The Duportail House in eastern Chester County is a frequent feature on this blog. Today we look at some of the Spring flowering trees on the grounds.
In 1740, a Welsh Quaker named John Havard, Jr. built a stone farmhouse on a large William Penn land grant in Chester County’s Great Valley. During the Continental Army’s encampment at Valley Forge in 1777-78, the Havard family played host to a guest from France, General Louis Lebègue Duportail. Recruited by Benjamin Franklin, Duportail served as the army’s Chief Engineer, designing fortifications at Valley Forge that could enable Washington’s troops to hold off a potential attack by the British army, which was encamped in nearby Philadelphia. The house is now used as an event venue, and the surrounding property is a park.
Waterloo Mills Preserve in Chester County is a property owned by the Brandywine Conservancy. On 170 acres, the site contains an 18th century village, mill race remnants, wildflower meadows, fertile marshes, mature woods and over a mile of the upper reaches of Darby Creek. Members of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art can walk the trails through the property. Stepping stones and a puncheon log allow visitors to ford small streams and Darby Creek. The property offers a variety of wildlife ranging from whitetail deer to turtles to migratory birds, as well as many varieties of plants.
The village of Waterloo Mills, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, includes an old gristmill, a barn, a wheelwright and blacksmith’s shop, and two houses. Here are some views of the outdoor sections of the property.
A few of the old mill and farm buildings in the Historic District remain.
The Willows Park has been featured on this blog before. It is a 47.5-acre estate purchased by Radnor Township in 1973 from the Zantzinger family. Situated at the end of a long, winding driveway is a three-story mansion. The mansion was built in 1910 by John Sinnott Jr. for his wife, and referred to as Rose Garland. The mansion and 47.5 acres that now make up the park were purchased by Clarence Geist in 1937 as a wedding present for his daughter. The estate was then called Maral Brook, which was a combination of their first names, Mary and her husband, Alfred Zantzinger. The site was renamed The Willows because of the beautiful willow trees that surround the property.
Little Darby Creek winds through the property and is dammed to form a small pond. I have been coming to the Willows for many years. The property has been a popular spot for birding, and migrating waterfowl can sometimes be seen on the pond. It is also a spot that has been stocked for the first day of trout season. Renovation work done to the pond quite a few years ago seems to have reduced the number of birds that use it and the nearby creek. Sadly, maintenance of the mansion and cottage is inadequate. The cottage no longer seems to be in use and is falling into disrepair. The mansion sat vacant for nearly a decade. It is currently being renovated and hosts limited events. It no longer appears to be available for weddings. It was once booked years in advance for weddings. It’s hard to understand why a financially productive property like this was allowed to sit vacant and fall into disrepair.
These geese have found some prime real estate for a nest.
A short distance away, on Church Road, sits one of two distinctive stone “Dragon Tooth” bridges over Darby Creek. The other is near the intersection of Sugartown and Church Roads.
The grim winter weather continues in Chester County. I was able to get away on a Sunday to visit a few spots along French Creek.
Rapp’s Dam Covered bridge has been featured before on this blog. This bridge is a 105-foot-long (32 m), Burr truss bridge that was constructed in 1866 by Benjamin F. Hartman. It has fieldstone abutments, horizontal siding and boxed cornices with returns at its portals. It is one of three covered bridges that cross French Creek, the others being Hall’s Bridge and Kennedy Bridge. The Rapps Bridge was renovated in 1978 and again in 2011.
The bridge is adjacent to the French Creek Heritage Park which has picnic tables and access for the French Creek Trail.
Snyder’ s Mill also sits in the park. It was a linseed oil mill in the 1800s, and could be the graining mill of the 1775 Continental Powder Mill Complex. In recent years, Snyder’s Mill had been on the verge of total collapse. The East Pikeland Historical Commission has stabilized the mill and is working to promote the site as a heritage tourism destination.
A short distance upstream is the Hares Hill Road Bridge, a single-span, wrought iron, bowstring-shaped lattice girder bridge. It was built in 1869 by Moseley Iron Bridge and Roof Company and is the only known surviving example of this kind.
This building in the Kimberton area caught my attention.
The Schuylkill River once had a navigation along its length. A few structures associated with this waterway remain – including Lock 60 at Mont Clare, Montgomery County. I visited on Valentine’s Day as part of a trip along the River to look for waterfowl. A few areas of the River that were free of ice had groups of ducks, including Hooded and Common Mergansers, Goldeneye, Mallard, Greater Scaup, Ring-necked, Bufflehead and a rarity – the Tufted Duck.
Lock 60 is a fully restored, working lock on the Schuylkill Canal, originally built as part of the Schuylkill Navigation system. The lock is demonstrated for groups and during special events by the Schuylkill Canal Association. This lock, one of 71 originally built on the canal, was constructed in the 1820s and was originally part of the Oakes Reach. The site includes the original Locktender’s house as well as canal information and interpretation. The house is open by appointment and during special events.
The lock gates
Some views of the lockkeeper’s house.
The Locktender’s House
Some looks along the Canal and the River – sadly no ducks were present here, as both areas were covered in ice.
The town of Wateville sits near the confluence of Pine and Little Pine Creeks in Lycoming County. It is a popular jumping off point for exploring the Pine Creek Valley and the Pine Creek Rail Trail, with a restaurant, bar, hotel and a convenience store with a gas station.
The Pine Creek Rail Trail and one of its iron bridges.This home looks like a former Church and is a popular photo subject.The Waterville Hotel still provides lodging and has a restaurant and bar.
Up Route 44 from the town is the Tiadaghton Forest District Office. It is a large building with exhibits and the grounds are scenic. Though most of Tiadaghton State Forest’s 146,539 acres reside in Lycoming County, some tracts extend into Tioga County, Potter County, Clinton County and Union County. Tiadaghton’s forest features high-country flats bisected by clean, fast-moving mountain streams, including Pine Creek and Slate Run. It is one of eight state forests located in the Pennsylvania Wilds region.
A trip into Bucks County led me to several covered bridges. Near the Cabin Run Covered Bridge is Tohickon Valley Park, a pleasnt spot with parking, picnic tables and fishing access to the Tohickon Creek. It is close to several other county parks. The 612-acre Tohickon park also has playgrounds,hiking, ball fields, and a swimming pool in season. Overnight stays include group and family camping and cabins on 22 campsites. It is deceptively large, which is why I missed a portion of it when I was there.
Views of Tohickon Creek.
Nockamixon State Park has been featured on this blog before.so I will not go into detail here. It is a large park in Bucks County with a lake, full service marina, hiking, picnicking, hunting and fishing. It is actually a decent location for astronomy close to the city of Philadelphia. The Tohickon boat launch area is used for astronomy and provides fairly open horizons and a 20.10 mag/arssec^2 sky.
The Paper Mill Museum is a historic three story stone building along Darby Creek in Newtown Township, Delaware County that contains an 1850’s era general store, and three levels of a local history museum containing artifacts representing the history of Newtown Township. The original building was constructed in 1828 to house four families that worked at the local mills along the Darby Creek. An addition was built in 1845 to contain a general store that served the community that grew up around the mills. In the immediate area of the site were the William Crosley Woolen Mill (1828-1861) and Casper S. Garrett’s Union Paper Mill (1869-1889). The building overlooks the creek and a stone bridge that carries St. David’s Road over the creek. A modern wooden pedestrian bridge over the creek connects the building to the parking area for the site.
Along the creek in the area are archeological remains of both old mills, including building foundations, the millrace, and other traces of the mill activity. The site was recognized as historically significant in 2002 when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The structure stood in ruins in the early 1980’s, without a roof, without a use, and destined for demolition. However, the history of the building and the site was recognized by a small handful of civic minded Newtown residents, and through their efforts and those of many other volunteers, the building was acquired by the Township, and then enclosed to protect it from the elements. Over the last 25 years, the Building has been restored, inside and out, and now houses a recreated general store from the mid-19th century, and a museum containing artifacts collected and donated by Newtown residents that represent some of the history of the Township and its people.
Here are some views of the exterior and the grounds:
Not far away sits Bartram’s Covered Bridge, which spans the county line between Delaware and Chester Counties over Crum Creek in Newtown Square. As such, it is the last covered bridge remaining in Delaware County, a county which once had over 30 covered bridges. The bridge has unique slanted plank portals, the only bridge in Pennsylvania with this unusual design.
Built in 1860 by Ferdinand Wood, who designed the portals to be “Hi and Wide as a Load of Hay,” the bridge is 80 feet long by 13 feet wide. The original cost of $1,133 to build the bridge was shared by Delaware and Chester Counties. It is named for Mordecai Bartram, an adjacent landowner. The bridge design, pioneered by Theodore Burr, features the Burr Truss, commonly found in Pennsylvania covered bridges of the time. At one time, the words “LINCOLN, Save Union and Congress” were still visibly painted inside the bridge. The last traces of this old graffiti from 1860 are believed to have been lost during the last restoration of the bridge in 1995.
The bridge closed to traffic in 1941. The bridge was first rehabilitated in the 1960’s (at the time by the Marple Newtown Historical Society). After years of neglect, the bridge was restored in 1995, funded by a combination of donations, grants and fundraising. The bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The bridge appears to have had some additional work since I last visited. There is now a gravel parking area on the west side of the bridge, in addition to on street parking on a side street to the east.
The Willows Park Preserve in northwestern Delaware Country has been a popular spot for birding, fishing, picnicking and walking for decades. Built in 1910, the Willows Mansion is surrounded by 47.5 acres of public park with water, meadow, woodland and garden views. Closed for nearly a decade, the deteriorating mansion sits idle while park life carries on. However, efforts to restore the Mansion are ongoing. It was once a very popular wedding reception venue.
The pond, fed by Little Darby Creek, is popular with fisherman. The stream is stocked.Who you looking at?Some interesting tiles on the bridge over Little Darby.He’s behind me, right? Parent Robin pursued by begging fledgling.A good look at a fledgling robin.Looks like a female red-winged blackbird.
I made another stop that day at St. Davids Church, which lies mostly within Radnor Township, Delaware County. The parish is more than 300 years old. Toward the close of the seventeenth century, a hardy group of Welsh colonists settled in an area which became known as Radnor. In 1704, a 100-signature petition for Welsh prayer books and a Bible, but more particularly for a Welsh-speaking missionary, was dispatched to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in London. Ten years later, in return for this long-awaited recognition, the settlers “heartily engaged themselves to build a handsome stone church,” to be named after the Patron Saint of Wales. The cornerstone was laid on May 9, 1715.
With the coming of the Revolution in the colonies, a rapidly swelling wave of resentment against the Church of England arose among the patriots of the congregation. A leader of this opposition was Anthony Wayne, later appointed major general of the American forces, who is buried in St. David’s historic churchyard. The church building provided shelter for soldiers of both sides.
A view of the original church.The churchyard is a tranquil place.Some lovely color on these trees in late Spring.As an old church, there are some interesting mausoleums.
Laughlintown is located in Ligonier Township, Westmoreland County. It is located on U.S. Route 30, 3 miles southeast of Ligonier.
The town is named after Robert Laughlin. The Compass Inn, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located here, as are the Rolling Rock Club and The Washington Furnace Inn. However, I think for many the notable landmark is this bakery:
I couldn’t resist buying some pie and baklava here. Both were delicious. The menu also includes pizza and sandwiches. Across the street is the Compass Inn property. The Inn is a historic inn and tavern. It is a 2 1/2-story, five bay log and stone building in a vernacular Georgian style. The original section was built in 1799, and it is three bays wide. The two bay stone section was added in the 1820s. A clapboarded frame section was added in 1862. It was restored in 1970, and operated as a local history museum. The property includes a rebuilt barn and blacksmith shop.
The barn.The Compass Inn. Double barn stars on the adjacent property.
Many forestry district offices seem to be in out of the way locations. This one is right on Route 30 in Laughlintown. They are great stops for maps and information.
