The
Brandywine River
The Brandywine
River does not look very impressive. It is narrow
and winding and can be very muddy or shallow,
depending on the season. However, the river has
been important to the development of the area. The
first settlers, the Indians, lived by its banks. An
important battle of the American Revolution took
place near its banks. Today, it is still a well
known landmark.
The Brandywine
River branches off the Delaware River. The
Brandywine is actually a creek. There is a museum
along the Brandywine Creek. It is called The
Brandywine River Museum. The museum was originally
a mill that was powered by the Brandywine. The
exhibits in the museum change every season and
feature a variety of artists. However, much of the
museum holds work of the Wyeth family, many of whom
still live near the Brandywine.
The Lenni Lenape
Indians lived next to the Brandywine Creek because
of the access to the water and all its benefits and
the nature surrounding it, including fishing,
hunting, and growing crops. The Indians had three
main tribes. They were the Munsee, the Unalchigo,
and the Unami. They all spoke the native language
of Algonquian. Their name means “Woodland
Indians.” The Indians lived in longhouses so
they could fit the whole family in one house. The
longhouses, made from bent branches, were often
built on the banks of the Brandywine Creek. While
the Lenni Lenape Indians were living on the bank of
the Brandywine, English settlers were moving into
Chester County.
During the
American Revolution, the Battle of Brandywine took
place on September 11, 1777. George Washington was
in charge of the American troops. The British
outnumbered the Americans nine to one. America lost
the Battle of Brandywine but it was still an
important battle during the Revolutionary War.
Today this land is preserved at the
Brandywine
Battlefield Park.
In 1957, covered
bridges lined much of the Brandywine Creek. Out of
thirty-nine bridges in the whole state, Chester
County had seventeen. This was because the
Brandywine Creek ran throughout the county,
crossing many roads. Many bridges caught fire over
the years and were never replaced. For example,
Brinton’s Bridge caught fire in 1957, and Glen
Hall Bridge caught fire in 1962. The
Newcomer’s bridge caught fire in 1962, and the
Hayes Clark bridge caught fire in 1963. The Glen
Hope bridge was destroyed by a passing overloaded
cement mixer in 1967. Unfortunately, covered
bridges, which were extremely popular in the past,
are slowly disappearing.
The Brandywine
Creek holds an important place in the history of
Chester County. It helped sustain the Lenni Lenape
Indians, the first settlers of the region. It was
the sight of an important battle during the
American Revolutionary War. The Brandywine’s
meandering path cut through roads and necessitated
the construction of many covered bridges. Although
most of these bridges have been destroyed, they are
reminders of a period of American history. Even an
old mill that was powered by the Brandywine has
been turned into a museum. It continues to remind
us of the history of this area as it houses a
collection of art by a well known local family of
artists.
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