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The area today known as Brandywine Springs has been a gathering spot for centuries. The Lenni Lenape Indians came for the medicinal waters of the Chalybeate (ka-LIB-e-at) Spring. The legend maintained that the smelly, rusty water must be consumed on the site for it to work its magic. The Lenni Lenape told the early European settlers about the iron-bearing, foul-tasting water and they too began traveling to the spring to drink the water to cure ailments. Some may have indeed found good health but it was probably the benefit derived from the trip out of the filth of the town.
During the American Revolution, while jockeying for position to defend Philadelphia against British attack, George Washington met with his war council at Brandywine Springs on September 8, 1777 and made the decision to fall back to the Brandywine River and defend Philadelphia against the invading British there instead of behind the Red Clay Creek in Delaware. Washington would ultimately be routed in Chadds Ford, in part because his knowledge of that countryside was vastly inferior to the British. It is said that Washington held his conference beneath a towering oak which came to be known as Council Oak or WashingtonÕs Oak. In 1993, the 330-year old oak toppled, leaving only an historic 20-foot stump.
In 1826 a large hotel and spa, one of America's first, was built at Brandywine Springs. The building was designed by T. U. Walter, whose architectural credits include the United States Capitol. Before it burned to the ground in 1853 the spa attracted many famous visitors including the preeminent politician of the era, Henry Clay.
After the 1853 fire, three former caretaker homes were combined to create the Brandywine Spring Hotel. The enterprise scraped along for several decades without ever becoming truly profitable. In 1882 Richard Crook leased the hotel and added a fashionable third story with a mansard roof. Still losing money, Crook added a picnic area on the property, a small merry go-round in a shaded grove in 1888, and also a small roller coaster in the early 1890s. These were the seeds for the grand Victorian amusement park which was about to sprout.
The property features a wide plateau upon which the Brandywine Springs Hotel was built. A long, vee-shaped hill separates the plateau from the flatlands along the Red Clay Creek and Hyde Run below. The lower ground was an ideal site for an amusement park with its large shade trees and cooling waters to combat the oppressive summer heats.
In addition Brandywine Springs was a stop on the local Wilmington area trolley line and the Baltimore & Ohio railroad ran a line past the property as well. In 1891 a large Baltimore & Ohio passenger pavilion was constructed between the two tracks. Just beyond the pavilion was the entrance to the Brandywine Springs amusement park.
An impressive wooden entrance arch was constructed to welcome visitors in 1901. Stretching 32 feet across and soaring 50 feet high, the arch was illuminated at night by hundreds of lights. The grand arch was classically decorated with carved figures of cherubs, angels and symbols of motherhood and justice. Visitors would arrive by steam train or trolley or horse and carriage. On big holidays like July 4, newspaper estimates ranged as high as 30,000 for the crowds at Brandywine Springs Amusement Park.
The first attraction they would encounter past the entrance arch was the steam-powered carousel created by Gustav Dentzel, the pioneer American carousel craftsman. The German-born Dentzel created three rows of carved horse, tigers, lions and other animals in his shop in Germantown, outside of nearby Philadelphia. The inner two rows would move up and down while the outside row was stationary, allowing riders to reach for rings offered by a wooden arm extension on the carousel. Most of the rings were steel, save for a solitary brass ring. The grabber of the brass ring would win a free ride. The steam-powered Brandywine Springs carousel was switched to electricity in 1904.
Just ahead was the boardwalk which crossed Hyde Run. At the head of the boardwalk was the moving picture theater and across the bridge were a string of games and attractions. Along the boardwalk were the premier attractions at Brandywine Springs. The toboggan slide coaster took riders down a two-story incline. A large restaurant served everything from hot dogs to frog legs for visitors seeking a quick snack.
Like most of the buildings at Brandywine Springs, the restaurant was built with large openings in the roof to vent the heat but fire was still a danger as it was at most early amusement parks. The fire at Brandywine Springs hit in 1905. Among the casualties was the Egyptian Labyrinth Maze.
The fun house at Brandywine Springs that replaced the Maze was built in 1907 and known as the Katzenjammer Castle, named for the mad-cap antics of the Katzenjammer Kids, Hans and Fritz, which began in 1897 as America's first true color comic strip. With the build-up of the German war machine, the characters fell into disfavor and in 1911, the fun house, like most Katzenjammer Castles around the country, was renamed Dreamland. Inside were three large slides where visitors would speed down polished chutes on carpets before dumping into a large wooden bowl where the ride would continue under its rim for a couple revolutions. The rider would exit via a suspended rope into the bowl.
Also on the boardwalk was the depot for the Scenic Railway Building, a large wooden roller coaster. The ride was gentle compared to today's rides - there were no seat belts or safety bars - but a treat for its day. The journey took riders through many tunnels with interiors designed to replicate the Arctic icelands, the tropical jungle, the Swiss mountains and one tunnel that was completely dark where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The coaster made a loop to the man-made Lake Washington at the end of the boardwalk. Lake Washington was created in 1898 with islands and eventually a large dance hall in the center. Revelers could reach the dance hall by a promenade bridge.
Brandywine Springs Amusement Park closed after the 1923 season. It became overgrown and the land was converted into a county park. As the park disappeared it was forgotten, remembered only through an occasional postcard or tacky amusement park souvenir stamped with 'Brandywine Springs.'
Today, the Friends of Brandywine Springs have revived interest in the pioneering amusement park. Ground-penetrating radar was used to uncovered the location of some of the long-gone buildings and foundations were excavated. Information kiosks with historic photos were built by a local high school and placed along trails to identify the locations of the different attractions. Work is still going on and monthly archeological digs are scheduled to further resurrect the Brandywine Springs Amusement Park.
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