Penncrest Farm

George Smedley (died 1723) arrived in Pennsylvania about 1682 and purchased property from William Penn in what is now Delaware County. His son George (1692/93-1766) inherited the Penn grant farm. George's son, William Smedley (1728-1766) built the first section of the family home in Middletown Township in 1757. Son William Smedley (1768-1839) added an addition to the house in 1818.

His youngest son, William Smedley (1799-1866), inherited the Middleton property. At his death, the estate was divided between his children with the property conveyed to two sons, Thomas and Edward G. Smedley. Part of the tract was sold to Minshall and Jacob Painter. In the 20th century, the Painter property became the Tyler Arboretum.

Thomas died at the age of 43 in 1875, and his half interest went to brothers William B. Smedley and Edward G. Smedley. The property subsequently was owned by their widows, Deborah Cope Smedley and Elizabeth Sharpless Smedley, until Walter Smedley, their nephew, purchased it in 1910.

Walter Smedley (1862-1939) was the middle child of Thomas and Philena Smedley and a prominent Philadelphia architect. After his marriage in 1919 to Ida Wilkins Roberts, the family moved into the restored and remodeled 18th century Smedley farmhouse. In addition to business and philanthropic concerns, Walter Smedley enjoyed the life of a gentleman farmer and the popular hobby of the time, raising Guernsey cows. He suffered a debilitating stroke in 1937 and died in 1939.

In 1942, Walter Smedley's widow, Ida Roberts Smedley, married C. Canby Balderston, a business executive and widower. After his retirement the couple lived in the Penncrest house. Originally the farmstead included property on both side of Rose Valley Road. The southern tract was sold for the construction of Rose Tree High School (now Penncrest High School) in the 1950s. C. Canby died in 1979, and Ida Smedley Balderston died December 31, 1993. In 2006, the Smedley tract was sold to Middletown Township with the deed restriction that Walter Smedley, Jr., and his children could reside in the Penncrest farmhouse during their lifetimes. Walter Smedley, Jr., died in 2010 and Mary Jane Smedley in 2016.