The land where the Battle of Paoli was fought had been farmland and woodland since the mid-18th century. Ezekiel Bowen, a farmer of Welsh descent, bought this land in 1764, sold it to Richard Mason of Philadelphia in March, 1777, repurchased it in April, 1778, and lived there until his death in 1804. Although his whereabouts during the battle are unknown, he was likely still living there, and his log home stood just off Warren Avenue until the 1950’s. Bowen took the Oath of Allegiance to the United States in 1778 and was listed as a member of the Willistown Militia in 1780. Colonel Hartley described the camp site on Bowen’s land as having a small wood and a corn field in part of the front, with another small wood and open fields on the right, and roads passing the flanks. At that time, the term corn field meant a field of grain rather than specifically maize or Indian corn. In this part of Chester County, early-18th-century Welsh settlers raised crops including wheat, buckwheat, rye, oats, flax, and maize, while abundant livestock required pastures and fencing such as four- or five-rail post-and-rail fences and zigzag snake fences.