Splendid Valley

The Brandywine Valley in Chester County, Pa., offers culture, outdoor activities and tons of history.

By: Mel Bernarde

Longwood Gardens, one of the Brandywine Valley’s gems, is replete with elaborate fountains, wildflowers and reflecting ponds. Staff photo by Susan Van Dongen

   THE
Brandywine Valley can be a beautiful day outing, a brief country weekend or
a full vacation. There is much to do in this part of southeastern Pennsylvania
— and many of the attractions in the charming towns of Kennett Square,
West Chester and Chadds Ford are inexpensive or free.
   I made Brandywine Battlefield Park in Chadds Ford my first stop. Like most Brandywine Valley attractions, it’s on Route 1, so you can’t miss it.
   Here, Gen. George Washington took on the British in the Battle of Brandywine, Sept. 11, 1777. British forces led by Gen. William Howe triumphed over the Colonial Army in one of the largest land battles of the Revolutionary War, forcing Washington to retreat to Valley Forge and hunker down during the famously horrendous winter of 1777-78.
   The Brandywine Battlefield Park museum has historical exhibits, a 20-minute video reeanactment of the battle and reproductions of the farmhouses used by Washington and Gen. Marquis de Lafayette. I learned the Battle of Brandywine was the proving ground for the British Ferguson rifle, a breech-loading weapon far faster to load and fire than the typical musket. Expect to spend at least an hour here.
   After this lesson about our country’s early history, it was off to smell the flowers. Just down the road is the former country estate of Pierre S. duPont, now known as Longwood Gardens. Originally owned by William Penn, the 1000-plus acre tract was sold to the Peirce family in 1700 for use as a family farm. In 1798, the family planted ornamental trees, creating one of the country’s first tree parks.

This formal garden is anchored by one of the many fountains at Longwood Gardens. Staff photo by Susan Van Dongen

   Mr. duPont purchased Longwood in 1906 to save it from being logged. Eight years later, duPont expanded the Peirce House to create the grand Peirce-duPont House, which contains exhibits tracing the 300-year historical and horticultural evolution of Longwood Gardens.
   Longwood is replete with elaborate fountains, four lakes, woodlands, wildflowers, a formal rose garden and the Conservatory, a magnificent collection of 20 indoor gardens housing a variety of exotic plants ranging from African violets to bananas. With its great diversity, the Conservatory can’t be done in less than two hours, no matter how fast you hurry. The walks along the vast meadows and through many different gardens are remarkably relaxing.
   You’ll undoubtedly need a bite to eat at some point, and there are a number of nearby snacking options. Longwood’s Terrace Restauant, opposite the Conservatory, offers good food and an excellent view. If you’ve prepared for it, there’s a picnic area just beyond Conifer Knoll.
   The lovely town of Kennett Square is about one mile away. Check out the Kennett Square Inn on East State Street. Founded in 1835 and restored to its former glory in 1976, the Inn offers a wide selection for lunch and dinner. A newer restaurant, the spacious Pickett Fence, is further along the main thoroughfare, a great place for soups, salads and sandwiches. Also, the valley is known for its wineries, should you feel like a tasting.

The walks along Longwood’s vast ponds and through its many different gardens are remarkably relaxing. Staff photo by Susan Van Dongen

   The Kennett Square area is the nation’s mushroom capital, growing 50 percent of all marketable mushrooms. The Phillips Mushroom Company has opened a mushroom museum with a mini mushroom farm and a live mushroom plot, plus a short film describing the history and growth of mushrooms. There are no free samples, but admission is free.
   The Brandywine Valley is a paradise for outdoor activities like horse riding, hiking and biking, especially around Ridley and Marsh creeks. There are a number of golf courses, and covered bridges abound. Surely, Madison County runs a distant second to the Brandywine Valley.
   One of the best places for covered bridges is the Brandywine River Museum, a 19th-century grist mill converted in 1971 into a three-story American art museum. It houses the works of three generations of Wyeths (N.C., Andrew and Jamie), along with works of Howard Pyle (N.C. Wyeth’s mentor), Alice Barber Stephens, as well as the striking landscapes of William Trost Richard, Jasper Cropsey and Thomas Doughty.
   I was delighted to see N.C. Wyeth’s original paintings for Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Black Arrow, Treasure Island and Kidnapped. I am as captivated by them now as I was at age 13. I could hardly be pulled away from his "Old Pew."
   While browsing the museum shop, I opened a book simply titled Brandywine and found this footnote: "Brandywine is from the Dutch brandewijn, a type of gin, and currently meaning brandy." Such a revelation would be more than enough to keep me content for the remainder of the weekend, or so I thought.

The entrance to the mushroom museum on the grounds of the Phillips Mushroom Company in Kennett Square. Photo by Mel Bernarde

   That is, until I discovered Baldwin’s Book Barn, an antiquarian book depository alone on a stretch of Lenape Road in West Chester, set amid the lush green countryside, deep in the heart of the Brandywine Valley.
   In its first incarnation, the Book Barn, built in 1822, was a five-story stone dairy barn. It has been in the Baldwin family since 1948. This out-of-the-way bibliophile’s delight is a haven for old and rare books, maps, prints and pictures. There are more than 250,000 volumes packed to the rafters, divided into more than 200 categories. I was delighted to find a copy of the complete works of Flavius Josephus, the celebrated Jewish historian and warrior.
   In the opposite direction from Baldwin’s, not more than a 30-minute drive down Route 52 in Delaware, is Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, another duPont treasure. Although Winterthur’s gardens and grounds are spectacular year round, each season has its unique flowered splendor; summer is a riot of color, especially in the meadows and fields.
   The museum, Henry duPont’s former residence, houses more than 70,000 decorative objects made and used in this country from the 1650s to 1850s. Don’t expect to get through here in an hour or two — this gem takes time, especially if you take the narrated tram tour through the gardens (included in the admission price). Should you be looking for something special to set off your garden, stop by the garden shop; its resources are quite remarkable.
   With its many attractions and diversions, so close to home, yet far enough to be out of shouting distance, the Brandywine Valley offers that much-needed recharge. And the price is right.
For more information on the Brandywine Valley, contact the Chester County
(Pa.) Conference & Visitors Bureau. For information, call (610) 280-6145.
On the Web: www.brandywinevalley.com;
Brandywine Battlefield Park, Route 1, Chadds Ford, Pa. For information,
call (610) 459-3342. On the Web: www.ushistory.org/brandywine;
Longwood Gardens, Route 1, Kennett Square, Pa. For information, call (610)
388-1000. On the Web: www.longwoodgardens.org;
Phillips Mushroom Place, 909 E. Baltimore Pike, Kennett Square, Pa. For
information, call (610) 388-6082. On the Web: www.phillipsmushroomplace.com;
Brandywine River Museum, routes 1 and 100, Chadds Ford, Pa. For information,
call (610) 388-2700. On the Web: www.brandywinemuseum.org;
Baldwin’s Book Barn, 865 Lenape Road, West Chester, Pa. For information,
call (610) 696-0816. On the Web: www.bookbarn.com;
Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, Route 52, Winterthur, Del. For information,
call (800) 448-3883. On the Web: www.winterthur.org