Brandywine Springs is a historic area near

Newport, Delaware Newport is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is on the Christina River. It is best known for being the home of colonial inventor Oliver Evans. The population was 1,055 at the 2010 census. Four limited access highways, I- ...

, along the

Red Clay Creek Red Clay Creek is a tributary of White Clay Creek, running through southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware in the United States. As of 2000, portions of the creek are under wildlife habitat protection. Course The East and West branche ...

. It is noted from early

American history The history of the lands that became the United States began with the arrival of the first people in the Americas around 15,000 BC. Numerous indigenous cultures formed, and many saw transformations in the 16th century away from more densely ...

as a Revolutionary War encampment of General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's army. In 1853, Captain

Alden Partridge Alden Partridge, (February 12, 1785 - January 17, 1854) was an American author, legislator, officer, surveyor, an early superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and a controversial pioneer in U.S. military educ ...

opened the National Scientific and Military Academy at Brandywine Springs. The school building was destroyed by fire shortly after opening and the school closed. In the 1880s, it became known for its mineral springs and luxurious

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

resort In the early 20th century, it became renowned for an

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

built along the Hyde Run tributary. The amusement park closed down following the 1923 season. Th
Friends of Brandywine Springs
are dedicated to recovering the history of the amusement park. Early films of the park from circa 1903 are some of the earliest motion picture images of Delaware. In 1956 state senator Fredrick Klair procured the land for the state and established Brandywine Springs State Park. In 1970, Brandywine Springs was converted from a state park to a county park operated by

New Castle County New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...

as the legislature felt it better met local needs as opposed to state needs, and there had been no county-level parks department at the time it was created as a state park.

References

External links

* Bodies of water in New Castle County, Delaware Springs of Delaware Defunct amusement parks in the United States Historic districts in New Castle County, Delaware Parks in New Castle County, Delaware Geography of New Castle County, Delaware {{Delaware-geo-stub