About the Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania Area 

Factoids

Chadds Ford Township Population: 3,170 (2000 census)

Area: 8.84 square miles

Elevation: 160 to 480 feet above sea level

First inhabited by Native Americans - the Lenni Lenape

European settlement: 1684

Named for: John Chads, ferryman and tavern owner

Chadds Ford is 95% residential and 5% businesses

No public transportation

Chadds Ford spans two counties: Chester and Delaware. 

Chadds Ford Township Building 610-388-6368

Chadds Ford Post Office 610-388-7153

Where is Chadds Ford?

Historically, Chadds Ford is the village and surrounding land on both sides of the Brandywine River where U.S. Route 1 (aka Baltimore Pike, aka the Great Road to Nottingham) crosses the stream. No doubt, at different times in history your question would receive very different answers because of changing political boundaries and postal districts. Two hundred years ago, all of Chadds Ford was in Chester County, but the division of the county to create Delaware County made the definition more difficult. Moreover, major roads built and small roads abandoned have greatly changed the appearance of the place, as have building construction and demolition. Nonetheless, one hundred years ago and probably even fifty years ago, everyone knew what was Chadds Ford and what was not. Now, with a large area served by the Chadds Ford post office and the former Birmingham Township's name change in Delaware County, the issue has grown more confused. People many miles from what i s commonly referred to as the " village of Chadds Ford" say that they live in the community. On the other hand, people no more than a mile and a half from the village have claimed other addresses. Perhaps because of the confusion, for decades it has been common among authors around the world to describe Chadds Ford, not geographically or politically, but in terms of its landscape and its rich history of agriculture, a famous battle, milling industry, transportation, and (most notably in this century) art history.

Because of all these circumstances, it seems to us that this place exists as a state of mind and that requests for a brief definition of the community cannot be met. A good portion of Chadds Ford's unique romance derives from the difficulty of saying precisely what and where it is.  

From Chadsey to Chadds

If John Chads spelled his name with only one d, why do we spell Chadds Ford with two today? Because spelling in the 18th century was largely done phonetically, there is great variation in names. John Chads’ father, Francis, was known by the surname Chadsey; John dropped the ey, spelling the name Chads. Although no one knows exactly when the village of Chadds Ford became known as such, the use of two d’s in the name stuck. The Chadds Ford Historical Society uses John’s spelling of Chads for the house built c. 1725 that John and his wife Elizabeth lived in. Interestingly, the house was built by a man with another famous Chadds Ford name, Wyeth (no relation to the family of artists).