Chadds Ford Peak was Chadds Ford’s very own ski resort. Located on the hill behind Chadds Ford Knoll, it opened in the early 1970’s or so and was started by two athletic coaches from P.S. duPont High School in Wilmington. It closed between 1988 and 1989. The last owners also owned the miniature golf course …
One of the first really cool “facts” I discovered during my early LeBlond research was a Robert Le Blond who purportedly traveled with William the Conqueror, during the latter’s invasion of England in 1066. I immediately claimed him as an ancestor, despite a complete lack of proven lineage, based on my long line of eleven …
Joseph Turner built his 30 foot by 40 foot limestone grist mill with 18 inch thick walls on property once owned by colonist Benjamin Ring along “Ye Great Road to Nottingham” in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Using stone from earlier mills along Harvey’s Run, a nearby creek that runs parallel to today’s U.S. Route 1 and …
On September 11, 1777, the hamlet of Chadds Ford played host to one of the largest and deadliest battles of the American Revolutionary War, today called the Battle of Brandywine. An estimated 29,000 British and American troops gathered at the fledgling town populated mostly by peaceful Quakers. Britain’s campaign for 1777 was to split off …
If you have sad old grungy cabinets like I did and can’t afford to replace them, you might try painting them for a fresh new look. It seems like a Herculean task but it’s really not that bad. It only took me about 15 months to complete mine. A normal person could do it in …
I’ve got a few Revolutionary War ancestors, namely Moza Hurt, Philemon Hurt, Frederick Boyer, Cornelius Bogart, and Conrad Mehrkam. Sometimes when I’m reading an account of their service, I wonder to myself, what the heck are they talking about? Some of the terms are opaque to modern people. This list helped me navigate the unfamiliar …
A tanner turns animal hides such as ox, cow, bull, and horse and skins like calf, sheep, pig and deer into leather. Hides and skins were procured from local farmers. The process began with cutting the hides into workable pieces called “sides” and trimming off the ragged edges. The sides were then soaked in water …
From The LeBlond Book by C.T. Courtney Lewis: 100. The Young Angler. Le Blond, No. 84. A young hopeful is seen on the leafy bank, angling; but his age and the want of seriousness in his manners indicate that ‘tiddler-fishing’ would be more likely to render him greater sport. By his side are his little …
I visited the Chester Bethel Church and Cemetery this week to shoot some photos of gravestones for FindAGrave.com. I gave myself an hour to photograph three grave sites. Of course, it didn’t work out as planned! The cemetery was larger than I thought and I couldn’t find the headstones in question. I quickly gave up …
Today I’m posting a set of beautiful photographs of Chester County, Pennsylvania, mostly in the southeastern part of the county, especially around Kennett Square, Longwood Gardens, and the Brandywine River. These were taken by my talented aunt who is always willing to share with me. Enjoy!