Chester County is a massive, sprawling county that is the only one of the four Philadelphia counties that doesn’t share a border with Philadelphia. The county extends to Oxford in the southwest up to Phoenixville in the northeast. In between is an area that I have largely yet to discover because as someone growing up in Central Bucks County it can take up to an hour or more to reach some of Chester County’s highlights like Longwood Gardens and Kennett Square. When I head over this way it’s usually for half day trips or more so I can knock out multiple sites over a long drive.
West Chester is a great county seat with consistent Federal architecture and two one-way streets that comprise the main commercial district. The two one-way street concept is common in this area and farther west such as in Kennett Square and even Lancaster.
West Chester is a great county seat with consistent Federal architecture and two one-way streets that comprise the main commercial district. The two one-way street concept is common in this area and farther west such as in Kennett Square and even Lancaster.
Back in the 1780s, George Washington was the only person more popular than Anthony Wayne. When settlers headed west and it came to naming their new cities and counties, Wayne’s name was the second most frequently used after Washington. Today, Wayne’s home is more an off the beaten path attraction than it is a pilgrimage site. I’ve seen Wayne’s statue in Valley Forge Park many times and it wasn’t until the last visit that the thought occurred to me—Wayne probably has a house in the area, I should check that out sometime.
Sure enough, Waynesborough, Anthony Wayne’s family estate is located in nearby Paoli (itself the site of a Revolutionary War battle. I visited the house one afternoon and learned a lot about Anthony Wayne and the history of the house. One of the major themes, point of emphasis that the tour guide made was that the founding fathers lived before the industrial revolution…before plumbing…before knowledge of disease…before coal as an effective energy source. The world changed dramatically between 1783 and 1813.
Another, perhaps more interesting fact is that Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, is a descendant of Anthony Wayne. It was fascinating to hear that the Dark Knight of Gotham has his family roots in the Philadelphia countryside. It also means that the original Wayne Mansion, was Anthony Wayne’s Waynesborough.
Sure enough, Waynesborough, Anthony Wayne’s family estate is located in nearby Paoli (itself the site of a Revolutionary War battle. I visited the house one afternoon and learned a lot about Anthony Wayne and the history of the house. One of the major themes, point of emphasis that the tour guide made was that the founding fathers lived before the industrial revolution…before plumbing…before knowledge of disease…before coal as an effective energy source. The world changed dramatically between 1783 and 1813.
Another, perhaps more interesting fact is that Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, is a descendant of Anthony Wayne. It was fascinating to hear that the Dark Knight of Gotham has his family roots in the Philadelphia countryside. It also means that the original Wayne Mansion, was Anthony Wayne’s Waynesborough.
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I’m not the sort of person who plans a visit to a horse show but…the Devon Horse Show is the oldest and longest running horse show in the U.S. and since I am a fan of nostalgia, I decided to check out this event in May 2019. Now I’m kicking myself for not visiting this show earlier. Sure this place is snobbery turned up to max on the snobbery dial but it’s still a very organic, very wholesome slice of culture and interesting insight into how the other .00001% live. I spent over three hours here walking the grounds, walking around the stables, drinking a beer in the beer garden, drinking a lemon treat in the fair grounds area, and watching the steeplechase. I may have been underdressed for the whole affair, but I still enjoyed mingle among the crowd. I enjoyed hearing the commentary from those in the stands, “the horse wants to jump higher but the rider’s holding it back!”. Great afternoon/evening and it’s a place I’ll return to sometime—probably not with kids out of fear the kids would want their own horse after attending—it’s a very contagious spirit.
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