The history of West Chester, Pennsylvania, began in 1762, when Phineas Eachus and Chest Weaterson were issued a license to build a tavern. The borough was incorporated in 1799. One of the nation's first railroads was built in West Chester in 1832, and a prominent courthouse, designed by Thomas U. Walter, was completed in 1847. The first biography of Abraham Lincoln was published in the borough. Thanks to the Sharples Separator Works, West Chester became a major industrial town at the turn of the 20th century. During World War II, West Chester produced more penicillin than anywhere else in the country.