The Chads House (sometimes erroneously called the Chad House), which was built by John Wyeth Jr. for John Chads (also spelled Chadds), is located in Chadds Ford,

Delaware County, Pennsylvania Delaware County, colloquially referred to as Delco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. With a population of 576,830 as of the 2020 census, it is the List of counties in Pennsylvan ...

. The house was built after 1712 and was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on March 11, 1971. John Chad's widow, Elizabeth, stayed in the house while it was in the line of fire during the

Battle of Brandywine The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777, as part of the Ame ...

. ''Note:'' This includes The city of Chadds Ford relied on the spring ford on the property, and thus the city was named after John Chads.

History

Francis Chadsey came to Pennsylvania in 1685 and bought 500 acres in Birmingham Township, then in

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire or the County Palatine of Chester, a ceremonial county in the North Wes ...

, in 1696, from Daniel Smith who had bought the land from

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

. Chadsey did not take possession of the land until 1702, but then built a grist mill and a

millrace A mill race, millrace or millrun, mill lade (Scotland) or mill leat (Southwest England) is the current of water that turns a water wheel, or the channel (sluice) conducting water to or from a water wheel. Compared with the broad waters of a mi ...

on the land. He married Grace Stanfield in 1695 and they had six children before he died in 1713. Grace remarried in 1714 to Guyen Stevenson and died in 1727. Chadsey's oldest son, John Chads, reached legal majority in 1717. and inherited the property. The initials J.W. Jr. are carved in the front of the house, and appear to indicate that the house was built by John Wyeth Jr. Wyeth likely built the house for Chads sometime between 1713 and 1727. It is a "bank house" having been built into the side of a hill and remains essentially in its original condition. John Chads started a ferry service across the Brandywine in 1731 and operated it until his death in 1760. The ferry continued in service until 1828 when a bridge was built nearby. During the Battle of Brandywine General

Wilhelm von Knyphausen Wilhelm Reichsfreiherr von Innhausen und Knyphausen Some documents produced after 1806 referred to him as Reichsfreiherr Wilhelm zu Innhausen und Knyphausen while some documents after 1919 use Wilhelm Reichsfreiherr zu Innhausen und Knyphausen. ...

's division feigned a direct attack across the Brandywine near the ferry and exchanged cannon fire with

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 forces in fortified positions above the house. Chads' widow Elizabeth remained in the house throughout the battle, watching troop movements from her attic windows, she survived until 1791. Along with providing water, the nearby Springhouse served as a school from 1837 to 1844. Both the John Chads' House and Springhouse were privately owned until 1968, after which they were restored by architect John Milner, and opened as a museum in 1971. The beehive oven in the basement of the house was rebuilt in 1981 and continues to operate to the present.

References

External links

John Chads' House - Chadds Ford Historical Society
*
Baking Bread at the John Chads House
YouTube video
Chads House on Hmdb - Historical Marker Database
{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Historic house museums in Pennsylvania Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Historic American Buildings Survey in Pennsylvania Houses in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Museums in Delaware County, Pennsylvania American Revolutionary War museums in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania state historical marker significations National Register of Historic Places in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Chadds Ford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Pennsylvania

History

See also

References

External links