Haverford Township Historical Society
Lawrence Cabin (Circa 1710)
Lawrence Cabin is the oldest surviving free-standing domestic building in Haverford Township. Built sometime between 1690 and 1710, it was the home of Henry Lawrence, a Welsh Quaker settler, and five subsequent generations of the Lawrence family until the middle of the 20th century. The Cabin’s construction reflects elements of Swedish, Finnish and Welsh log house design. For a time, it was part of the “Three Generations House”, so called because of two structures added on to the original log house.
In 1961, it faced the threat of demolition at its original site at Old West Chester Pike and Lawrence Road. The Haverford Township Historical Society stepped in and saved it from being demolished. The original log cabin portion, including the stone end wall with the fireplace and chimney, was disassembled, moved, and reassembled at its current location on Karakung Drive next to Nitre Hall in historic Powder Mill Valley Park.
