Chadds Ford Township is an affluent

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

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 Pennsylv ...

, United States. It is located about southwest of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Prior to 1996, Chadds Ford Township was known as Birmingham Township; the name was changed to allow the township to correspond to both its

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

and to distinguish itself from the adjacent Birmingham Township in Chester County. As of the 2010 census, Chadds Ford Township had a population of 3,640, up from 3,170 at the 2000 census. Chadds Ford was home to N. C. Wyeth, his son Andrew Wyeth, his daughter Ann Wyeth McCoy, and his grandson Jamie Wyeth. Brandywine Battlefield, the site of the Battle of Brandywine during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, is located in the township, along with Brandywine River Museum, which houses much of the Wyeth collection.

History

The township's original name was Birmingham, which was given to it by William Brinton in remembrance of the town of the same name in England. Frances Chadsey, or Chads, improperly spelled Chadd, emigrated from

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, England in 1689 and lived in Chichester Township until 1696 when his name first appeared in the Birmingham Township tax records. On September 11, 1777, the house owned by George Gilpin was occupied by General Howe of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

during the Battle of Brandywine. The local significance of the battle is such that a 1940 guidebook noted that "a local barber displays a large sign: 'This is where Washington and Lafayette had a close shave.'" The Chad House, Chadds Ford Historic District, Gilpin Homestead, and William Painter Farm are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

The township is the westernmost in Delaware County and is bordered to the west by Chester County, to the south by the state of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

, and to the east by Concord Township. The southern border is part of the Twelve-Mile Circle border between Delaware and Pennsylvania. Brandywine Creek forms the western boundary of both the township and of Delaware County. The village of Chadds Ford is in the northwestern part of the township, and a small piece of Dilworthtown is in the northern corner of the township. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.70%, is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cool to cold winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Chadds Ford Township is in a transitional zone betweenf the humid subtropical and humid continental climatic zones. Of these two climate zones, Chadds Ford has much more in common with the humid continental climate. The

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

is 7a except near the Brandywine Creek where it is 7b. Average monthly temperatures in the village center of Chadds Ford range from 31.5 °F in January to 75.9 °F in July.

Demographics

As of 2010 census, the racial makeup of the township was 89.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.0% Native American, 7.6% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the populatio

Education

Chadds Ford Township is located in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District and public school students attend the district's schools. High school students attend Unionville High School in Kennett Square. Rachel Kohl Library serves Chadds Ford Township.About Us
" Kohl Library. Retrieved on September 26, 2018.

Points of interest

* Brandywine Battlefield Park * Brandywine River Museum ** N. C. Wyeth House and Studio **"The Mills", Andrew Wyeth home and studio ** Kuerner Farm * Brandywine Wildflower and Native Plant Gardens * Chad House * Chadds Ford Historic District * Christian C. Sanderson Museum * Gilpin Homestead * William Painter Farm * Twaddell's Mill and House

Transportation

As of 2020, there were of public roads in Chadds Ford Township, of which were maintained by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and were maintained by the township. U.S. Route 1 (Baltimore Pike) runs through the northern part of the township and intersects U.S. Routes 202 and 322 at Painters Crossroads on the township's eastern border. US 1 leads southwest toward

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, while US 202 leads south to

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, and US 322 leads east to

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

. US 202 and 322 together lead north to West Chester.

Notable people

* Bill Bergey * Weldon Brinton Heyburn, former U.S. Senator * Erin Matson (field hockey) * Ann Wyeth McCoy * Pat Meehan * Robin Toner, journalist * Andrew Wyeth * Jamie Wyeth *

N.C. Wyeth Newell Convers Wyeth (October 22, 1882 – October 19, 1945), known as N. C. Wyeth, was an American painter and illustrator. He was a student of Howard Pyle and became one of America's most well-known illustrators. Wyeth created more than 3,000 ...

References

External links

Chadds Ford Township official websiteChadds Ford History
{{authority control Townships in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania