09/10/2026
Between 1900 and 1910, Downingtown's population increased by 56 percent, making it the fastest-growing decade in the borough's history. The town's growth was fueled in part by increased industrialization, brought about not only by good rail and road access but also by a Borough Council that encouraged new industry through tax breaks. The growth created a need for workers, and in turn, more housing.
One of the men who helped meet that need was local businessman Joseph H. Johnson. In the fall of 1907, he broke ground on this block of twelve brick row homes, numbered 9 through 31 Viaduct Avenue. Construction was completed by the fall of 1908.
These homes were among several similar blocks built in Downingtown during the late 19th and early 20th centuries specifically to house the town's growing industrial workforce.
The image identifies every household living in these homes in 1910, just two years after they were built.
These homes appear to have originally contained just two bedrooms and were quite crowded by today's standards. The average household in the block consisted of five people, but one home housed nine residents and another ten. The end unit at #31 was home to four generations of the same family! In early 20th-century Downingtown, it was common for households to include not only parents and children, but also grandparents, nieces, nephews, in-laws, and even boarders, all living under one roof.
Another difference between then and now is that it is unlikely that any of these families owned or even needed an automobile, which was still considered a luxury in 1910. Pretty much everything they needed was close by. Their jobs, grocery stores, churches, schools, doctor's office, fraternal organizations, the Post Office, and other local businesses were all just a short walk away. If they needed to go to West Chester or Coatesville, they could simply hop on the trolley. And if they needed to travel farther, the train to Philadelphia didn't take much longer than it does today.
In some ways, these twelve homes were a microcosm of Downingtown in 1910.
