Horses on Newport Road

A Frosty Morning at Wilmington and Western RR Greenbank Station

Group Photo at Marshallton Methodist Church

I have no idea of the date or anyone in this photo. Maybe you could recognize someone?

Kiamensi Falls in Winter

Phillips House and Barn at Greenbank Mill

Ladies Pavilion - Brandywine Springs

Another dig generated by The Friends of Brandywine Springs in 2006 - 2007. This dig highlights The Ladies Pavilion. Again I would like to thank Mike Cioski and The FOBS for their digs and preservation along with sharing these photos with us. Photos are property of the FOBS. Comments below each photo were provided by Mike. By clicking on their link on the left of the page, you will find The Friends of Brandywine Springs website including a schedule for upcoming digs.

 

A 1912 postcard showing the Ladies Pavilion (ladies restroom) with a porch all around. We found the footers for the building and porch during the 2006-2007 digs. We rebuilt the footers with the help of NCC Councilman Tim Sheldon, a mason by trade. 

 

This Ladies Pavilion photo shows the footer with the mortar that had completely deteriorated and the only thing holding them together and in place was gravity.

 

The new red posts were erected by Chris Ellis for his Eagle Scout project. He used four tall posts to show where the building corners were located and four shorter posts to show the corners of the porch that surrounded the building. I am currently working on a sign to show the post card and text explaining the site.

Wilmington & Western 2012 Summerfest

On Saturday August 11th Wilmington and Western Railroad held their annual Summerfest.

The weather was perfect and there was activities for young and old alike.
More photos above in page header.

 

 

 

Marshallton Baseball Team Photo

I was told this was a photo of the Marshallton baseball team. It was provided by a current Marshallton resident. No names or dates could be applied, but sure looks early. If anyone has information please feel free to comment.

Animated Maps and Video of the 1777 Philadelphia Campaign

Sean Moir is a specialist in Historical and GIS mapping. I had the pleasure of meeting Sean when he gave a presentation at The Hale – Byrnes House in Stanton. During that animated presentation Sean’s focus was on the Continental and British Armies Troop movements here in The Lower Red Clay Valley, Coochs Bridge and Chadds Ford during the Philadelphia Campaign in late summer and early fall of 1777.

In the video link below, Sean expands his presentation to include more of the Philadelphia Campaign as the British travel up the Chesapeake to Elkton, skirmish at Coochs Bridge, march through Delaware and Chester County on their way to occupy Philadelphia. Included are The Battle of Brandywine and The Paoli Massacre. At approximately the twelve minute mark of the video Sean shows the Campaign activity here in Delaware showing troop locations in the Stanton area along the Red Clay Creek, Newport and the skirmish at Coochs Bridge in Newark.

I would like to thank Sean for his GIS experience and Historic research. This presentation gives a better understanding of an important chapter in our nations history.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1qZerx638

The link below takes you to Sean's web site that has animated maps of both the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle at Paoli

http://www.seanmoir.com/historic-and-animated-maps/

  There is also a link to Sean's web site in the links column on the left hand side of this page.

Brandywine Springs Exhibit Hall

As I said before in an earlier post, these photos were passed along to me by and the property of Mike Ciosek from The Friends of Branywine Springs. Beneath each, Mike gives a description of the the photos contents.
I want to thank Mike and the volunteers of FOBS for continued work.

This photo shows the sign that we put in place in 2006. The building was built in 1891 and was used for roller skating, dance pavilion, and merchant exhibits. In 1910 the building was reconfigured into an open air pavilion.

 

We found several new footings for the building after a flood in the park. Before that date we only knew where the northwest corner of the building was located. After the flood, we found a number of footers and were able to determine the building size was 92 feet square. FOBS built the sign and erected yellow corner posts to show the size of the building. The yellow arrows in the photo show the corner post locations.

This was the footer that was uncovered by the flood, we cleaned it for the photograph.

Photo of Old Mill in Marshallton pre 1907

I say pre 1907 because postcards were not permitted to have a divided back for address and communication prior to March 1907. This card has a "undivided back". At the time this was taken the mill, built by Solomon Hersey, would have been over 130 years old and the area back then was known as Hersey's Bridge. Even today, a bridge spans the Red Clay in the same location (Stanton Road) and at times, almost 240 years later, is still referred to as Hersey's Bridge.

                                                                        Front

                                                                       Back

Brandywine Springs B&O Railroad Station

 

In the time since this blog was created I have wanted to attend a archeological dig on the grounds of the old Brandywine Springs Spa / Amusement Park to take some photos showing the work these volunteers do to help preserve the history of this site and large piece of history in Delaware and The Lower Red Clay Valley. Though I had good intentions of getting there for a dig, I never made it due to one thing or another. At a recent event held at The Wilmington and Western Railroad I ran into Mike Ciosek, President of The Friends of Branywine Springs (FOBS). Mike oversees the digs that go on there and asked him if he had any photos he could share. He sent me some and here is a short part of his email:

 There are photos from 4 archaeology sites. FOBS has been digging in the park since 1994. Our objective is to find and mark the sites of the buildings in the park. This will allow people to take a historical nature walk in the old amusement park.

 I will not include all the photos in this first post but will break it down by subject for now and on future posts. I want to thank Mike for his input and his sharing of these pictures. I do believe these were taken by him and are property of the Friends of Brandywine Springs. I would also like to note, the text below each photo was input from Mike.

 In 1891 an agreement was made with the B&O Railroad to allow them to erect a station in the park. This photo is from a George Wolf postcard of the era and was the only photo we had. Note on the postcard it is called a pavilion so we have kept that designation. The Wilmington & Western Railroad calls it a station.

 

The photo is typical of what we found for the footers. The 18” x 18” x 6” concrete footer cap was cast off site. We could tell this was made by the B&O because there are coal particles as large as 1 inch in size in the concrete. The coal pile must have been next to the sand pile where they did the concrete casting. In the photo you can also see mortar with coal dust between the local rock columns that supported the concrete cap.

  

The photo shows the sign and posts FOBS put in place to mark where the building was located. The current Wilmington & Western Railroad narration points out the posts and signs during their trips up the Red Clay Valley

More on Kiamensi: From an 1880 copy Industries of: Delaware: Historical and descriptive review : cities, towns and business interests, institutions, manufacturing and commercial advantages

Sort of another update on the Kiamensi area. The way this is written makes it sound as if Kiamensi was on its way to becoming a thriving area.

  

c1730 Galloway House in Newport

                                                             Photo below was taken in 1936

                                                          Photo below is a recent 2012 photo

Old House in Glenn Burnie, a short distance from The Red Clay Creek. Identified on Rea & Price Map of New Castle County (1849) as F. Flynn.

American Revolution Round Table Reception Fri Evening April 20th at The Hale - Byrnes House

Easter Bunny Train 2012

On the day before Easter with my wife and grandson along with his parents we climbed aboard the Easter Bunny Train on the Wilmington and Western Railroad. A wonderful time with good weather and a great view.

Save Those Stanton Earthworks!

                                        Taken from The Sunday Morning Star  July 10, 1938

                                        I have heard in the past there had been some Earthworks in Stanton area but never knew they were identified by a Delaware Historical Marker. According to the final paragraph in this editorial that must have been the case. That makes at least two markers that have been removed in the Lower Red Clay Valley that have been taken down and never replaced. The other was on the Lincoln Highway, now Old Capitol Trail,  in Marshallton also identifying Washington's Eartworks. I have attached,  below the clipping, a late 1800's photo of those remains and what that marker said.

Below

WASHINGTON’S EARTHWORKS

The American Army numbering about 11,000 encamped between Red Clay Creek and Newport September 6 to 9, 1777. Earthworks constructed for the protection of the camp are plainly visible on the edge of the hill overlooking the creek.

NC-33

LOCATION: Marker is inactive/removed. North end of Bridge which crosses Red Clay Creek at Marshallton (Lincoln Highway), Wilmington.

The Delaware Public Archives operates a historical markers program as part of its mandate. Markers are placed at historically significant locations and sites across the state.

B & O Railroad Bridge at Kiamensi can be seen in the background

Sturgis A & P Store on the corner of Newport Gap Pike and Old Capitol Trail

On Thursday of last week I was talking to a nice lady about some information she was looking for when she began to tell me some of her memories about living and growing up in the Cedars area. She went on to mentioned she had a photo of an older home/store with a gas pump out in front that was located on the corner of Newport Gap Pike and Old Capitol Trail. Then and there she peaked my interest. The interest begins with a photo, that I will post again here, from 1921 showing The old Hollingsworth Company and bridge on Old Capitol Trail. The photo is titled Bridge 154 at Lincoln Highway (now Old Capitol Trail) and Smith's Corner. It is from the 1921 bridge survey taken by the State of Delaware. Well, from that point on it was a challenge to find out who Smith was. We had heard he lived on the second floor of a place on the corner of NGP and OCT and had a gas pump out front. Scott Palmer of The Mill Creek History Blog did a nice short post on it as well. His story can be found here. I have also shared the photo with him. So I wonder if this the place that named the this intersection.
The photo, as described to me, is of Lang & Sturgis A&P Store Store on Newport Gap Pike. In conversation it was mentioned the purchase was possibly the mid 1920's, which could have put Mr. Smith there in 1921 or before. I was told Mr. Sturgis owned a store in the city of Wilmington. An interior view of that store is below with address of West Street.
I asked permission to post this photo and was given the okay by Mr. Sturgis's grandson who still lives in the area. Thank you to all. You never know what you will find out when you are talking to someone.

                                            Corner of Newport Gap Pike and Old Capitol Trail

                                  Interior view of Mr. Sturgis Store on West Street in Wilmington

                                              Bridge 154 ....Lincoln Highway at Smith's Corner
                                                       From DELDOT 1921 Bridge Survey.

Newport Millstones

These millstones are erected in front of the old Woman's Club of Newport Building. The plaque on each one gives the information.