Englishman, Quaker and explorer, William Penn established Chester County in 1682 as one of the first three counties in Pennsylvania along with Bucks and Delaware counties. West Chester, Chester County's county seat, was originally named "Turk's Head" and had a population of 374 in 1799. Other remarkable towns in Chester County including Kennett Square, Phoenixville, Coatesville and Malvern have their own unique agricultural, revolutionary and industrial histories.

Phoenixville and Coatesville boast America's earliest iron and steel forges. Kennett Square paved the way for the mushroom farming business dating back to 1885, and is now considered the Mushroom Capital of the World . Malvern is home to the Paoli Massacre of 1777, just after the Battle of the Brandywine on September 11, 1777, and General "Mad" Anthony Wayne's residence, Waynesborough , is just around the corner in Paoli.

Chester County was also one of the first and most important stops on the Underground Railroad for many freed slaves. The warmer months are a perfect time to visit and stroll around historic gristmills like as the Mill at Anselma or historic steel family residences like Graystone Mansion once occupied by the Lukens family.

Berwyn Veterans Memorial
42 Cassatt Avenue, Berwyn, PA  19312
Phone: 610-889-9966, Fax: 610-889-9969

The Berwyn Veterans Memorial, Business Route 30 in Berwyn, is the largest memorial of its kind in Chester County. Visit this memorial to honor our veterans and to cherish our freedom.

Borough of Kennett Square

P.O. Box 5, Kennett Square, PA 19348

Tours: 610-444-6020 Fax: 610-444-9385
E-mail

Come and walk historic Kennett Square’s tree-lined streets and enjoy browsing, dining and shopping in its unique stores and restaurants. It’s an easy stroll and there’s plenty of convenient parking. Small town charm at its best !

Brandywine Battlefield Park
U.S. Route 1, P.O. Box 202, Chadds Ford, PA 19317
Phone: 610-459-3342, Fax: 610-459-9586

E-mail

The 52 acre park contains historic houses used as headquarters by General Washington and quarters by General Lafayette during the largest battle of the American Revolutionary War. Museum & gift shop.

Colonial PA Plantation
Ridley Creek State Park, Media, PA 19063
Phone: 610-566-1725, Fax: 610-566-4252

E-mail

This living history site authentically represents life on a working farm in southeastern Pennsylvania between 1760 and 1790.  Tour the property. Talk with "interpreters" in colonial dress.  Observe colonial crafts.  Enjoy the farm animals.

Downingtown Historical Society
PO Box 9, Downingtown, PA 19335
(610) 269-1167 Fax: (610) 269-1248
E-mail

Dedicated to making the history of the Downingtown area available to the public through a library/research center, its’ collection of artifacts & collectibles, youth & school cooperative programs, outreach programs and a quarterly newsletter.

East Vincent Historical Commission
262 Ridge Rd, Spring City, PA 19475
(610) 933-4424

E-mail

Revolutionary War Soldiers Cemetery, Rte 23 & Hill Church Rd, just west of Phoenixville. This small cemetery contains the graves of twenty-two unknown soldiers who died in the adjacent German Reformed Church in 1778.

Historic Kennett Square

106 W. State Street, Kennett Square, PA  19348
Phone: 610-444-8188, Fax: 610-444-4798
E-mail

Walk historic Kennett Square's tree-lined streets and enjoy browsing, dining and shopping. Enjoy Art Strolls on the first Friday of every month.

Historical Society of Delaware
505 Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Phone: 302-655-7161, Fax: 302-655-7844
E-mail

Operates the Read House & Gardens in New Castle, DE, a grand, federal mansion built in 1801 and the Delaware History Museum in Wilmington, which includes the Distinctively Delaware exhibit.

Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area

204 Church Street, Phoenixville, PA  19460

(610) 935-7646

E-mail

Preserving the history and heritage of the Phoenixville area, the Society operates a museum, archives and library. Open Wednesday and Friday, 9AM - 3PM. First Sundays, 1 - 4PM, and by appointment. Free admission.

Historic Sugartown

697 Sugartown Road , Malvern, PA  19355

(610) 640-2667

E-mail

Historic Sugartown is a restored crossroads village dating from the late 18th century providing an exceptional example of a self- sufficient community in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Historic Waynesborough
2049 Waynesborough Rd., Paoli, PA
(610) 647-1779 Fax: (610) 647-1015

Ancestral stone manor home of Revolutionary War General “Mad” Anthony Wayne. Period furnishings, important documents, gift shop. Tours, slide presentation. Open mid-March through mid-December. Carriage house for meetings. Outdoor weddings. Special events.

Historic Yellow Springs
P.O. Box 62, 1685 Art School Rd., Chester Springs, PA 19425
(610) 827-7414 Fax: (610) 827-1336

Site of Revolutionary War Hospital, a scenic 18th century colonial health spa, a Civil War orphan’s school, and the landscape school for the PA Academy of the Fine Arts, and now a center for historic preservation and the arts.

Paoli 250 and Beyond
Paoli Business and Professional Association, P.O. Box 550, Paoli, PA  19301
Tel: (610) 889-1640, Fax: (610) 695-2764
E-mail

Paoli 250 events in 2006 include Family Day, Sunday, May 21, and Breakfast for Champions (date TBA). See www.paoli250.org for details, to volunteer or to purchase related items.

Paoli Battlefield Preservation Fund                                                                                   
P.O. Box 437, Malvern, PA 19355
(610) 644-2602       

An organization to preserve and interpret the Revolutionary War's Paoli Battlefield, where a massacre occurred during the night of September 20, 1777. The grounds located off of Monument Avenue in Malvern Borough, can be visited. Call for information.

Rockwood Park
610 Shipley Road (Enter on Washington Street)

Wilmington, DE 19805

Phone: 302-761-4340, Fax: 302-761-4345

Victorian Mansion & public park. Mansion tours 10am-3pm (on the hour) Tuesday - Sunday, Adults $5. Children $2. Butler's Pantry Self-Service Café 8am-3pm Tuesday - Sunday.Walking paths 6am-10pm daily.

The Abraham Fetters-White School Preservation Society
723 N. Pottstown Pike, Exton, PA 19341
E-mail   

Undertaking the preservation and restoration of the 1863 one-room schoolhouse located at the intersection of Route 100 and Worthington Road in Exton. Our goal is to preserve, restore, and maintain the historic schoolhouse for educational purposes, special events, business and community meetings, and youth activities. For more information, please visit our website. Brochures available upon request.

The Kennett Underground Railroad Center
PO Box 202, Kennett Square, PA 19348
(610) 347-2237
E-mail

A non-profit organization committed to educating the public about the extraordinary history of the Underground Railroad in this region, and to the preservation of artifacts, buildings, and materials pertaining to the Underground Railroad.

The Mill at Anselma Preservation and Educational Trust, Inc.
1730 Conestoga Road, P.O. Box 42, Chester Springs, PA 19425
(610) 827-1906 | Fax: (610) 827-7345
E-mail

The Mill at Anselma, c. 1747, a National Historic Landmark grist mill, connects visitors with America's rich agricultural heritage. Family-friendly tours and milling demonstrations. Taste the past with Anselma's own
stone-ground flour. May - August: Open Sat. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.,Sun. 1 - 4 p.m; Sept. - Nov: Sat and Sun 1 - 4 p.m. See events calendar for demonstration schedule.

Valley Forge National Historical Park
1400 North Outer Line Drive, Valley Forge, PA 19482
(610) 783-1077

Commemorates the 1777-1778 winter encampment of General Washington’s Continental Army. The park is located at Rte 23 and N. Gulph Rd in Valley Forge. Visitor Center and Washington’s Headquarters open 9am–5pm daily.

West Chester - Downtown
119 North High Street, West Chester, PA 19380
Phone: 610738-3350
E-mail 1

E-mail 2

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named West Chester, Pennsylvania, one of America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2006!

William Brinton 1704 House and Historic Site
1435 Oakland Rd., West Chester, PA 19382
(610) 399-0913  Fax: (610) 399-9818
E-mail
  
A national historic landmark containing an unusually fine collection of southeast Pennsylvania period furniture and artifacts. Authentic representative of 18th century Chester county English Quaker dwellings. Open daily, from  May – October. Other times by appointment.