Main Streets and Historic Towns of the Brandywine Valley

Chester and Delaware County Pennsylvania Historic Small Towns and Districts

Chester County William Penn established Chester County in 1682 as one of the first three counties in Pennsylvania; West Chester is the county seat. Other historic towns in Chester County include Kennett Square, Oxford and Phoenixville. Each has its own unique agricultural, revolutionary and industrial histories. These "Main Streets of the Brandywine Valley" are treasures of a time gone by with lovely tree-lined streets filled with restaurants, shops, galleries, markets, festivals and more.

The Brandywine Valley Wind your way along the banks of the Brandywine River through horse country and rich farmland. The rolling hills and verdant pastures along the Brandywine Valley Byway form a lovely and dramatic backdrop including Longwood Gardens, a stunning horticultural display set on the more than 1,000 aces of the former du Pont estate and the Brandywine River Museum, housed in a 19th century gristmill. Its unparalleled collection of works by three generations of Wyeths and its outstanding collection of American illustration, still-life, and landscape paintings make it a mecca for art lovers from all over the world.

West Chester Nestled in the heart of the Brandywine Valley, West Chester is a picturesque and historic community that offers small-town charm with a cosmopolitan flair. Their downtown boasts 83 shops and 59 restaurants. The Chester County Historical Society is a history museum which tells the American story from a local perspective. West Chester's Main Streets offer a host of diverse shops and galleries. Specialty shops featuring imported olive oils, fine handmade chocolates, cigars and skate and surf equipment. The West Chester railroad, one of the oldest in America, offers a 90-minute train excursion through the beautiful Chester Creek Valley.

Kennett Square The town was originally called Kennet Square, with the name "Kennet", England, and "Square" coming from the original William Penn one square mile land grant. General Sir William Howe marched through Kennett to the Battle of Brandywine during the American Revolution.

Kennett is famous for being the mushroom capital of the world; over 60 percent of the nation's mushroom crop is from this region. This small town main street is filled with an eco-boutique, a rare book store, quilts, antiques and a spa. A walk down Kennett's State Street is also a culinary adventure.

Oxford On the way stop to view the historic covered bridges that surround the countryside. Then, stroll down Oxford's Main Street where Amish buggy's share the road, a vibrant art's alliance hosts exhibits, shows and events, farmers markets offer local foods and wares, and charming coffee and tea shops.

Phoenixville Like many American towns and cities, Phoenixville owes its growth to its waterways. The Phoenix Company Foundry, built in 1882, is home to the Schuylkill River Heritage Center, a historic gateway to northern Chester County that provides information about places of interest to visit throughout the region. Originally called Manavon, Phoenixville was settled in 1732. In its industrial heyday early in the twentieth century, it was an important manufacturing center and it was the site of great iron and steel mills, boiler works, silk mill, underwear and hosiery factories, a match factory, and Etruscan majolica pottery. The Iron Hill Brewery is a great gathering spot on Bridge Street, Phoenixville's main drag; it specializes in handcrafted beer and creative cuisine. Charming shops line the main street.

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Brandywine Valley Wine Trails

Beautiful estate vineyards in the rolling hills of Chester County, charming tasting rooms and barrel-aging cellars filled with premium wines that showcase a unique terroir. Spanning scenic southeastern Pennsylvania between historic Philadelphia and the Amish countryside outside Lancaster, the four wineries of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail are located within an easy drive of one another and are open year-round. Pennsylvania's climate and terrain provide some of the best growing conditions on the east coast, allowing Brandywine Valley to be one of the state’s premier wine regions. Brandywine Valley's bucolic countryside is home to many fine wineries. Make a stop at Chadds Ford Winery, the largest wine producer in the state or visit any of the unique, family farmed wineries along the Brandywine Artisan Wine Trail.

Delaware County Pennsylvania

The Chadds Ford Historic District includes 17 buildings in Chadds Ford village. Notable buildings include the Chads Ford Inn (1807-1810), Merchant Mill (1864), a row of houses built between 1840 and 1850, the bridge across Brandywine Creek, and the Christian C. Sanderson Museum. Located in the district are the separately listed Chad House and N. C. Wyeth House and Studio.

Downtown Wayne Historic District is a national historic district and located in Radnor Township. The district includes approximately 100 properties roughly bounded by Louella Ct., West Ave., and S. Wayne Ave. Amongst the buildings is the Anthony Wayne Theatre designed in Italian Renaissance style and built around 1864.

North Wayne Historic District is a national historic district located in Wayne north of the Wayne Historic Business District. The district includes 190 buildings in a residential area of Wayne. The contributing dwellings were built between 1881 and 1925, and include notable examples of Shingle Style and Colonial Revival architecture. The district also reflects suburban development in the late-19th century as it was a major component of a large, planned, railroad commuter suburb called "Wayne Estate." It is also located north of the South Wayne Historic District.

Lansdowne Park Historic District includes 103 buildings; the majority are residences. Eighty-one of the houses were built between 1889 and 1891, with Queen Anne as the dominant architectural style. The remaining houses were built between 1899 and 1913 and include notable examples of the Dutch Colonial Revival and Georgian Revival styles. The oldest house is the Dickenson Farmstead, a 2½-story dwelling built in 1732 and expanded in 1790.A notable non-residential building located in the district is St. John's Episcopal Church (1901); it closed in 2009.

Lansdowne Theatre is a historic theatre building located in Lansdowne, Delaware County. It was built in 1927, and consists of a two-story front section with street level shops and offices above, and a 1400 seat auditorium. It was designed by noted theater architect William Harold Lee (1884-1971) and is in the Spanish Revival style. It recently received a new marquee and is in the process of being restored.

Chester County Pennsylvania

American Historic Small-Town Itineraries

Chester County William Penn established Chester County in 1682 as one of the first three counties in Pennsylvania; West Chester is the county seat. Other historic towns in Chester County include Kennett Square, Oxford and Phoenixville. Each has its own unique agricultural, revolutionary and industrial histories. These Main Streets of the Brandywine Valley are treasures of a time gone by with lovely tree-lined streets filled with restaurants, shops, galleries, markets, festivals and more.

West Chester nestled in the heart of the Brandywine Valley, West Chester is a picturesque and historic community that offers small-town charm with a cosmopolitan flair. Their downtown boasts 83 shops and 59 restaurants. The Chester County Historical Society is a history museum which tells the American story from a local perspective. West Chester's Main Streets offer a host of diverse shops and galleries. Specialty shops featuring imported olive oils, fine handmade chocolates, cigars and skate and surf equipment. The West Chester railroad, one of the oldest in America, offers a 90-minute train excursion through the beautiful Chester Creek Valley.

Kennett Square the town was originally called Kennet Square, with the name "Kennet", England, and "Square" coming from the original William Penn one square mile land grant. General Sir William Howe marched through Kennett to the Battle of Brandywine during the American Revolution. Kennett is famous for being the mushroom capital of the world; over 60 percent of the nation's mushroom crop is from this region. This small-town main street is filled with an eco-boutique, a rare book store, quilts, antiques and a spa. A walk down Kennett's State Street is also a culinary adventure.

Oxford on the way stop to view the historic covered bridges that surround the countryside. Then, stroll down Oxford's Main Street where Amish buggy's share the road, a vibrant art alliance hosts exhibits, shows and events, farmers markets offer local foods and wares, and charming coffee and tea shops.

Phoenixville like many American towns and cities, Phoenixville owes its growth to its waterways. The Phoenix Company Foundry, built in 1882, is home to the Schuylkill River Heritage Center, a historic gateway to northern Chester County that provides information about places of interest to visit throughout the region. Originally called Manavon, Phoenixville was settled in 1732. In its industrial heyday early in the twentieth century, it was an important manufacturing center and it was the site of great iron and steel mills, boiler works, silk mill, underwear and hosiery factories, a match factory, and Etruscan majolica pottery. The Iron Hill Brewery is a great gathering spot on Bridge Street, Phoenixville's main drag; it specializes in handcrafted beer and creative cuisine. Charming shops line the main street.

The Brandywine Valley wind your way along the banks of the Brandywine River through horse country and rich farmland. The rolling hills and verdant pastures along the Brandywine Valley Byway form a lovely and dramatic backdrop including Longwood Gardens, a stunning horticultural display set on the more than 1,000 aces of the former du Pont estate and the Brandywine River Museum, housed in a 19^thcentury gristmill. Its unparalleled collection of works by three generations of Wyeth’s American illustration, still-life, and landscape paintings make it a mecca for art lovers from all over the world.

Brandywine Valley Wine Trails beautiful estate vineyards in the rolling hills of Chester County, charming tasting rooms and barrel-aging cellars filled with premium wines that showcase a unique terroir. Spanning scenic southeastern Pennsylvania between historic Philadelphia and the Amish countryside outside Lancaster, the four wineries of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail are located within an easy drive of one another and are open year-round. Pennsylvania's climate and terrain provide some of the best growing conditions on the east coast, allowing Brandywine Valley to be one of the state’s premier wine regions. Brandywine Valley's bucolic countryside is home to many fine wineries. Make a stop at Chadds Ford Winery, the largest wine producer in the state or visit any of the unique, family farmed wineries along the Brandywine Artisan Wine Trail.

Historic Small-Town Travel Experiences in Chester County Pennsylvania

Historic Towns on the Maryland Eastern Shore

Saint Michaels Chestertown Cambridge Salisbury and Oxford

The Eastern Shore of Maryland is comprised of nine counties with a population of nearly 450 thousand. The term Eastern Shore distinguishes a territorial part of the State from the land west of Chesapeake Bay.

The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal was a shallow canal with locks after its construction in 1829; it was deepened in the early 20^th century to sea level. The north-south section of the Mason-Dixon Line forms the border between Maryland and Delaware. The border was originally marked every mile by a stone, and every five miles by a crownstone. It was surveyed as a compromise solution to a century-long wrangle between the Penn and Calvert families. Commercial east-west ties between Delaware and Maryland towns were culturally significant in Colonial and Early American periods despite the border line. Trade with Philadelphia was conducted by overland routes to Delaware towns like Smyrna and Odessa; these cultural connections continue to this day.

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Saint Michaels derives its name from the Episcopal Parish established in 1677 which attracted settlers that grew tobacco and engaged in shipbuilding. The town's tourist industry has roots in the 19^th century with steamboats from Baltimore and summer guest cottages opening for weeklong rentals. The opening of the maritime museum in 1965, waterfront activities and historic bay vessels added further impetus to travel and vacations to the town.

Chestertown was founded in 1706 and achieved prominence as one of six Royal Ports of Entry becoming Maryland’s second port after Annapolis and second to the State Capital in the number of 18^th century mansions owned by a flourishing merchant class along the Chester River waterfront. In May 1774, five months after the British closed the port of Boston after the Boston Tea Party, the citizens of Chestertown wrote a set of resolves that prohibited the buying, selling, or drinking of tea. Based on these resolves, a popular legend has it that the citizens held their own tea party on the Chester River, in an act of colonial defiance.

The Chestertown Tea Party Festival celebrates Chestertown's colonial heritage with a weekend of events with colonial music and dance, fife and drum performances, puppet shows, colonial crafts demonstrations and sales, military drills, and a walking tour of the historic district. In the afternoon, re-enactors board the schooner Sultana and tea is thrown into the Chester River.

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Cambridge was settled by English colonists in 1684 who developed farming on the Eastern Shore. The largest plantations were devoted first to tobacco, and then mixed farming. The town was a trading center and later a stop on the Underground Railroad, an extensive network of safe houses for slaves escaping to the north. Cambridge developed food processing industries in the late 19^th century, canning oysters, tomatoes and sweet potatoes.  Main Street is a comprehensive downtown revitalization process created by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development with a focus on heritage tourism.

Salisbury is the largest town on the Eastern Shore and the commercial hub of the Delmarva Peninsula. The town’s oldest neighborhoods have Federal, Georgian, and Victorian architecture.

Oxford traces its start from 1666 when 30 acres were laid out as a town called Oxford by William Stephens, Jr. enjoying prominence as an international shipping center surrounded by wealthy tobacco plantations. Early inhabitants included Robert Morris, Sr., who greatly influenced the town's growth; his son, Robert Morris, Jr., known as the financier of the Revolution; Jeremiah Banning, sea captain, war hero, and statesman; The Reverend Thomas Bacon, Anglican clergyman who wrote the first compilation of the laws of Maryland. Oxford has the oldest privately operated ferry service still in continuous use in the United States originally established in 1683.

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