Chelsea is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Bethel Township in Delaware County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States. Chelsea is located at the intersection of Concord Road, Chelsea Road, Foulk Road, and Valley Brook Road in the northern part of the township. The Chelsea blacksmith shop was the longest continually used

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

shop in Delaware County and was reputed to be one of the oldest in the County. A blacksmith had operated from that location since the time of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

. The original building was demolished in February 2013 and the operations were moved to a larger facility on Foulk Road. The blacksmith shop is still run by the same owners since the early 1900s, the McKinleys.

History

In 1683, Edward Beazer and Edward Brown had 500 acres surveyed to them in the northeastern corner of Bethel Township. On this land was founded Bethel hamlet, later known as Corner Catch (Ketch) and the village of Chelsea. In 1777, after 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 ...

, the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

passed through Chelsea on Concord Road as they chased the retreating

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

toward

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Pennsylvania