Delaware gazette and state journal., 1899-11-23
A CYCLING TRIP.
Interesting Description OF the Most Direct
Route From West Chester TO wilmington.


the Concord turnpike, was uescrlped IN
n most interesting manner in last sun
day S Philadelphia Inquirer, one OF the |
reporters of that paper having made the
trip awhsel recently and taken several
photographs, and in connection with |
the article the following cuts were
printed: The Delaware Hospital, No.
"a School, the Garfield monument, in
this city the Cunning Bedford home
stead, near the Blue Ball; Grace
Church, Talleyyille; Concord public
school, Dilworth Chuich and Birming-
ham westinghouse and its surround
ings. Il
In connection with the description of
| the route, which is familiar to nearly
every wheelman il Wilmington, the
writer gives some historical data which
adds to. tho interest Of the story, in
Guiding the following:
The Darlingtons OF Darnfaii III
Cheshire, England, hayo been at Dar-
| lington's Corner since 1923, when ABB
raham the father of the better-known
Judge Isaac d. and Lawyer William
D.. moved tc this township from
Astor. Philadelphia, says the sign
| post, lies % miles on our left and ked
Lion seven miles on the right, whilo
Wilmington is IA miles ahead.
At Dilworthtown, tho next place, the
Dilworth family is located. The
family. according to the story. came
from rhornbury, in Yorkshire. England,
in 1881, and first settled in Bucks. A
grandson of the first pioneer OF the
name danes Dilworth- is credited
with building the first white mans
hut in what is now Dilworthtown and
erecting tho tavern house in 175S. his
| Tibn, at pl Eaanqa for
the said tavern in 1770, was disowned
by the Friends for his warm espousal
Of the Revolutionary cause and seems
to have suffered considerably at the
hands of the British troops during the
ill-starred month of September, lT7I.
An itemized account of property
taken, damage, waste, spoil and de-
struction done by the army OF the King
of Great Britain, under the Immediate
, command Of Sir William Howe, from
the 18th to the 10th day OF September,
, l777,'' to the detriment of his real and
personal belongings and presented by
him TO the authorities in 1882 amounts
to gS20 los. Sd. That list, too, gives
us moderners an insight into the con
tents and appurtenanees OF roadside
tavern 12O years ago. Six heads oil
cattle, 3 horses, 60 pigs and IL sheep
! ! we're among tine live property that the
kings soldiers helped themselves to
275 bushels of wheat, rs bushels OF rye,
l40 of oats, 3 barrels OF singlings of
whisky, 10 gallons of rum. 10 gallons
/ of peach brandy, not to speak of Ear
! ley, Indian corn, buckwheat and ~
bushels of potatoes had been used OF
7 destroyed by them, while they hae
! taken away OIL wantonly destroyed "a
quantity of bowls, decanters and glasse;
in the bar,'' feather beds, II PAIRS o.
! sheets and, ,13 blankets, large walnut
u table. II mahogany table, best sort,
cut to pieces, g5 10s., walnut chair;
y with damask bottoms and one witt
leather, pewter plates, copper tea
9 kettles, china cups and saucers, delf
J and queensware, table knives and forks
: pewter sEoons and ladies, flesh forks
brass skimmers, earthenware and othe
:. kitchen furniture, &C., &c. Nay, more
y they had taken his servant lad. Patricl
J, Kelley, with them, and as Pat still
y owed him IA months of his time, hi
y loss figured in the list as f10. In all, Mr.
y Dilworth considered the presence, OF 81
y William Howe's army hereabouts ha'
!. cost MIN considerably over $1,000 O
8 our present money, a more importan
!, sum even in those days than now. II
y was sheriff OF Chester county seve
= years later.
An interesting side trip was ais
I. taken to Birmingham meetinghouse b
= turning to the right at Darlington
~ Corner on Red Lion load. One of tn
y points of interest on this Ioute is teri
u Gotta shaft erected by the citizens an
y school children of Chester county in 1S9
u to mark the spot, ''a shcrt distanc
,, SOUTH tsays the inscription, wher
u gallant Lafayette was wounded durin
~ the battle of the Brandywine Anothe
~ inscription records Lafayette's famou
9. toast at West Chester during hi
~ second visit to this country, on Jul
d 96th, 1925: "May the blood spilled b
Il thousands with equal merit in tn
~ cause of Independence and Freedom b
70 to ensuing generations an eternal plede
9, of unallayed Republicanism, Federi
Ct Union. Public Prosperity and Domesti
~ Happiness. - storm broke the sha
!. in two, but the Chester County Hi
~ torical Society, under whose auspic'
VI this memorial was raised, may be d.
~ pended upon to see to its restoration
ep A monument which was deemed wort
% erecting is surely worth maintaining.
~ We pursue our trip for one-half mi
u longer, rast turn to. the left
~ Chadd's Ford, three miles, and one
90 the right TO West Chester, past mo
= modern meetinghouse on the left, ar
" few yards beyond it we reach old Bi
~, mingham Westinghouse. Here, on OF
~ right, stands unaltered to this date, u
~ venerable witness of some OF the sa
e91 dest scenes in our Revolutionary stru
ea gle. When Washington determined
1It check the advance of the British Arm
en at the Brandywine he took possesslt
", of it with view to preparing it for Il
y use of the sick of his army. 1t W
'e- then comparatiyey new, having be-
Ses 'ss erected in lT62. Accordingly ii
Nv Friends meeting on September lit
~ l777, was held in the wheelwright sh'
ios at Sconneltown--a hamlet now disa
Oh peared-but their Westinghouse she
tered not our poor soldiers, but the
victors. The dead Of both armies we
buried in the adjacent graveyard.
ou and see it, and do not forget the nc
ior addition to it, "a Heroes Acre." I
the recent creation of which We are i
debted to the patriotism and laudat
pride OF some of the descendants
Ine those who bled for us around this plac
chief among them, John g. Taylor
ny West Chester This gentleman it
ne who has undertaken the erection of t
'Vy colossal monument to Lafayette, t
massive pedestal of which you may S
now completed. Near it, you will noti
a memorial to Col. Isaac Taylor
hit the Seventh Regiment Pennsylyan
cil Militia, who served in Anthony Wayne
brigade, and another to Col. Jose
-, Mcclellan of the same brigade, al
douhtlass others will vet be added