Alan’s TTIM Stories #73

The Brandywine Creek valley contains an uncommon wealth of history, industry, nature, and culture for the modest amount of area surrounding a 20-mile creek. It flows from southeast Pennsylvania, through northern Delaware, entering the Christina River in Wilmington.

The name origin has no connection with alcohol, but from an early European-origin settler, Andreas Brainwende, who took advantage of the steep drop in elevation from the Piedmont to the Coastal Plain to establish a grist mill.

Another historic incident took place on 9-11 in 1777 as the Continental Army under General Washington attempted to block the British Army from taking Philadelphia. Washington chose to make a stand on the high ground above the creek. The Battle of Brandywine consisted of the most troops engaged than any other engagement during the Revolution. The Continentals held the line after hours of fighting. In an unusual blunder by Washington, the right flank was left exposed. General Nathanael Greene held off the British to cover the retreat to avoid a complete disaster. Philadelphia fell and the war lasted another four years.

A revolution in France brought a family to America and began another historic episode for the valley. The duPont family immigrated to the United States. Eleuthere Irenee duPont found a business opportunity due to the inferior quality of American gunpowder, an observation too late to help Washington. He set up a gunpower works on the banks of the Brandywine. The business grew to provide 40% of the gunpowder for the Union forces during the Civil War. A major tourist attraction in northern Delaware, the Hagley Museum includes the gunpower works, the ancestral home and gardens, workers’ community, and a library dedicated to business and technology with a Nation of Inventors exhibition. The present Dupont company is known for chemicals and polymers – nylon, Teflon, Kevlar, Corian, Tyvek, and freon.

After the ability to blow things up came a cultural explosion known as the Brandywine School of Artists. Landscapes surrounding the Brandywine valley inspired Howard Pyle, the Father of American Illustration, to create “an American school of illustration and art.” Pyle taught students at Turner Mill in Chadds Ford during the summer. He influenced other area artists including N.C. Wyeth with other family artists – Andrew Wyeth and Jamie Wyeth. A collection of still life and landscapes with an emphasis on the Wyeth family is on display at the Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford.

Parts of the valley maintain a natural environment with conservation and preservation efforts along the creek. Mature hardwood forests, stream aquatic life, grassy meadows, and tall hillsides are found at First State National Historic Park, Nature Center in the Brandywine Creek State Park, Flint Woods, Carney Tract, Tulip Tree Woods, and Fresh Water Marsh.

A containment of wildlife is available for viewing at the Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington. Five acres highlights tropical and temperate areas North and South America, Asia, Africa – both common and endangered species. It boasts a Zoo Re-imagined program and philosophy, a “balance between infrastructure, guest services, and modern animal habitats.”

History, industry, nature, and art – so much in a small area, Worth exploring!

Sources:
The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art
Wikipedia
Wikimedia Commons
Brandywine Zoo

Follow announcements of Alan’s TTIM Stories at Facebook.com/alan.vandervoort or Instagram & Threads vandervoort_author, with all available posts at www.alanvandervoort.com. Novels by the author include: Sandhills – A Novel and Key Largo Summer, found at Booklocker.com and other online booksellers.