From old deeds, we find that Rebel Hill was in Mount Joy Manor, Upper Merion Township and laid out by William Penn in 1683. Manors were an English institution, transplanted to Pennsylvania only in name, referring to land which Penn had reserved for his own use as Proprietor of Pennsylvania. The Manor of Mount Joy, which he later patented [deeded] to his daughter Letitia in 1701, was laid out for 7800 acres, and embraced nearly all the present Upper Merion and beyond.
During the famed winter of 1777-1778 when Washington’s Army was camped at Valley Forge, there were a number of outposts guarding the region with sentries posted. They were to be on the alert for an attack by the British who were wintering in Philadelphia. Rebel Hill was a key outpost.
The name “Rebel Hill” dates back to Revolutionary days. Tradition says the name came from the fact that the residents of that section were so strongly in favor of the American cause that the British called them “rebels” and thus named the place Rebel Hill. An effort was made to change the name to Mechanicsville – and many old maps are labeled Mechanicsville, but it has steadfastly remained Rebel Hill.
After Washington’s Army left Gulph Mills for Valley Forge, General Stirling, who had charge of the outpost at Gulph Mills, spent the winter at the home of John Rees next door to the Gulph Christian Church on Rebel Hill. Lieutenant James Monroe, later President of the United States, was an aide on General Stirling’s staff. There are first person accounts from family members documenting the time that Stirling lived in the home. Meanwhile, Aaron Burr also remained at a picket post at the base of Rebel Hill (currently the Savona Restaurant) just around the corner from Stirling and Monroe.
These dates were checked with the records in the Rees family Bible. The John Rees estate remained in the family for generations passing to the Supplee family, who were great-great-grandsons of John Rees.
