In 1686, Dr. Daniel Coxe received a land patent from
William Penn. Major Robert Thompson and he owned what is now East and
West Vincent. In 1733, the German Reformed Congregation of Vincent Township was formed. Two years later, in 1735, the Vincent
Mennonite Meeting was formed. In that same year, Garrett Brumbaugh established a
tavern on Ridge Road. In 1737, Nicholas Kaiser opened a
grist mill near the mouth of Pigeon Creek, which was the beginning of the township's formation. However, nine years later in 1746, all lands in Vincent were leased and were not available for sale, because of a land dispute. There were 46 renters. In 1754, another tavern opened along Ridge Road, courtesy of Michael Cyfer. Today, the tavern is the reportedly haunted restaurant Seven Stars Inn. Four years later, the German Reformation Congregation constructed a log church, which was dedicated May 27. John Phillips Leydich served as the first
pastor of the facility. Today, the ground is site to the East Vincent
United Church of Christ. Around 1760, John Young built a house on Cooks Glen Road, which still stands today, and is known for being one of the oldest houses in the area. The 1760s brought about a boom of development to the area, with Peter Stager and Edward Parker opening up establishments. The former built the Benjamin Custard Inn on Schuylkill Road. Today, it is the White Hall Inn. The latter's was a tavern near a ford on the
Schuylkill River. They both opened in 1768. During the
Revolutionary War,
George Washington and his troops forded the Schuylkill River behind the Parker Tavern. Between 1786 and 1790, a 100-year-long dispute was settled in the courts, allowing property to finally be sold. By this time, 90 renters and a total population of 430 existed. In 1800, Frederick Sheeder moved to East Vincent. A year later, Henry Parker built a house opposite the tavern that bore his name. In 1821, a tragedy struck East Vincent when the German Reformed Church split because of temperance caused by revival meetings. Just that year, John C. Guldin had become the fifth pastor of the church. Between 1823 and 1824, the township gained morale, as the Schuylkill Navigation Company built dams, lakes, and canals to carry water between
Pottsville and
Philadelphia, decreasing hardship in Vincent. In 1831, a wall was built along the Revolutionary War Soldiers' Cemetery by the Union Battalion of Volunteers of Chester County, dedicated to the brave men who gave their lives to help shape the nation. In 1832, joyfulness became clear as the battle was won: East and West Vincent were divided along the
French Creek. The
Kennedy Bridge,
Parker's Ford, and
Vincent Forge Mansion are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. ==Demographics==