A Walking Tour of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
By Doug Gelbert
()
About this ebook
There is no better way to see America than on foot. And there is no better way to appreciate what you are looking at than with a walking tour. Whether you are preparing for a road trip or just out to look at your own town in a new way, a downloadable walking tour is ready to explore when you are.
Each walking tour describes historical and architectural landmarks and provides pictures to help out when those pesky street addresses are missing. Every tour also includes a quick primer on identifying architectural styles seen on American streets.
The name Kennett originates with Francis Smith who came to this region in 1686. He was a native of Devizes, in Wiltshire, England, in which there is a village called “Kennet.” The name is first mentioned in court records in 1705. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Kennett was a small village located where the road from Chester to Baltimore intersected with the road from Lancaster to Wilmington. It was at this intersection that the Unicorn Tavern was built in 1735 by Joseph Musgrave, the largest landowner in what is now Kennett Square. In 1776 Musgrave sold his property to Colonel Joseph Shippen, the uncle of Peggy Shippen, who became the wife of Benedict Arnold.
Travelers found the village a good place to stop, including Baron Wilhelm van Knyphausen and General Sir William Howe, who stayed for one night before marching to the Battle of the Brandywine against George Washington at Chadds Ford in 1777. By 1810 there was a village of about eight dwellings, five of which were log, but it was not until 1853 that a group of citizens petitioned the Court of Quarter Sessions of Chester to form a borough. After several petitions and objections from farmers, the court granted the articles of incorporation and Kennett Square held its first local elections in 1855.
Antebellum Kennett was an important region in the Underground Railroad, and many prominent citizens of Kennett Square and the surrounding region played an important role in securing freedom for runaway slaves.
It was in Kennett Square that the grain drill was invented by Samuel and Moses Pennock (patented on March 12, 1841), and improvements for the corn sheller and harvester (1857), and the first four-wheel road machine (1877). Their business, S & M Pennock & Sons, eventually grew into the American Road Machinery Company. Other local inventors included James Green, inventor of a hayknife, Bernard Wiley, inventor of the famous Wiley Plow, John Chambers, inventor of the asbestos stove plate, and Cyrus Chambers, who patented a machine for folding papers and a brickmaking machine. It was on the Chamber’s property that the first circular saw in Chester County was built in 1835. Another large business was the Fibre Specialty Manufacturing Company, later known as NVF, which built its first plant in Kennett Square in 1898 as is now closed.
Kennett Square’s most famous citizen was Bayard Taylor (1825-1878). A resident of Kennett Square, this nineteenth-century author, diplomat, poet, and journalist published over forty books, including Views A-foot, Eldorado, a translation of Faust (which Mark Twain called the best of all English translations), and local favorite, The Story of Kennett. Bayard Taylor died in Berlin while serving as Minister to Germany.
Our walking tour will start one block north of the Town center at State Street and Union Street where there is a municipal parking garage...
Read more from Doug Gelbert
A Walking Tour of Williamsburg, Virginia Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A Walking Tour of Miami Beach, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Tucson, Arizona! A Walking Tour of Tucson, Arizona Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of The New Orleans French Quarter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, San Diego! A Walking Tour of Balboa Park Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A Walking Tour of Greensboro, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Aiken, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Madison! A Walking Tour of Madison, Wisconsin Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Walking Tour of New York City's Upper East Side Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Tampa, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Charleston! A Walking Tour of Charleston, South Carolina: The Battery Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A Walking Tour of A Salem, Massachusetts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Savannah! A Walking Tour of Savannah, Georgia Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Walking Tour of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Chicago! A Walking Tour of The Loop (North End) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Salem! A Walking Tour of Salem, Oregon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Boise! A Walking Tour of Boise, Idaho Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of St. Augustine, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Long Beach! A Walking Tour of Long Beach, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New York City's Financial District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Toledo! A Walking Tour of Toledo, Ohio Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Gettysburg! A Walking Tour of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Bordentown, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Oakland! A Walking Tour of Oakland, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Meadville, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Jacksonville, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Beaufort, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Pittsburgh's Business District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New York City's Upper West Side Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to A Walking Tour of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
Related ebooks
A Walking Tour of North Stonington, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of East Market, Maryland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Milford, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Old Saybrook, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Moorestown, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Newberry, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Swampscott, Massachusetts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Wethersfield, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Connellsville, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Glastonbury, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Danville, Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Vienna, Maryland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Bristol, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Charleston! A Walking Tour of Charleston, South Carolina: The Battery Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A Walking Tour of Corning, New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Bennettsville, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Auburn, New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Winnsboro, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Hyattsville, Maryland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Hamburg, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Fayetteville, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Greenwich, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistoric Homes, Fort Dodge, Iowa Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKennett Square Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Snow Hill, Maryland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Jamestown, New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Seneca, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
United States Travel For You
The Dark Side of Disney Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fodor's Bucket List USA: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2024 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Magical Power of the Saints: Evocation and Candle Rituals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lake Superior Rocks & Minerals Field Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExploring the Geology of the Carolinas: A Field Guide to Favorite Places from Chimney Rock to Charleston Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Haunted Texas: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Lone Star State Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Birds of Florida Field Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Hawaii the Big Island Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rockhounding & Prospecting: Upper Midwest: How to Find Gold, Copper, Agates, Thomsonite, and Other Favorites Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer: An Edgar Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's Best Road Trips in the USA: 50 Epic Trips Across All 50 States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West: with the Best Scenic Road Trips Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor’s Alaska Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ultimate Guide to Free Things To Do in Las Vegas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHumans of New York: Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Anne Rice's Unauthorized French Quarter Tour: Anne Rice Unauthorized Tours Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fodor's New Orleans Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/550 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Forest Walking: Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Huckleberry Finn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits, and Hoodoo Saints: A Guide to Magical New Orleans Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Haunted Road Atlas: Sinister Stops, Dangerous Destinations, and True Crime Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Connecticut Witch Trials: The First Panic in the New World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Looking for Alaska Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for A Walking Tour of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
A Walking Tour of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania - Doug Gelbert
A Walking Tour of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
a walking tour in the Look Up, America series from walkthetown.com
by Doug Gelbert
published by Cruden Bay Books at Smashwords
Copyright 2010 by Doug Gelbert
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher.
The name Kennett originates with Francis Smith who came to this region in 1686. He was a native of Devizes, in Wiltshire, England, in which there is a village called Kennet.
The name is first mentioned in court records in 1705. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Kennett was a small village located where the road from Chester to Baltimore intersected with the road from Lancaster to Wilmington. It was at this intersection that the Unicorn Tavern was built in 1735 by Joseph Musgrave, the largest landowner in what is now Kennett Square. In 1776 Musgrave sold his property to Colonel Joseph Shippen, the uncle of Peggy Shippen, who became the wife of Benedict Arnold.
Travelers found the village a good place to stop, including Baron Wilhelm van Knyphausen and General Sir William Howe, who stayed for one night before marching to the Battle of the Brandywine against George Washington at