John Scarbourough built his first small stone house on land that is now surrounded by Red Fox Farm development. The Scarboroughs were some of the first settlers of Solebury Township, purchasing their land directly from William Penn. Scarborough was a well-known Quaker preacher, and he used his leadership role within Philadelphia Yearly Meeting to push for abolitionism. In 1754, he signed a pamphlet printed by the yearly meeting titled An Epistle of Caution and Advice, Concerning the Buying and Keeping of Slaves, likely written by John Woolman, a Quaker and early abolitionist. In 1758 Scarborough was appointed to a five man committee, including Woolman, who were tasked with visiting Quaker slave owners and convincing them to free their slaves. They continued their work for four years, until they decided that concern over slavery had spread sufficiently amongst the Friends that the local meetings could promote abolitionism on their own. In 1765, the yearly meeting required local meetings to establish their own committees regarding slavery. In his journal, Woolman discussed traveling with Scarborough to meet with slave owners in 1759.
John Scarborough house
John Scarborough house
John Scarborough house
John Scarborough farm
