History Timeline

Our history articles about Glen Providence Park, listed chronologically! The park is rich in history, so we have plenty more articles to write, which we will continue to add to this timeline. You can read a narrative about Glen Providence Park’s past on our main History page or scroll through our articles back to 2011 in the History category on the right, and our 2011 Annotated Trail Map is full of historical references. We also have a History Album on Facebook.  

Pre-Park History:

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pre-history – Geology of the valley
pre-1681 – The Okehocking
post-1681 – Historical Maps
late 1700’s – Newlywed Ghost Story
early 1800’s – “Witches Ride”
1841 – Ebeneezer Scroggie
1848-1864? – Scroggie Shingle Mill
c. 1883 – Broomall’s Dam
1889 – T. Chalkley Palmer’s “Scroggie Valley” essays
1896 – Eleanor Reed Butler brought Golf to Delaware County
1897 – Isaac Worrall tree inscription
1900-1921 – T. Chalkley Palmer’s Diatom slides from Scroggie Run at Academy of Natural Sciences
early 1900’s – American Chestnuts

 

Glen Providence Park History:

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1935 – Glen Providence donated by George & Eleanor Butler as Delaware County’s first park
1935 – A Halloween Birthday for Glen Providence Park
1935-present – Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts in the park
1935-2011 – Overview of events in “76 Years in the Park” 
1936 – A WPA Pond
1936-2016 – 80 Years of Fishing
1930’s Historical Drinking Springs
1937-1977 – Summer Concerts
1939 – Photos by GJ Ulshafer
1941 – “1941 Nature Guide”
1948 – Eleanor Reed Butler Waterfall
1952-1986 – July 4th Fireworks & Festivities
1954-present – Great Media Easter Egg Hunt
1981-1991 Halloween Hauntings
2002 – National Historic Register eligibility
2015 – 80th Anniversary Celebrations for Glen Providence Park
2016 – 5th Anniversary of Friends of Glen Providence Park
2018 – Photo tribute to the Grand White Oak

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These articles reflect hundreds of volunteer hours of primary source research, including private archives that have been shared with us to use, and paid access to historical records. We publish our writings free of charge to share widely the rich history of the park. You may use our articles for non-commercial purposes according to the terms of the Creative Commons license linked below. Please cite our website by each article used.

Suggested Citation: Stephanie Gaboriault. [article year]. “[article name]” Friends of Glen Providence Park Available at: https://glenprovidencepark.org

Example: Stephanie Gaboriault. 2014. “Another Butler legacy: Golf in Delaware County!” Friends of Glen Providence Park Available at: https://glenprovidencepark.org