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B+History
History · Chadds Ford Township

Chadds Ford Township’s post office opened in 1843, and 10 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns · #407 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it

Most of Chadds Ford Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. 10 places in town are on the National Register, among them 4 National Historic Landmarks and three historic districts with 20 buildings between them. Below: 10 old photos and papers and maps from 1901 on.

1843first post office
10on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
10old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Chadds Ford Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Chadds Ford Township began

When was Chadds Ford Township founded?

1843

The Chadds Ford Township post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Painter's Cross Roads (1815), Dillworthtown (1822) and Brandywine Summit (1869), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 3,972183 years

How historic is Chadds Ford Township?

B+

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Chadds Ford Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Chadds Ford Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Chadds Ford Township is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #407 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Chadds Ford Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1843, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19405.4% of homes (±4.1) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register10 listings, 39 historic buildings, 98.3 per 10,000 residents · typical PA town 2.1 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 75%
NewerOlder
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,035)Ahead of 61%

Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Chadds Ford Township’s 98.3 sits above most of its state (89% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 39 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Chadds Ford Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Chadds Ford Township, and 10 old place names are still on the map.A National Historic Landmark10 places on the National Register, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks.On the map since 19017 editions of the USGS map, 1901 to 1993. Watch Chadds Ford Township change.Deep rootsA post office since 1843: 183 years of Chadds Ford Township.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Painter's Cross Roads
1815–1843
Dillworthtown
1822–1900
Chadds Ford
1843–today
Brandywine Summit
1869–1942
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Brandywine SummitChadds FordDilworthtownKeepsakeMeriahnnaPainters CrossingPainters CrossroadsQueonemysingRingfieldThe Ridings of Chadds Ford
Gone or out of use
Bullocks Quarrymine
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Chadds Ford Township
Archies CornerBrandywine Baptist Church

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

On the National Register

10 listings protect 39 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 4 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier.

places listed
10
National Historic Landmarks
4
Seventeen-hundred-and-four House
historic buildings protected
39
each building in a district counts
first listed
1967
Seventeen-hundred-and-four House
Chad HouseGilpin HomesteadWilliam Painter FarmChadds Ford Historic DistrictTwaddell's Mill and HousePainter’s FollySeventeen-hundred-and-four House★N.C. Wyeth House and Studio★Andrew Kuerner Farm-Wyeth Studio★Andrew Wyeth Studio and Kuerner Farm (Boundary Expansion and Additional Documentation)★
BuildingsDistricts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival1
★ Landmark
Seventeen-hundred-and-four HouseBuilding
★ Landmark
N.C. Wyeth House and StudioColonial Revival
★ Landmark
Andrew Kuerner Farm-Wyeth StudioBuilding
Chad HouseBuilding
Gilpin HomesteadBuilding
William Painter FarmBuilding
Chadds Ford Historic DistrictDistrict
Twaddell's Mill and HouseBuilding
All 10 listings
Painter’s FollyBuilding · listed 2024Andrew Wyeth Studio and Kuerner Farm (Boundary Expansion and Additional Documentation)District · listed 2014

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

On the map

Chadds Ford Township on the map, 1901 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Chadds Ford Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Chadds Ford Township on the 1901 USGS mapChadds Ford Township on the 1943 USGS mapChadds Ford Township on the 1954 USGS mapChadds Ford Township on the 1967 USGS mapChadds Ford Township on the 1973 USGS mapChadds Ford Township on the 1987 USGS mapChadds Ford Township on the 1993 USGS map1901West Chester sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Chadds Ford Township.

The story so far

Chadds Ford Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Chadds Ford Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Chadds Ford is a census-designated place (CDP) in Delaware and Chester counties, Pennsylvania, United States, comprising the unincorporated communities of Chadds Ford and Chadds Ford Knoll. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census. The CDP is in westernmost Delaware County and southeastern Chester County, in the northwestern part of Chadds Ford Township, the eastern part of Pennsbury Township, and the southern corner of Birmingham Township. Brandywine Creek runs through the center of the CDP, forming first the boundary between Pennsbury and Birmingham township and then the boundary between Chester and Delaware counties. The village of Chadds Ford is in the northwest part of Cha…

Its first post office opened in 1843. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,640 to 3,972 (+9%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Chadds Ford Township, 1815 to 2014

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1815Post officeThe Painter's Cross Roads post office opens
  3. 1822Post officeThe Dillworthtown post office opens
  4. 1843Post officeThe Painter's Cross Roads post office closes
  5. 1843Post officeThe Chadds Ford post office opens
  6. 1859In the archiveBattle of Brandywine 1777, Map 1859
  7. 1870In the archiveChadds Ford mill
  8. 20th century
  9. 1900Post officeThe Dillworthtown post office closes
  10. 1901On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1967LandmarkSeventeen-hundred-and-four House named a National Historic Landmark
  12. 1984In the archiveMad Hatter, Sir Goony mini golf, Route 202 at Spring Lake Rec. Center
  13. 1997LandmarkN.C. Wyeth House and Studio named a National Historic Landmark
  14. 21st century
  15. 2011LandmarkAndrew Kuerner Farm-Wyeth Studio named a National Historic Landmark
  16. 2014LandmarkAndrew Wyeth Studio and Kuerner Farm (Boundary Expansion and Additional Documentation) na…
By decade

Chadds Ford Township, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s–1870s3 items
Battle of Brandywine 1777, Map 18591859Battle of Brandywine 1777, Map 1859MapChadds Ford mill1870Chadds Ford millBrittons Mill1870Brittons Mill
1980s3 items
Mad Hatter, Sir Goony mini golf, Route 202 at Spring Lake Rec. Center1984Mad Hatter, Sir Goony mini golf, Route 202 at Spring …Valleybrook mini golf, Route 2021984Valleybrook mini golf, Route 202Valleybrook mini golf, Statue of Liberty, Route 2021984Valleybrook mini golf, Statue of Liberty, Route 202
1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown4 to date
William Harvey House, Brinton Bridge Road (Pennsbury Township)Date?William Harvey House, Brinton Bridge Road (Pennsbury …Joseph Gilpin House, U.S. Route 1 (Birmingham Township)Date?Joseph Gilpin House, U.S. Route 1 (Birmingham Townshi…Joseph Gilpin Springhouse, U.S. Route 1 (Birmingham Township)Date?Joseph Gilpin Springhouse, U.S. Route 1 (Birmingham T…Barnes-Brinton House, 630 Baltimore Pike (U.S. Route 1)Date?Barnes-Brinton House, 630 Baltimore Pike (U.S. Route …
Today16 recent
Carriage house at the Gideon Gilpin farmstead at the Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site2019Carriage house at the Gideon Gilpin farmstead at the …Spring house of the Benjamin Ring farmstead at the Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site2019Spring house of the Benjamin Ring farmstead at the Br…Farm buildings at the Gideon Gilpin farmstead at the Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site2019Farm buildings at the Gideon Gilpin farmstead at the …The Gideon Gilpin farmstead's barn at the Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site2019The Gideon Gilpin farmstead's barn at the Brandywine …Grounds of the Birmingtham Friends Meetinghouse in the former Birmingham Township, now Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania2019Grounds of the Birmingtham Friends Meetinghouse in th…Grounds of the Birmingtham Friends Meetinghouse in the former Birmingham Township, now Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania2019Grounds of the Birmingtham Friends Meetinghouse in th…The Benjamin Ring House at the Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site2019The Benjamin Ring House at the Brandywine Battlefield…Entrance to the Quaker cemetery in the former Birmingham Township, now Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania2019Entrance to the Quaker cemetery in the former Birming…Scene at the Quaker cemetery in the former Birmingham Township, now Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania2019Scene at the Quaker cemetery in the former Birmingham…Scene at the Quaker cemetery in the former Birmingham Township, now Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania2019Scene at the Quaker cemetery in the former Birmingham…Scene at the Quaker cemetery in the former Birmingham Township, now Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania2019Scene at the Quaker cemetery in the former Birmingham…The Gideon Gilpin House at the Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site2019The Gideon Gilpin House at the Brandywine Battlefield…The Gideon Gilpin House at the Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site2019The Gideon Gilpin House at the Brandywine Battlefield…The Birmingtham Friends school in the former Birmingham Township, now Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania2019The Birmingtham Friends school in the former Birmingh…The Birmingtham Friends Meetinghouse in the former Birmingham Township, now Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania2019The Birmingtham Friends Meetinghouse in the former Bi…Wyeth House2010Wyeth House
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Chadds Ford mill
Retake this viewChadds Ford mill, 1870

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Chadds Ford Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Chadds Ford Township

Nobody well known was born in Chadds Ford Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Samuel BarberAmerican composer · b. 1910
MatisyahuAmerican musician · b. 1979
Smedley ButlerUnited States Marine Corps general, two time Me… · b. 1881
Kyle GallnerAmerican actor · b. 1986
M
Matthew McGroryAmerican actor · b. 1973
Ted MeredithAmerican athletics competitor · b. 1891
Help out

Finish Chadds Ford Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo4 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewChadds Ford mill: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Pennsbury Township11 historic placesBBirmingham Township11 historic placesB+Concord Township11 historic placesBDilworthtown1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townThornbury Township4 historic placesA

Questions about Chadds Ford Township’s history

What year was Chadds Ford Township founded?

The Chadds Ford Township post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Chadds Ford Township rank for history?

Chadds Ford Township is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #407 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Chadds Ford Township?

10 listings, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks: 7 buildings, among them the Seventeen-hundred-and-four House (a National Historic Landmark since 1967), and 3 historic districts, the N.C. Wyeth House and Studio, the Andrew Wyeth Studio and Kuerner Farm (Boundary Expansion and Additional Documentation) and the Chadds Ford Historic District, with 20 contributing buildings. 39 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Chadds Ford Township?

5% of Chadds Ford Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1983.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (21), the National Register of Historic Places (10), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.