who was a native of West Chester.  Mr. Fell, one of Lincoln's campaign managers, had realized Lincoln's need for publicity in the east to introduce himself as a prospective presidential candidate and urged him to submit his sketch to the Times.

The short humble sketch ran in the Times on February 11, 1860, and was later republished in some of the leading newspapers on the east coast.  That simple account of his life was, according to Lincoln, instrumental in securing his nomination for the presidency on May 16, and his eventual election on November 7, 1860.                                             

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