William Everhart was already a successful businessman when he stepped on a packet ship in New York and headed for England on April 1, 1822, writes Malcolm Johnstone for County Lines Magazine.
But the 37-year-old did not expect to become one of just six survivors of the voyage that turned tragic near the Irish coast.
After returning to Chester County months later, Everhart became a local celebrity after The Village Record, a popular local newspaper, published an interview with him about the tragedy.
He continued to do business throughout the region, which included purchasing the 102-acre Wollerton Farm in West Chester in 1828. He built streets on the property he named after West Chester notables and started developing individual lots for homes.
In the process, he essentially doubled the size of West Chester and became the town’s richest man.
Everhart returned to his family from his fateful trip with a newfound appreciation for religion, which in turn led him to play an active role in the abolition of slavery.
His one speech as a one-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives was to condemn the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, which expanded slavery, as he was a strong supporter of abolitionism.
Everhart Park was named after him. The land was once part of his property which he called Everhart Grove.
Read more about William Everhart becoming a local legend in West Chester in County Lines Magazine.
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