“Happy new year”
  I say to the wise old trees.
    “Just enjoy the day.”                               

Trees don’t talk to me –
  their long, open sighs welcome
    all who cooperate                     

The trees sleep standing
   They don’t see the pond freezing
      All winter they sleep               

Winter sunset –
  bright sun and clouds, but not warm,
    West ridge on fire                                          

No sound    no movement
   sun setting through frozen woods –
      Aha!   a wren’s song.                    

Path is snow-icy
  detail and depth perception
    heightened on the braes

Wandering thru clans
    of trees in the open woods
      I feel connections.                 

Looking with the sun
   upstream in the local Glen     
      so many bare trunks                              

The 2100 Project is an inspiring website that champions ideas to create a better, more sustainable future. It features an array of monthly essays, artwork, and quotes surrounding sustainability, with links to impressive work being done to improve our world. “We at the 2100 Project believe that humans can and will act to shape a better future. In fact, there are already demonstrable steps in this direction; and this site will spotlight and catalogue those bold actions, ideas and partnerships.”

My brother, Dr. Rhine Singleton, is the Director of The 2100 Project, and I was honored when he invited me to submit an article. It became a personal essay of how the rich history of Glen Providence Park, and Scroggie Valley before it, keeps me inspired to work for the park’s preservation and restoration. Scroggie Valley: How History Inspires Conservation is October’s featured article. I share this link on what would be the 156th birthday of T. Chalkley Palmer, the man who wrote so poetically about Scroggie Valley in 1889, and inspired so much of my historical research.

Read more about The 2100 Project below, and visit the website!

“Why 2100?

By 2100, according to many demographers, human population growth will have stabilized. By 2100, we can have moved beyond fossil fuels, slowed climate change and significantly reduced environmental degradation. And by 2100, we can make real strides towards solving inequities among human societies.

How will we defy the odds, find solutions, enact change? In the face of global climate change, species extinctions, and the huge inequities in wealth and resources among human societies, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and dispirited. How can we realize E.O. Wilson’s vision, “to raise people everywhere to a decent standard of living while preserving as much of the rest of life as possible”?

We believe that it’s critical to build momentum and to collaborate; to learn from the great work that’s being done and to share new and innovative solutions. This website provides a forum for a wide diversity of views and perspectives in order to celebrate successes and find positive ways forward.”

Photo From: https://pixabay.com/en/peregrine-falcon-predator-raptor-371610/

We have monthly nature walks (or volunteer days) in Glen Providence Park, year-round! We’ve documented our Spring Cleanups in March and April and our Spring Bird Walk in May – here we recount our other 2016 Nature Walks (and a History Lecture!) through June, including a photo gallery. Join us for some of our upcoming 2016 events – they are always free and open to the public!

January – Tree Mapping

Shannon Davidson and Marcia Tate led us on a beautiful, cold, and fun afternoon tree mapping in the park! Thirteen volunteers added almost 50 trees by the Kirk Lane entrance to the PhillyTreeMap database, including one new species for our Park Tree List.

February – Scroggie Valley History Lecture

There was a great turnout for February’s history presentation about T. Chalkley Palmer and Scroggie Valley (the park’s 19th century name) at the Delaware County Institute of Science (DCIS) – 81 people attended! I had fun working with Roger Mitchell and Walt Cressler on this lecture, and sharing some of what we’ve learned about the the history, flora, and fauna of Glen Providence Park – and about its enthusiastic early fan, T. Chalkley Palmer.

April – Native Plant Walk

Just one week after a crazy spring snow(!), we had a spectacular spring day for our Native Plant Walk – with Black Cherry and Redbud trees in bloom, Mayapples and Trout Lilies emerging, and Flowering Dogwood and Silverbell trees getting ready to blossom. Shannon Davidson and Marcia Tate led us again,  sharing their extensive knowledge about so many interesting plants with enthusiastic (note-taking!) attendees!

June – Herpetology Walk

It was another great herpetology walk with Kyle Loucks of the PA Amphibian & Reptile Survey – the third walk Kyle has led for us! Our early morning attendees found 9 species of reptiles and amphibians, including Dusky Salamander, Northern Watersnake, Pickerel Frog, Green Frog, and Painted Turtle; a tiny American Toad(let); and new for our Park Reptile & Amphibian List, the invasive Yellow-bellied Slider. We also saw iridescent Ebony Jewelwing damselflies by the pond, and heard the distinctive rattling call of a Belted Kingfisher throughout morning.

Thank you to everyone who attended these park events, to DCIS for scheduling our history lecture, and to our wonderful volunteer walk leaders! You can see photos in our gallery below – click on any photo for a closer look.

This spring, we learned about an 1897 inscription on an American Beech tree in Glen Providence Park! Research into its author revealed a family with deep roots in Media Borough, and direct involvement with other well-known characters and places in the park’s pre-history, from its years when it was known as Scroggie Valley. We also estimated the remarkable age of what is likely one of the park’s oldest trees.

Out of obvious view of passersby, the ornamental inscription reads:

Isaac Worrall
Media, Pa.
April 3, 1897

The Worralls were one of the earliest European families to settle near Media[1] after William Penn arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682. Early maps show a Worrall property across Ridley Creek from Broomall’s Run,[2] and you can find the Worrall family (sometimes spelled Worrell) on most of the historical maps of Media we have found.

The Isaac Worralls of Media

Four generations of Isaac Worralls listed on Ancestry.com lived and died in Media, Pennsylvania [3] – the 1860 census confirms the birth years of the first three generations.[4] At least the first three were builders, and seemingly all were active in community service. The first Isaac Worrall lived 1792-1865, the second 1827-1893, the third 1854-1920, and the fourth 1884-1948.[5] That’s at least 156 years of Isaac Worralls in Media! The third Isaac Worrall is likely our artistic inscriber – he would have been 43 years old in 1897.

The Isaac Worralls seem to have been involved in the shaping of Media Borough in its early decades after it was established in 1850. Just one source, the 1900 Semi-centennial of the Borough of Media,[6] lists Isaac Worrall as one of the incorporators of Christ Church in 1854; Isaac Worrall, Jr. as one of the incorporators of the Media Gas Company in 1866; and Isaac Worrall as a Burgess of Media 1891-1892. An Isaac Worrall served as a private in the Civil War under none other than captain John M. Broomall[7] – an active opponent of slavery, a US Congressman, and the owner of Scroggie Valley from around 1864 to his death in 1894. Continuing into the 20th century, an Isaac Worrall was one of the founding members of South Media Fire Company in 1922.[8]

Scroggie Builders!

Beyond community involvement, the Isaac Worralls left tangible marks – they built structures that still stand in Media. An 1855 Map of Media lists Isaac Worrall, Jr. as a mason;[9] the 1860 census lists Isaac Worrall as “Master Stone Mason”; and an 1870 Plan of Media lists “Isaac Worrall, builder.”[10] Several Worrall building projects are listed in the local papers from the late 1800’s, including the brick “centre building” of the Elwyn Institute in 1858.[11] An 1864 advertisement for bricks manufactured by Isaac Worrall, Jr. lists “all kinds of Bricks, consisting of hard, salmon, pressed, back and front stretchers, paving, etc., all well assorted, and of the best qualities”[12] – Worrall bricks could have been used in any number of remaining 19th century buildings around Media!

Notably, in 1867, Isaac Worrall built a “farm house” for his former Civil War captain, Judge John M. Broomall, at “Scrogy”, as announced in the Delaware County American: “The scenery around it is abrupt, yet very fine, and such as might suit the visionary fancies of the romantic, but not the more practical ideas of a thorough farmer.” [13] So, Isaac Worall built the stone Scroggie estate that still exists today, which shared its name with Scroggie Valley and the Scroggie Shingle Mill, and played a role in the glen’s 1700’s Newlywed Ghost Story! 

Delaware County Institute of Science

More Worrall intersections with Glen Providence history can be found in the Delaware County Institute of Science (DCIS). In 1902, DCIS President T. Chalkley Palmer presented a paper about“Local Mineralogy and Mineralogists,” [14] including Isaac Worrell[5] among the mineralogists. Chalkley Palmer is the man who wrote in depth about Scroggie Valley in 1889, and who was the subject of our history lecture at DCIS in February. DCIS has microscope slides of diatoms collected by Palmer at “Worrell’s Spring” in 1902, which we discovered when viewing slides Palmer collected from Scroggie Run. The 1911 Proceedings of the Delaware County Institute of Science lists in the Anthropology Section of its Museum Catalogue, “Collection of several hundred arrow heads, supposed to be mainly local, presented by Isaac Worrall, Sr., of Media.”[15] These would likely be from the local Okehocking, and it is fun to imagine some could have been collected in the glen.

So how old is the tree?

In 2015, we measured the diameter of the tree as 45.5”. Based on a formula by the International Society of Arboriculture to estimate the age of trees without taking a core sample, we multiplied the diameter by 6 to estimate the age of an American Beech tree in a wooded area. [16] The estimated age is 273 years old – the American Beech could have been growing as early as 1742, before the American Revolution! The tree would have had to be fairly large already in 1897 when Isaac Worrall carved that inscription.

How intruiging that the Isaac Worrall who left a long-lasting mark in Glen Providence Park was part of such an enduring family of Media, and a part of Scroggie Valley history!

A tremendous thank you to Scott McConnell for telling us about the American Beech, which we had walked past innumerable times without noticing its inscription. What a wonderful piece of history – we are so glad Scott was observant enough to discover it!

At this point, to protect the tree, we won’t publish where in the park it is located. If you have any photographs or more information about the Isaac Worralls of Media Borough or their descendants, please let us know! 

Endnotes are below the photo.

“Isaac Worrall
Media, Pa.
April 3, 1897″

ENDNOTES:

[1] The Rose Tree Families, Jane Levis Carter, KNA Press, 1984.

[2] “Map of Early Settlements from early Taylor Surveys,” The Rose Tree Families, Jane Levis Carter, KNA Press, 1984.

[3] Ancestry.com records on Isaac Worrall retrieved May 26, 2016.

[4] June 25, 1860 census of “Free Inhabitants in Media Borough” accessed through Ancestry.com, listing the second Isaac Worrall as a “Master Stone Mason.”

[5] As each generation aged, the use of Jr. gave way to Sr., making it unclear to which of the four Isaac Worralls some of the local records referred. Additionally, Worrall is occasionally spelled as Worrell (even within the same family), and there were other Isaac Worralls living in the area in the 1800’s. But the 1860 census of Media Borough make the birth years of the first three generations clear. There is an obituary consistent with this family history for “Isaac Worrall, Member of Old Family” in the August 2, 1948 Chester Times.

[6] Semi-centennial of the Borough of Media, Penna., May 19, 1900.

[7] PaCivilWar.com – retrieved May 26, 2016. Isaac Worrall was in the Sixteenth Regiment Militia under Captain John M. Broomall.

[8] South Media Fire Company, http://www.southmediafire.com/our-history.php retrieved May 31, 2016. Three other Worralls were included in the founders.

[9] 1855 Map of Media the Seat of Justice Delaware County, Pennsylvania by Thos. Hughes, C.E., courtesy of Media Historic Archives.

[10] 1870 Plan of the Borough of Media, PA by G.M. Hopkins, C.E., courtesy of Delaware County Institute of Science.

[11] “A Noble Institution,” Delaware County Republican, June 11, 1858.

[12] “Media Brick Yard,” Delaware County American, May 4, 1864.

[13] “Improvements in Media,” Delaware County American, April 10, 1867.

[14] Delaware County Institute of Science Minutes: “October 16, 1902 – President Palmer read a highly interesting paper on “Local Mineralogy and Mineralogists”. Among the latter he referred to Dr. George Smith, Col. Joseph Willcox, Theodore D. Rand, Dr. J. M. Cardeza, Patrick Bradley, Lewis Palmer, John Smedley, Deshong, Dr. W. T. W. Dickeson, and Isaac Worrell.”

[15] Proceedings of the Delaware County Institute of Science, Volume VI: October, 1910 to July, 1911. Media.

[16] Asheville GreenWorks, ashevillegreenworks.org/how-old-is-my-tree retrieved May 26, 2016.

In the 1800’s, the land that is now Glen Providence Park was called Scroggie Valley. Forty-year Delaware County Institute of Science (DCIS) President T. Chalkley Palmer grew up exploring the valley, which he affectionately wrote about in 1889. This historical lecture at DCIS will cover the Palmer family, T. Chalkley’s scientific work, and the history, flora, and fauna of Glen Providence Park.

T. Chalkley Palmer’s Scroggie Valley

& Glen Providence Park

Monday, February 8
7:30pm
Delaware County Institute of Science, Veterans Square, Media

Presenters:

J. Roger Mitchell, President of the Delaware County Institute of Science
Walt Cressler, Ph.D., West Chester University
Stephanie Gaboriault, President of Friends of Glen Providence Park

If you have never visited the Delaware County Institute of Science, you have missed a hidden treasure in the center of Media! Founded in 1833, the museum exhibits an amazing array of collections – including minerals, fossils, historical maps, mounted birds, and late 1800’s radios, radio vacuum tubes, and microscopes. Come early and explore the Institute!

Doors open at 6:30pm, presentation begins at 7:30pm. Estimated length 1 hour.

Goblins, ghosts, and witches returned to Glen Providence Park for its Halloween 80th birthday party! Amidst the deepening shadows on the last evening in October, more than 160 revelers came out to celebrate the 80th birthday of Glen Providence Park. 

Witches, scarecrows and the young at heart, making their way toward the glimmering stage filled with jack o’lanterns, descended from the main entrance to Glen Providence Park along a path lighted with glowing luminarias. Trees in full fall splendor reflected the glow of sun setting into the valley below. Lions and tigers and bears clambered up a trail out of the glen to join the spectacle of other brightly colored merrymakers anticipating the first Halloween event in the park in more than twenty-five years.

The lilting voice of Hedgerow’s Grey Kelsey, accompanied by her guitar, filled the air with a medley of spooky songs warming up the crowd for an evening of both tricks and treats by the resourceful and talented actors of Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, America’s first repertory theatre.

The entertainment took a dramatic turn with the narrative “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping…” During his spellbinding performance, Brock Vickers’ footsteps hammered out across the stage, the haunting syncopated rhythm of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven”. Vickers captivated the audience – that spanned all ages, from the first line to the last ‘nevermore.’ Still one of the most memorable poems of all times, it was published by Poe in 1845.

Following the lively “Witches’ Play” with Susan Wefel, Glen Providence Park Board President Stephanie Gaboriault invited the children on stage to blow out a candle on one of the cupcakes commemorating the park’s birthday. Cupcakes were then distributed among the audience and actors who still had room for a little more sugar!

Work started on Glen Providence Park on October 31, 1935 – a fitting birthday considering the glen’s haunted past, as recounted in 1909 in a scrapbook of prominent local physician and historian Dr. Anna Broomall. Two stories of local folklore documented in that scrapbook took place in Glen Providence Park long before 1935, back when it was called Scroggie Valley: a 1700’s Newlywed Ghost Story and the 1800’s Witches Ride. The Hedgerow Ensemble enacted both of these eerie tales,  also recreating a scene from the tavern in one of the stories, with Hedgerow Executive Director Penelope Reed as Dr. Anna Broomall.

Twilight enveloped the park as the evening concluded with Grey Kelsey leading the audience and Hedgerow actors in singing the Hallowe’en song. A parade of costumed characters departed the park for a night of trick or treating on the town.

This celebration exceeded all our expectations and we are so grateful for the many people and organizations that supported this wonderful community event.

Thank you to our Event Sponsor Sterling Pig, the exciting new restaurant and brewery located on the border of Glen Providence Park, just one block from the main entrance. The amazing ensemble actors of Hedgerow Theatre, our wonderful partner in this dramatic event, made the experience fun and brought history to life. Delaware County Parks & Recreation restored the historical stage this summer for the park’s 80th anniversary. They have cared for Glen Providence Park since its creation in 1935, and their support makes our events possible.

And a special round of applause to the many families, friends, neighbors and members of the community who participated whole heartedly in this event!

See the wonderful photos by George Tate for a taste of this bewitching event! Click on any for a closer look, or scroll through them all…

Most photos by George Tate, with additional photos by Stephanie Gaboriault, Holly Hoffmann, and Friends of Houtman Park.

Join Hedgerow Theatre and Friends of Glen Providence Park for a ghostly Halloween celebration of Glen Providence Park’s 80th birthday! Get your trick-or-treaters ready, and bring them for spooky songs and poetry, and a visiting witch at the historical Glen Providence Park stage – then celebrate with birthday cake (what’s a little more sugar on Halloween?). Trick-or-treaters can head off when they like, or stay with older kids and adults for Hedgerow’s staging of fantastical folklore from the park’s past.

Saturday, October 31, 2015
5:30-6:45 (leading into trick-or-treating!)
Glen Providence Park Stage, State Street, Media
* Rain date Sunday, November 1 

Free, family-friendly, & open to the public – costumes welcome!

Work started on Glen Providence Park on October 31, 1935 – so this Halloween is Glen Providence Park’s 80th birthday! It’s a fitting birthday considering the glen’s haunted past, as recounted in 1909 in a scrapbook of prominent local physician and historian Dr. Anna Broomall: “Back in the early days of this region before civilization had turned too strong a light on things occult, the neighborhood was peopled with its full quota of goblins, ghosts and witches…”

Two accounts of local folklore documented in that scrapbook took place in Glen Providence Park long before 1935, back when it was called Scroggie Valley: a 1700’s Newlywed Ghost Story and the 1800’s Witches Ride. Hedgerow will enact both of those strange and eerie tales! Darkening skies, jack-o-lanterns, and majestic trees by the historical stage will lend to the atmosphere:

• As the shadows deepen at 5:30, we’ll start with Spooky Halloween Songs with Grey Kelsey, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven with Brock Vickers, and Witches’ Play with Susan Wefel.
• At 6:00 we’ll have cake to celebrate the ghostly birthday of Glen Providence Park. Trick-or-treaters can head off when they like.
• As darkness falls, at 6:15 the Hedgerow Ensemble will enact the Newlywed Ghost Story and Witches Ride, with Hedgerow Executive Director Penelope Reed as Dr. Anna Broomall!

Let’s bring goblins, ghosts, and witches back to Glen Providence Park for its Halloween birthday!

Presented by Hedgerow Theatre & Friends of Glen Providence Park
Sponsored by Sterling Pig & Friends of Glen Providence Park
With support from Delaware County Parks & Recreation

Thank you:

• Event Sponsor Sterling Pig, the exciting new restaurant and brewery located on the border of Glen Providence Park, just one block from the main entrance!
• Hedgerow Theatre, our wonderful partner for this community event. This historical theatre in Rose Valley is America’s first repertory theatre!
• Delaware County Parks & Recreation restored the historical stage this summer for the park’s 80th anniversary. They have cared for Glen Providence Park since its creation in 1935, and their support makes our events possible.

* If the weather is questionable, we will post on Facebook and on our website by noon Saturday whether we will use our Sunday rain date.

Dr. Anna Broomall’s scrapbooks are preserved at the impressive Delaware County Historical Society in Chester, PA.

Our first clue of a mill having been in “Scroggie Valley,” now Glen Providence Park, was in local historian Dr. Anna Broomall’s 1700’s Newlywed Ghost Story – a bit of local folklore with details that launched much research about the valley’s early history, and yielded the discovery that the park had once been called Scroggie Valley! I gradually found more evidence of a mill in early newspapers, maps, and local history books. It turns out the 1800’s shingle mill was the site of some unfortunate events – and there is possibly even an 1864 photograph of the mill!

A millrace through Glen Providence Park?

The 1700’s Newlywed Ghost Story had this intriguing hint of a mill having been in the park: “The ghost of this unfortunate woman was for many years afterwards reported to walk up and down the valley to the west of Media along the old race bank which extended from Scroggie about as far up the valley as the present Broomall’s Lake. The remains of this race bank are still visible.” These sentences led to a determined search for any reference to a millrace (mill stream) or mill in Glen Providence Park, and the eventual compilation of several pieces of evidence that it existed!

A 1909 map shows the residence of the Little family, at the southwest end of Glen Providence Park in Upper Providence, named Scroggie. The 1948 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.” According to this, the Scroggie home and Scroggie Valley were named after the shingle mill!

1855 Close-up showing the Shingle Mill Stream that was diverted from Broomall’s Run within what is now the park – to power the shingle mill near Ridley Creek.

This seemed anectodal until discovering the shingle mill stream clearly marked on an 1855 map of Media, starting just below 3rd Street (the future location of Broomall’s Dam), and running along the western (Upper Providence) side of the valley, while the natural stream continued along the Media side of the valley. An 1860 map of Chester County marks the location of the shingle mill near Ridley Creek!

So what is a shingle mill, and when was it built?

A shingle mill is used to slice a section of log into tapered wedges to make wooden shingles. Before asphalt shingles, most roofs were covered in wooden shingles. You can see photos and videos of antique shingle mills in use on the Ontario Steam Heritage Museum website. Being water-powered, the Scroggie Shingle Mill used a millrace that diverted a portion of water from the natural stream. The millrace would be engineered to accelerate the water down a manmade channel through the valley, turning the water wheel that powered the sawblade at the mill.

According to Dr. Anna Broomall’s notes from 1909, in 1848 John Hill “built the mill for splitting shingles, but, owing to some deficit in the method, the work was soon abandoned… It is not known with whom the name “Scroggie” (pronounced Scrogie, long o and hard g) originated, it dates, at least, as far back as the Hill ownership.” It would seem the shingle mill caused Mr. Hill some headaches over the next decade…

1861 drawing of the Scroggie house – from Anna Broomall’s collection at Delaware County Historical Society

Media’s first fire, and a lawsuit!

The shingle mill was the location of the first fire in Media on June 20, 1851, which, according to the 19th century historian Henry Ashmead, was “the first untoward event in the infant village” (Media was founded in 1850). He indicates “There was no similar disaster until after the lapse of eight years.” The newspaper reported, “The shingle factory of John Hill, at Media, together with a quantity of lumber was destroyed by fire on Friday last. We have heard no estimate of the loss.”

Mr. Hill apparently rebuilt the mill, only to be sued by his neighbor in 1857 over its operation. The outcome of John R. Lewis vs. John Hill is detailed in the local papers. Mr. Lewis alleged that he was entitled to ½ the water of Scroggie’s stream (according to an undocumented 999-year lease), but that the flow of water was frequently interrupted by the defendant placing gates in the run to power his shingle mill. The judge ruled that Mr. Lewis had the right to only about 1/6 of the stream’s water, for the purpose of watering his meadow, and for which he paid an ear of corn annually. The jury returned a verdict of $5 in damages for the plaintiff. It is unknown whether Mr. Lewis was satisfied with this outcome.

The shingle mill location… and an 1800’s photograph?

I have found no records of the Scroggie Shingle Mill in operation after 1861, but I did come across an intriguing photograph on Facebook of a “lumber mill on Ridley Creek in 1864.” The origin of the photo is unknown, but I decided to visit the likely site of the shingle mill within Glen Providence Park to compare the landscape to the 1864 photo. This is the location where the millrace that hugged the Upper Providence side of the valley would have been funneled by topography to join the natural stream, making it the logical location of the mill. The result is similar topography, as shown in these photographs!

“Lumber Mill on Ridley Creek in 1864” posted by Harvey Martin on “I Grew Up In Media” Facebook page – origin of photo unknown.

Probable Shingle Mill location in Glen Providence Park in January 2015 – the shingle mill would be just behind the large tree in the center of the photo

If this 1800’s photograph is of the Scroggie shingle mill, this would make the latest documentation of the mill in 1864, which, according to Anna Broomall, is the same year that Judge John M. Broomall purchased the Scroggie estate, then razed the original wooden house and built the current stone house in 1867. It is plausible that he would have razed the property’s shingle mill around the same time.

If anyone has more information on the source of the 1864 photograph, please contact us! Even if it were not an actual photo of the Scroggie Shingle Mill, it would be an example of a local mill during the same time period.

Observant hikers may find what seem to be signs of the old millrace along the western edge of the valley, bordering the wetlands. You can see the approximate location of the shingle mill marked on our 2011 Annotated Trail Map, which includes the “Shingle Mill Trail” nickname for the path leading to the mill site.

Click on the photos below for more evidence of the Scroggie shingle mill. Coincidentally, the Scroggie name seems to originate from the 1840’s, the same decade in which Charles Dickens was inspired by the gravestone of Ebeneezer Scroggie to write “A Christmas Carol.” 

Sources:

• 1848 Map of Delaware County by Joshua W. Ash, M.D. from original surveys with the farm limits, courtesy of Delaware County Institute of Science, Media, PA
• 1855 Map of Media the Seat of Justice Delaware County, Pennsylvania by Thos. Hughes, C.E., courtesy of Media Historic Archives, Media, PA
• 1860 Map of Chester Co Pennsylvania by T.J. Kennedy, on display in the 2nd floor lobby of the Delaware County Courthouse, Media, PA
• 1909 Map from the “Property Atlas of Delaware County East of Ridley Creek,” courtesy of Media Historic Archives, Media, PA
• “Burned, ” Delaware County Republican, June 27, 1851
• “Error,” Delaware County American, June 17, 1857
• History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Henry Graham Ashmead, L.H. Everts & Co.,Philadelphia, 1884, p. 590
• “Lumber Mill on Ridley Creek in 1864,” I Grew Up In Media PA Facebook page, posted by Harvey Martin September 9, 2013, origin unknown.
• “John R. Lewis vs. John Hill,” Delaware County American, June 10, 1857
• “Local “Witches” of Long Ago Described by Dr. Broomall,” Chester Times, May 15, 1931
• “Louis Little, Rifle Expert, Broker, Is Dead,” Chester Times, November 13, 1948
• Ontario Steam Heritage Museum, http://woodgears.ca/steam_museum/shingle_mills.html
• Photograph album collection of Dr. Anna E. Broomall, Delaware County Historical Society, Chester, PA
• The Rose Tree Families, Jane Levis Carter, KNA Press, 1984

For those who love history, maps, or both(!), it is interesting to track the progression of development surrounding the land that is now Glen Providence Park! We’ve compiled over 20 maps in chronological order, starting with property lines of European settlers in 1681. Early maps were of Chester County, before Delaware County was founded in 1789. Some of the locations and property owners play a part in the park’s history and folklore, as noted in the captions.

Most of these maps are zoomed in from larger maps, focusing on the valley that is now Glen Providence Park. Not all maps are oriented with north at the top, some are almost sideways! The best way to orient yourself is often to find Broomall’s Run, which runs the length of Glen Providence Park, and is shown on most maps.

Thank you to the institutions and organizations that have preserved and displayed these wonderful maps: Delaware County Institute of Science, Media Historic Archives, DelawareCountyHistory.com, Delaware County Courthouse, Delaware County Parks & Recreation, and Brandywine Conference & Visitors Bureau at Rose Tree Tavern. Below the map gallery, there are links and more information about each institution, along with a listing of which maps we found there.

Scroll through time below – you can click on any map for a closer look!

Sources:

Media Historic Archives:
Archival material about Media Borough and vicinity – including photographs, manuscripts, and maps! Located in the Media-Upper Providence Free Library, Media, PA. You can visit by appointment, during library hours.

1855 Map of Media the Seat of Justice Delaware County, Pennsylvania by Thos. Hughes, C.E.
1892 Map of Media
1909 Map from the “Property Atlas of Delaware County East of Ridley Creek”
1941 The Nature Guide to Glen Providence Park issued by Delaware County Park and Recreation Board
1951 Borough of Media, Delaware County, Penna

Delaware County Institute of Science:
One of Media’s hidden treasures, with a wide array of collections, right on Veterans Square in Media! Open most Monday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings, 9:00am – 12:00noon.

1681 Fac-simile of Holmes Map of the Province of Pennsylvania with the names of the original purchasers from William Penn – begun in 1681 (reproduced in 1846)
1683 A draft of some part of the county of Chester in Pensilvania by Charles Ashcom Surveyor
1810 A Map of Delaware County as Divided into Townships
1848 Map of Delaware County by Joshua W. Ash, M.D. from original surveys with the farm limits
1870 Plan of the Borough of Media, PA by G.M. Hopkins, C.E.

DelawareCountyHistory.com:
An impressive collection of documents and maps (more than we show here!) are scanned and well organized on this website – available 24/7!

1785 Township Map of Chester County Pennsylvania by Joshua W. Ash, M.D.
1862 Map of the Early Settlements of Delaware County, Penna – from George Smith’s 1862 History of Delaware County
1875 An Historical Map of Pennsylvania by P.W. Sheafer and others – Historical Society of Pennsylvania
1875 Map of Upper Providence Township
1882 Map of the Township of Upper Providence showing the Early Grants & Patents
1946 Map of Delaware County, Penna. produced by Office of Engineer of Delaware County, A.C. Throne, County Engineer

Delaware County Parks & Recreation:

1945 Plan of Glen Providence Park by J. Earl Kirk, Engineer

Delaware County Courthouse:
On display in the 2nd floor lobby by Council Chambers, along with an 1860 map of Philadelphia and Vicinity:

1860 Map of Chester Co Pennsylvania by T.J. Kennedy

Brandywine Conference & Visitors Bureau at Rose Tree Tavern:

1870 Map from the Atlas of Delaware County, Pennsylvania by Henry W. Hopkins

Personal collection:

1892 Plan of Upper Providence Township from Atlas of Delaware County by J.L. Smith
1995 USGS Media Quadrangle Map

We will add more maps of interest as we find them!

We had a fantastic turnout on a beautiful morning on November 8 for a fun geology tour of Glen Providence Park! With humor and interesting anecdotes, geologist Charles Randall taught us about the “orogeny,” the geological forces that created the terrain of the “glen,” which is the Scottish term for a deep valley. It wasn’t caused by glaciers – the glacier line was north at Blue Mountain in the Poconos!

The Appalachians, once as high as the Himalayas are today, were formed when the African tectonic plate collided (over millions of years) with the North American plate. The glen is (perhaps fortuitously) parallel to both the Appalachians and the Atlantic coast, in line with the geologic faults from that collision. It is interesting that before tectonic theory had developed, T. Chalkley Palmer made some accurate observations about the geology of the glen in his 1889 essay about Scroggie Valley!

Don’t expect to find any fossils in the park – there simply aren’t any in the metamorphic Wissahickon Schist that underlies the area. Wissahickon Schist has varying amounts of mica and quartz, and comprises some of the rocks in the Eleanor Reed Butler Waterfall by the pond. The stream is the best place to look for rocks in the park, as those on land are generally covered with soil – but after many years of disruption, even those in the stream might not have originated in the park.

Along the way on our walk there were turtles, lingering fall foliage, a Belted Kingfisher flying over the pond, and the native American witch hazel with its yellow flowers in bloom. Thank you to Charles Randall for leading us, and to the 36 adults and kids who attended, including a group of Cub Scouts!

Check out some photos below of our beautiful late-fall walk – click on any for a closer look.