Westtown residents who were fired from township’s historical commission after disagreements with local officials over the future of a historic inn have launched an independent historical society with a mission to protect buildings and history in the area. The six former members of the township commission now constitute the board of the Westtown-Brandywine Historical Society, which they started within weeks of the township’s three elected supervisors’ July vote to remove all members from the commission. “Although it’s very disappointing to see the township operate the way that they did, it was perhaps an opportunity for us to build something even better,” said Stephen Wahrhaftig, one of the society’s founders. The new society doesn’t foresee any tension blossoming between their new organization and the township they once served. They received the OK to represent the new group at the annual Westtown Day, which they think “bodes well” for working together.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/14/2026