• Chris Blango of Chadds Ford has been named to the Spring 2025 Dean’s List at Buffalo State University. In general, students who have completed at least 12 credit hours and who have attained a term GPA of 3.5 or higher qualify for the Buffalo State dean’s list.
• Julianne Bukovacz of Chadds Ford graduated Magna Cum Laude this spring from Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg.
Academic Achievement June 26 Read More »
PennDOT has announced the following weather-dependent road projects that could affect drivers in the greater Chadds Ford area from June 30 to July 4. Motorists are urged to allow extra time traveling through one of the construction zones. Work schedules are subject to change.
• Utility trimming will cause daytime lane closures on Lenape Unionville Road near Haines Mill Road in Pocopson Township through June 30.
• Tree removal work will continue to cause lane closures on several roads in Birmingham, Kennett, and Pennsbury townships through July 2. Streets affected are Brintons Bridge and Creek roads in Birmingham, Pocopson and Parkersville roads in Pocopson, and Spring Mill and Burnt Mill roads in Kennett Township. Tree removal will also cause lane closures on Brintons Bridge Road in Chadds Ford Township through July 2.
• Roads and municipalities affected by tree trimming work include Brintons Bridge and Creek roads in Birmingham Township, Pocopson and Parkersville roads in Pennsbury Township, Creek Road in Birmingham Township, and Spring Mill and Burnt Mill roads in Kennett Township through July 2.
• Overhead utility work will force daytime lane shifts on the Conchester Highway between Featherbed Lane and Foulk Road through July 25. Utility work will also cause daytime lane shifts on Concord Road between Station Road and Overfield Lane, and between Smithbridge and Valleybrook roads. The work will also cause lane shifts on Smithbridge between Valleybrook and Bethel Road.
• Kennett Square is reporting that the Birch Street Reconstruction Project is scheduled to end in the spring of 2026. During this time, Birch Street will experience rolling road closures where one or both lanes of traffic may be closed for a few hundred feet at a time. In general, the road will be open to local traffic, and road closures will be minimized as much as possible. When both lanes of traffic need to be closed for construction activities, access will be available on both sides of Birch Street, from South Broad Street and South Walnut Street.
• Overhead utility construction will cause daytime lane shifts on Route 52 between the Kennett/Oxford Bypass and Old Baltimore Pike and between Baltimore Pike and Cossart Road in Kennett Township through Dec. 31.
• Overhead utility work will also cause daytime lane shifts on Baltimore Pike between the Kennett/Oxford Bypass and Walnut Street in Kennett Township through the end of the year.
• Utility and drainage installation will cause daytime lane closures at the intersection of Routes 202 and 926 in Westtown and Thornbury (Chester County) townships through Nov. 13.
• Utility and drainage installation, along with paving, will cause a daytime lane closure at the intersection of Routes 202 and 926 through Nov. 13.
• Continuing through early November, motorists should expect daytime lane closures in both directions on Route 1 between the Kennett Oxford Bypass and Greenwood Road in Kennett and East Marlborough townships. The closures are to facilitate widening that 1.3-mile stretch of roadway to three lanes in both directions.
• Construction continues to replace Twin Bridges, the South Creek Road bridge over the Brandywine between Chadds Ford and Pennsbury townships. Work is expected to continue through fall 2025. South Creek Road will be closed 1,200 feet south of Bullock Road and 1.1 miles north of Cossart Road. During the closure, motorists are directed to use U.S. 1, Route 52, Center Meeting Road, and Delaware State Route 100 (Montchanin Road). Bicyclists traveling Bike Route L will be directed to use Bullock Road, Ring Road, Ridge Road, and Delaware State roadway Smithbridge Road.
Road Report for June 30 to July 4 Read More »
After years of not much more than occasional cleanup, Chadds Ford Township is looking more deeply into the history and preservation of Archie’s Corner.
While there are a number of gravestones at the site, part of the project includes using ground penetrating radar to find unmarked graves. That work is being done by Len Strozier of Georgia. He calls himself a “cemeterian,” a word he coined because of his fascination with graveyards.
The site is at the northwest corner of Ring and Bullock roads, where Lydia Archie, known as both Mother Archie and Sister Archie, had a small church and cemetery for the African American community in the early 20th century of Chadds Ford.
Strozier said that when a body is buried without any embalming or the casket isn’t protected by a vault, there will be decomposition, and the ground above will harden, and an air cavity can develop between the remains and the ground above. And that is what the GPR detects
“What I’m able to see with that machine there is where the ground was cut, where it was dug from the surface, pulled out all the dirt, the body placed in there, dirt put back on top of it backfilled. I’m able to see all that with that machine,” he said.
And from the size of the impression, he can tell if it’s the grave of a child or an adult.
He also knows which is the head and which is the foot. He knows that from scripture in Mattheew 24:24, which reads “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
Theologically, he said, that the second coming would also be from east to west.
“So, Mother Archie taught what everybody else was teaching in the Christian community that we will bury people from west to east so that they will rise so they will rise to meet him in the eastern sky,” Strozier
In less than his first hour of working the site, he said he found close to 20 unmarked graves, and there was still more area to cover. He eventually found 79.
And the word “cemeterian” is one he said he copyrighted.
He chuckled, “It’s not in Webster’s Dictionary. Because I own it dictionary, I can define it. A cemeterian is someone who, when on vacation, takes their family to a new cemetery they’ve been to before because they love cemeteries.”
He continued by saying it has nothing to do with the macabre or ghosts, but it’s about heritage.
“Mother Archie’s heritage, her burial is right here where she’s walking right now,” while pointing to Mother Archie’s gravestone.
Strozier’s been doing this type of work for 19 years and has worked 400 cemeteries in 24 states, he said.
“I come here with such fascination, trying to connect that octagon building [the ruins at the site]. I want to recreate as much of the story as. I can. I’m going to find 100 more burials, I’m confident of that,” he said.
In addition to using ground penetrating radar, Strozier also uses GPS, the global positioning system, acquiring 28-38 satellites to pinpoint the exact spot of each grave to accurately map the cemetery.
His fee is coming via a $20,000 Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission grant, with the township paying a $5,000 match.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
Digging into Archie’s Corner Read More »
• Making a bluegrass debut at Longwood Gardens next month is Americana icon Peter Rowan—member of the transcendent bluegrass outfit Old & In The Way along with bandmates Vassar Clements, David “Dawg” Grisman, and Jerry Garcia—teams up with David Grisman’s son, Sam, and his Sam Grisman Project for this special performance. Together, they capture audiences’ hearts with the music of Dawg and Jerry, originals, and selections from the roots songbook, all getting to the very heart of American roots. The performance is Wednesday, July 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the open-air theatre. Reserved tickets start at $50 and are available here. Only limited tickets remain.
• Tickets are now available for The Playhouse on Rodney Square’s production of Mrs. Doubtfire, coming in September. Tickets are also available for Kinky Boots and The Music Man.
• Monarch butterflies are major pollinators in the region. People interested in learning about the monarch’s biology can do just that at Mt. Cuba Center on Friday, July 18, from 1-3 p.m. The cost of the discussion Milkweed and Monarchs is $39. Register here.
• The Chester County History Center will be presenting a virtual slide show, MILLS OF THE DELAWARE VALLEY AND BRANDYWINE, on Tuesday, July 1, from 7-8 p.m. The presentation recalls the origins of milling in southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. It outlines techniques used in finding and documenting historic mills. Photos and drawings include buildings, milling equipment, aerial photos of sites, and views of mills in Delaware and Chester Counties, both past and presently operating, which listeners can visit on their own. Many mills in the area are pictured and described. The is a pay-as-you-wish event. Reserve a spot here.
• The Oxford Art Alliance will hold its annual member art show on July 11 through July 25. The opening reception on Friday, July 11, is from 5-8 p.m. Attendees can expect an eclectic and inspiring mix of paintings, photography, sculpture, mixed media, and more. Whether you’re a longtime supporter or new to the arts scene, the show offers something for everyone. The address is 38 S. Third Street in Oxford.
• The new exhibit at the Brandywine Museum of Art, Andrew Wyeth at Kuerner Farm: The Eye of the Earth, runs through Sept. 28. It features 50 pieces of Wyeth art painted at the Kuerner Farm in Chadds Ford.
Around Town June 26 Read More »
