Brandywine Creek State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brandywine Creek State Park |
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Farm, field and forest near the park headquarters.
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 Brandywine Creek State Park
Location in Delaware
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| Location | New Castle, Delaware, United States |
| Area | 933 acres (378 ha) |
| Elevation | 246 ft (75 m) |
| Established | 1965 |
| Named for | Brandywine Creek |
| Governing body | Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control |
| Website | Brandywine Creek State Park |
Brandywine Creek State Park is a cool state park located about 3 miles north of Wilmington, Delaware. It sits right next to the beautiful Brandywine Creek. This park is open all year and covers about 933 acres. A long time ago, much of this land belonged to the famous Du Pont family and was even a dairy farm before it became a state park in 1965.
The park is special because it has Delaware's first two nature preserves: Tulip Tree Woods and Freshwater Marsh. Flint Woods is another part of the park and is now its third nature preserve. It's home to rare songbirds and an old-growth forest, which means it has very old trees. The park's forests are part of the Northeastern coastal forests area.
You can explore the park on 14 miles of trails! The longest ones are the Rocky Run Trail and the Greenways Trail. If you like fishing, Brandywine Creek has lots of bass, and Wilson's Run is known for its trout. Other nearby parks include White Clay Creek State Park, Wilmington State Parks, and Bellevue State Park.
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Park History: How Brandywine Creek State Park Began
Much of Brandywine Creek State Park was once part of the du Pont family's large Winterthur estate. General Henry du Pont bought the estate in 1866. By 1875, he had made it much bigger, covering about 1,135 acres. His son, Henry A. du Pont, took over in 1875 and kept expanding it until it was over 2,400 acres!
In the mid-1800s, the du Ponts hired skilled Italian builders. They created the stone walls you can still see around parts of the park today. In 1893, Henry A. du Pont brought in a herd of dairy cows. These cows lived on the land that is now the park.
From Farm to Museum: Changes by Henry Francis du Pont
Henry Francis du Pont inherited the estate in 1927. He wasn't as interested in farming as his father and grandfather. Instead, he wanted to turn the estate into a museum for American art. To do this, he sold off parts of the estate in 1951. The estate shrank from 2,400 acres to a main area of 962 acres.
About 433 acres of the land he sold were bought by his relative, Ellen Coleman du Pont Wheelwright, and her husband, Robert Wheelwright. Robert Wheelwright was a famous landscape architect. He even started the landscape architecture school at the University of Pennsylvania in 1924. The Wheelwrights took care of this land until Robert passed away in 1965.
Saving the Land: Creating the State Park
After Robert Wheelwright's death, there were plans to build houses on this beautiful land. But local people wanted to save it. They convinced the state government to protect the area. With help from a special fund called the United States Land and Water Conservation Fund and grants from Pierre S. du Pont's Longwood Foundation, the state bought the 433 acres. This is how Brandywine Creek State Park was officially created in 1965.
The park grew even larger in 1981. An extra 500 acres were given to the state by the Woodlawn Trustees. This group was started by William Poole Bancroft. He was a well-known land conservationist who loved the Brandywine area. Bancroft was worried about Wilmington growing too much. So, he bought a lot of land around Brandywine Creek. His goal was to keep it as open parkland for future generations. He also set up the Trustees to keep buying land after he was gone.
Today, the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway runs along the edge of Brandywine Creek State Park. Also, since 2013, the park is next to over 1,000 acres of Woodlawn land. This land was given to the government to form First State National Historical Park.
Brandywine Creek Nature Center: Learn About Nature
The park has a special place called the Brandywine Creek Nature Center. Here, you can join programs to learn about natural history and the environment. They offer activities for visitors, school groups, scout groups, and other organizations. You can enjoy nature crafts, listen to talks, go on hayrides, or take guided nature walks. They also have fun programs for children and special events for birdwatching.
