Since it was created by the WPA in 1936 for fishing and skating, the pond in Glen Providence Park has seen its fair share of fishing, from family outings to years of fishing contests! Early active involvement by the environmental organization Izaac Walton League gave way to activities led by other community groups, with fishing programs and rodeos for boys and girls, field trips, and fishing lessons. The pond was listed in the Fishing Directory of Delaware County, and was stocked with impressive quantities of fish for decades.  

Waders Beware!

Ten pairs of largemouth bass that were introduced as brood fish got the “rearing pond” off to a start a little more exciting than intended, as recounted in the August 1937 issue of Pennsylvania Angler magazine: “The bass were on the nests and everything was going lovely when a park authority gave Waltonian Phil Platt a hurry call on the ‘phone. It seems that a lad was wading or something like that and his foot came rather close to a bass over its nest. The fish struck so viciously that it drew blood.” Fortunately that did not deter hundreds of children from participating each year in the County’s fishing program!

Junior Fishing Project

There were fishing programs for children under 16 (the fishing license age) from at least 1940 to 1967, so that youths could “enjoy the pasttime of fishing.” In the County’s “Junior Fishing Project” in the 1940’s, each boy and girl would register at the park guard house: “Upon registration, the child is given a tag, and these tags, issued free of charge, permit the youngster to fish from May to October.” Fishing was permitted on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with daily catch limits, and a requirement that all hooks be barbless.

The fishing program was well organized by Delaware County Parks & Recreation – park guards tracked registrations, and the sizes and totals of  fish caught, with prizes awarded at the end of the season for the largest fish.  In the summer of 1941, “There were 282 registrations throughout the summer of children under 16 years of age. These youngsters proved themselves worthy Izaak Waltonians when a record of the total fish caught was received from Mr. Stokes, guard at Glen Providence Park, as follows: 662 sunfish, 19 perch, 4 bass.” A 17-pound bass was caught in 1940, and in 1945, “Stokes said catfish 10 to 12 inches long having been reported and carp up to 17 inches. Bass are running from 12 to 20 inches long.”

Stocking the pond

All this fishing was sustained by some impressive stocking of the pond with various fish through the years, often by the thousands. Perch, bass, sunfish, carp, catfish, and bullheads were stocked in the 1940’s; and blue gills, largemouth bass, and catfish in the 1960’s.

After stocking the pond with 4,000 catfish, bullheads, and carp in 1942, the County offered a recipe to make use of them: “Carp make good eating, too, park board authorities say. But, they warn, place six to eight potatoes in the same pan, smack up against the fish. Bake until done and then, above all things, discard the potatoes. That’s because the potatoes absorb the objectionable taste and odor. If the carp is prepared in this suggested manner, they say, the carp will easily pass for a fresh Spanish mackerel.”

As with most events and activities in the park’s past, different community organizations contributed to sustaining fishing through the years. In addition to Delaware County Parks & Recreation, those who stocked the pond included the Izaac Walton League in the early 1940’s, the Field and Stream Club in 1949, and Delco Anglers and Conservationists in the 1960’s. In 1950, 4,000 Bluegills were donated by the federal government! In 1963, the Media Jaycees, who were so involved in the park for years through running the Great Media Easter Egg Hunt and the July 4 Fireworks & Festivities, led a fishing expedition for children of Elwyn School: “17 boys caught 35 fish in the morning at Glen Providence Park.”

Fishing Rodeos

After forming as an organization in 1961, Delco Anglers and Conservationists were active in Glen Providence in the 1960’s. They transplanted over 200 Bluegills and 65 Largemouth bass into the pond in 1963. Then in 1965, they held a fishing rodeo for boys and girls up to 15 years old, with more than 100 contestants from 10 communities. Wonderfully, it was a four year old girl who caught more fish than any other contestant in the rodeo! Her well-deserved prize was “a spanking new rod and reed almost twice as tall as she is.”

The Delco Anglers held the “Annual Fishing Rodeo” for at least two more years. The most recent article I found specific to fishing in the park was from 1968, when Glen Providence was one of 4 locations where 2,500 catfish were released: “The whiskered gents have been released in four of the local lakes for your fishing pleasure.”

Fishing today

We don’t have records of fishing at the park in the 1970’s, but we know the pond had virtually dried up by the early 1980’s – when it was revitalized and restocked with frogs, as recounted in A WPA Pond. The pond was likely restocked with fish as well. There are also fish in Broomall’s Run, which feeds the pond, making that another source of fish. 

While there are no longer fishing programs or rodeos, fishing at the pond continues today. Two years ago we discovered fly fishing lessons in the park, run by Delco Manning Trout Unlimited and Sporting Gentleman – when it was located in Media Borough, 2 blocks from the park. We also come across individuals and families “enjoying the pastime of fishing.”

The fish mentioned throughout the newspaper articles are listed as: bass, Largemouth bass, sunfish, Bluegill (sunfish), perch, carp, catfish, and Bullhead (catfish). The fish we have photographed in the past 5 years are: Pumpkinseed and Bluegill sunfish, Bullhead catfish, Common carp, Largemouth bass, and unidentified minnows. If you have more to add to that, let us know – we’ll create a Park Fish List to add to our species lists of the park’s birds, trees, and reptiles & amphibians!

Do you have stories, memories, or photos from fishing in Glen Providence Park, or species to add to those listed? Please email us at FriendsoftheGlen [at] gmail [dot] com.

Read some more details from early articles, and see that four year old fishing champion(!) and photos of the park’s fish, in the gallery below. Sources listed after the gallery.

Sources:

Chester Times & Daily Times articles researched on the Newspaper Archives of Delaware County Library.

Pennsylvania Angler Magazine:
Waders Beware!, August 1937
Successful Season at Junior Project, January 1941

Chester Times:
Thousands Enjoy Relief from Heat in County Parks, July 25, 1940
County’s Park System Program, January 31, 1941
Sports Shorts, May 14, 1941
Fishing Project for Young Folks, May 29, 1941
4000 Fish for Lake in Park, September 2, 1942
Glen Providence, On Edge of Media, Is Bird Haven, July 22, 1944
Glen Providence Fishing Contest To Start July 1, June 29, 1945
Glen Providence Park One of Scenic Spots in County, October 24, 1949
Glen Providence Gets 4000 Blue Gills, November 2, 1950
Glen Providence Is Interesting Spot, May 1, 1951???

Delaware County Daily Times:
Ernie’s Almanac, Ernie Trosino, September 19, 1963
Middletown Jaycees Aid Polio Clinic, October 9, 1963
Ernie’s Almanac, Ernie Trosino, September 2, 1965
Little Girl’s Fish Story Is No Fabulous Fiction, But Fact, September 18, 1965
Ernie’s Almanac, Ernie Trosino, September 15, 1966
Fishing Rodeo Is Scheduled, August 23, 1967
Ernie’s Almanac, Ernie Trosino, April 15, 1968

Additional sources cited in A WPA Pond.

Thank you to Brian Vadino of the Delaware County Conservation District, and Art at the pond, for their assistance with some of the fish ID’s.

On June 28, a beautiful early summer day, environmental science and biology teacher Aura Lester delighted an audience of 18 children and adults with fascinating facts about the flora and fauna of Glen Providence Park. Walking down the hill from the entrance to the park, we stopped to identify a few of our native plants including a sassafras tree by its mitten shaped leaves, the spicebush by the fragrance of its bark and poison ivy by its “leaflets three”.

As we walked toward the glen basin, we spotted native Jewelweed, used as an antidote to the itch of poison ivy. Also identified were some unwelcome invasive plants creeping along the stream edge including multiflora rose, Japanese honeysuckle and common privet.

Nearing the pond, Mrs. Lester reminded the children to approach quietly as nature detectives. Standing still observing from the perimeter, a green patina on the shallow, slow moving water came to life as fish darted just below the surface glinting in reflected daylight and turtles were spied sunning on logs, dragonflies flitting above it all at the marshy edges.

We circled the pond to the other side hoping for a glance of our resident muskrat, but  he did not come out of his burrow this time. The children spotted frenzied activity at ground level and then a profusion of tiny frogs began to emerge from the turf. We watched our step from that point on!

Heading back up the hill to the stage area, Aura led the children in a game of dragonfly tag. The theme continued with an entertaining craft making dragon flies out of spring clothes pins. All went home with glitter glue rainbow colored fingers and a hand made reminder of a sunny summer day!

Hearty thanks to our resident biologist Aura Lester and all who attended for an educational and fun filled event.

Check out the photos of the fun below!

For one year, we kept a monthly photojournal of Glen Providence Park– walking through the park a few times a week looking for wildlife and changing plantlife.  We regularly posted photographs on facebook, and compiled them here in our photojournal.  We wanted to document what is in Glen Providence Park, and share all these discoveries with others!

It was a wonderful way to observe and learn about the park’s array of plants, fungi and wildlife. Having completed a year, we will transition to a more manageable seasonal photojournal. Here’s an overview of what we observed, with links to each month’s photojournal!

A Year in Pictures: August 2011 – July 2012

August – Turtles on fallen Oak after Hurricane Irene

Our photo-exploration started out in August with an abundance of wildlife- with frogs, snakes, and so many turtles!  A Green Heron was frequently seen fishing at the pond.  Hurricane Irene’s damage changed the landscape, including felling a large oak, which was enjoyed by the resident turtle colony until the tree was removed!

In September we discovered the Common Muskrat living in the pond, and so many fungi throughout the park! We spotted the lovely Wood Thrush before it left for the winter, and a pair of Great Blue Heron visited the pond.

Of course the foliage in October was spectacular, and there were so many bird species, it prompted us to document all of our sightings (and historical sightings) on eBird… creating a Park Bird List!

I discovered that November is possibly my favorite month in the park, with the more muted beauty of late fall foliage, and the structure of the trees and landscape visible.  I was startled by a Sharp-shinned Hawk, and snapped my first White-tailed Deer photograph in the park.  The blooming American Witch Hazel and a positively luminous dragonfly added to the enchantment!

With all the leaves down in December, we discovered more old structures in the park, including an original drinking well with a hand pump.  Variations of fog and ice gave the park a new look with every visit.

Red Fox & Ostrich Fern

January was magical with an encounter with a Red Fox, and I learned to pay attention to American Crows: their raucous calls led me to a magnificent Great Horned Owl they were pestering, and I watched them chase a Red-tailed Hawk. We learned how remarkable the park’s abundant Skunk Cabbage is as it melted its way through the frozen ground.

February brought a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers, the tiny flowers of the Skunk Cabbage, and early buds on trees including the Silver Maple.

In March, the pond exploded with sound on first day of spring, as the comical American Toads started their startlingly loud mating call.  And with the warming weather the snakes and turtles emerged, along with the lovely ephemeral Bloodroot!

April was magnificent with so many flowering trees, and the ever-entertaining Common Muskrat re-emerged at the pond.  And there were oodles of American Toad tadpoles!

Right on cue on the first of May we heard the ethereal song of the Wood Thrush, returned from wintering in Central America- and later that month we saw it on its nest! Glen Providence Park was in bloom with elegant Waterlilies in the pond, Mountain Laurel on the eastern hill, and Jack in the Pulpit in the woods.

June brought gorgeous iridescent damselflies, dragonflies, and more muskrat antics.  The abundance of birds included a striking Scarlet Tanager, an especially blue Great Blue Heron, an endearing juvenile Eastern Phoebe, and a Canada Goose family.

In July we wound up our monthly photojournals with butterflies, fungi, a pair of White-tailed Deer, a Green Frog by the pond’s island, and a Skipper on the Echinacea in bloom from our Earth Day Plantings!

There is a photo for each month below, and you can click on any month above to see all of its photographs.  Enjoy the park- you just never know what you will see!

June brought heat waves, thunderstorms, and a world of insects to observe in Glen Providence Park!  One of my favorites is the Ebony Jewelwing, this incredibly blue damselfly which is abundant throughout the park.  There are plenty of dragonflies around the pond, including the aptly named Eastern Amberwing, and the Common Whitetail with its lovely markings.  The Red Admiral butterfly has amazing black and white striped antennae- look for photos of all these below!

A huge Carp was just one of our sightings on our fun Pond Walk.  The Common Muskrat is amusing to watch as it swims around the pond, gobbling up and gathering vegetation- it paid no attention as it swam right past a fishing Green Heron.

6/7 Great Blue Heron over pond

Familiar birds enchanted and entertained visitors to the park- it is always exciting to see Great Blue Herons at the pond!  I watched a juvenile Eastern Phoebe catch insects and then perch on our deer fencing- I was glad to see the phoebe nest in the park had been successful!  A stunningly red Scarlet Tanager was feeding along the Shingle Mill Trail, and I watched a Juvenile Crow successfully begging for pizza(!).  Throughout the month, the “one-bird duet” of the Wood Thrush continued to lend the woods a magical air, though I never did see chicks at its seemingly abandoned, and probably unsuccessful, nest.

There were already fungi emerging in early June, with a remarkably large and orange Sulfur Shelf.  By mid-month, the native rhododendrons along the Ice House Trail’s eastern hill were in bloom.  I saw a few orange Jewelweed flowers towards the end of the month- Jewelweed seems to be especially abundant in the park this year, so there should be many more flowers soon along Broomall’s Run and around the pond!

Click on any photo for a closer look, or scroll through the photos below for a virtual tour.  You can view more photos in our past photojournals, and in our Facebook Albums: including Wildlife, Plant Life, Scenery, and History.

What fun we had on our June 23 Pond Walk!  It was a beautiful morning, and we had our biggest turnout yet- there were at least 19 adults and 17 kids… so many that we lost count!  Led by knowledgeable biologist Aura Lester, we learned about topics including native and invasive pond plants, the dragonfly life cycle, frogs, and muskrats.  As one attendee noted, we are not sure who enjoyed it more- the kids or the adults!

After a primer about being nature detectives with quiet observation, we started with a walk around the pond, of course!   Thanks to the sharp eye of one of the adults, we watched as the pond’s Common Muskrat gathered vegetation around the pond’s edge, and took it back to its burrow.  The muskrat’s motions are almost silly, and it was entertaining to watch!  Other sightings included a large, intimidating-looking carp, Painted Turtles, and dragonflies.   We examined the aquatic vegetation, and sadly learned that the lovely White Water Lilies are not native.

Aura led the kids in a game of dragonfly tag, and took samples of pond water for the kids to investigate under a magnifying glass.  It all ended with a delightful frog craft– leaving the adults jealous of the kids!

A big thank you to Aura Lester for the informative and fun pond walk, and to everyone who attended!

Scroll through the event photos below for a virtual tour… photos by Marcia Tate unless otherwise noted.

From late fall foliage to a rare pre-Halloween snow, it was an odd month! At least we had some days of gorgeous weather after months of record rain, and we were still able to see some reptiles, which will soon go into hibernation until March or April. These two Red-eared Sliders swam across the pond and out of sight with that large caught fish! The region’s most common striped snake, this Common Garter Snake was still out at the end of October.

Red-eared Sliders with fish

We spotted some White-tailed Deer… did you know they were hunted to extinction in Delaware County by 1862, then reintroduced from Michigan in 1906 for hunters? (see endnote) You would if you heard our park natural history presentation to the Media Providence Friends Middle School science class!

This striking red dragonfly may be a Meadowhawk

We are enchanted by the (slowly-changing!) foliage. We especially love the Sassafras tree, in part because of its three different leaf shapes- including mittens & ghosts!

Sassafrass leaves!

The beautiful American Beech tree is plentiful in the park- you can identify this large tree by its smooth gray bark. This beech was hosting a Tufted Titmouse…

Tufted Titmouse in American Beech

Which brings us to the birds! We are beginning to really appreciate why this park was dedicated as a Bird Sanctuary, and why early newspaper articles raved about the birds to be found. We’ve entered our own sightings and historical data on eBird.org, creating the Glen Providence Park Bird List: a database of birds sighted in the park covering over 100 years!

Mourning Dove

As birds are often heard and not seen, we recognized the need to learn bird calls (try eNature.com). Two easier ones to start with: the Mourning Dove’s doleful “… cooo, coo, coo,” and the Carolina Wren’s three-syllable chant that sounds like “tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea.”

Carolina Wren

Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Black-throated Green Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warblers… so many have hyphenated names! You can find the park’s complete list for the month on eBird, or scroll through our photos on facebook.

We saw many hikers, dog walkers, and a family having their portrait done. Among the school classes visiting the park, Penncrest High School science students spent three days conducting water studies.

Blue Jay

In the midst of it all, we took part in early planning to figure out how to make the pond healthy and sustainable. Read Upcoming Changes: Pond & Wetlands for a summary.  And we enjoyed a beautiful morning installing a stepping stone stream crossing and discovering the source of two natural springs at our second Park Clean-Up & History Reclamation! We also saw that part of the Shingle Mill Trail is flooding due to a large fallen tree in Broomall’s Run… and it does not look like that tree will be easy to remove. Wear your boots!

As for the snow on October 29… how did we not get a picture of that?!

Entrance to "Shingle Mill Trail"

End Note: According to  George Smith’s 1862 “History of Delaware County,” the county’s White-tailed Deer had been hunted to extinction, along with elk, wolves and bear.  According to the 1999 “A Land of Providence and its People”, White-tailed Deer were transported into this area from Michigan in 1906, “to answer the desire of hunters and others.”

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

White-breasted Nuthatch

From a description of Media in 1900:  “Turn to the west, and you shall see a landscape not devoid of wildness. Scroggie valley… with its lake and its rill; [2] the wide vale of Ridley Creek…; Mineral Hill, rugged and scarred; the heights of Lima and the stately dome of Elwyn. And when the sun sinks of a summer evening behind those western hills, and the hues of that landscape shift and change; or when of an afternoon, a thunder storm comes slowly down the valley; then does one at last perceive the full charm of this little bit of the world which is at his own door.”  [3] [bold added]

Wood Thrush ("wood-robin")

In 1889, T. Chalkley Palmer wrote about “Scroggie”, [4]  fondly recounting his exploration of Scroggie Valley since early childhood.  “As for the valley and its hills as they now are, I have known all their nooks since the beauty, the quietness, and the nameless charm of Scroggie drew my steps through the opening, and by degrees toward the far, blue, woody ending thereof more than twenty years ago.” [5]

T.C. Palmer admired Scroggie’s plants: trailing arbutus, laurel, blackberries, purple lady’s slipper, “jewel-weeds”, oaks and chestnut trees; [6] its birds: chewink, oven-bird and “wood-robin”; [7] and its fish: redfins, minnows, sunfish and roach. In Scroggie Valley, a young T.C. Palmer learned to distinguish frog and toad eggs. His tales of wildlife encounters include lizards, black snakes, woodchuck, snappers, grasshoppers, crickets, and a story about catching a watersnake named Joe, who refused to eat in captivity: “A council was held, and as a result we carried him back to Scroggie and liberated him.”

Northern Water Snake - Joe's descendant?

Who was T. Chalkley Palmer?  He grew up at a mill house along Ridley Creek where the Aqua plant is located- at the mouth of Scroggie Valley. He went on to become the president both of the Delaware County Institute of Science, and of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia!

It is fortunate to have this detailed 1889 description of Scroggie Valley as a reference for today’s Glen Providence Park!

Scroggie House:

We don’t know which was named first, the house or the valley.  A house at Kirk Lane & Ridley Creek Road, near the mouth of Broomall’s Run, was called Scroggie as late as 1952. It was said to be named after a shingle mill that was once in Scroggie Valley where the park is now located. [8]

End Notes:

[1] Scroggie is a Scottish word which means “covered with underwood, bushy.”

[2] The lake is Broomall’s Lake, and a rill is a small brook.  The brook is now called Broomall’s Run.

[3] Quote from the “Semi-centennial of the borough of Media, Penna, May 19, 1900”

[4] T. Chalkley Palmer’s 13 page essay “Scroggie” was published over three issues of  a Philadelphia monthly The Student, the 1889-1890 issues being compiled in one volume:

– “Scroggie: Where and What It Is,” December 1889, pages 91-94

– “Scroggie: Early Memories,” January 1890, pages 122-126

– “Scroggie As It Is,” February 1890, pages 169-172

1909 Map of Upper Providence Township

[5] That the valley of Broomall’s Run is Scroggie Valley is confirmed in T. Chalkley Palmer’s December 1889 essay, stating “Scroggie stream meets Elwyn stream face to face at Ridley Brook.”  You can confirm this on Google maps!

[6] Oak remains a predominant tree in the valley, but the majestic American Chestnut tree was virtually eliminated in North America by a blight in the early 1900’s.  Decades of research have been done in an effort to bring them back, including at the Chestnut Nursery at Tyler Arboretum in Media.

[7] Chewink is a towhee of eastern North America.  “Wood-robin” is a common name for the Wood Thrush: its flute-like song can still be heard in Glen Providence Park!

[8] We found this 1909 map in the Media Historic Archives that shows the Scroggie house (spelled Scrogie on the map).

The November 13, 1948 Chester Times obituary of Louis Little indicates that his family estate Scroggie  “was named for an old shingle mill that was located in the valley where Glen Providence Park is now situated”.

We will update these notes as we gather more information!

Researched by Stephanie Gaboriault