In 1891, Lydia A. Archie, a Black woman and first ordained female Preacher in the African Union M.P. Church, purchased the property now known as Mother Archie's Corner. Lydia Archie, or Mother Archie as she was often referred, used the building as a church and the adjacent ground as a cemetery. Her congregation met regularly in the old schoolhouse (formerly the Bullock Octagonal School) until her death in 1932.The cemetery is the final resting place of seventy-nine members of the church, including Mother Archie herself. Mother Archie, who also built and lived in a home on the same property as her church and cemetery, was a pillar of Chadds Ford’s black community from 1891-1932. Andrew Wyeth drew inspiration from Mother Archie's over the course of several decades, creating several paintings of the church's ruins. After Mother Archie's death, the church and cemetery became inactive as Mother Archie’s children and congregation moved on and passed away.
Chadds Ford Township obtained the property in 1954 and has regularly landscaped the property, added an informational sign, and a small parking lot for the public. With the help of the Mother Archie's Task Force, the Township is looking at how Mother Archie's can move into the future while preserving and promoting the history and culture of Mother Archie and her impact on the community.
