This spring, we learned about an 1897 inscription on an American Beech tree in Glen Providence Park! Research into its author revealed a family with deep roots in Media Borough, and direct involvement with other well-known characters and places in the park’s pre-history, from its years when it was known as Scroggie Valley. We also estimated the remarkable age of what is likely one of the park’s oldest trees.

Out of obvious view of passersby, the ornamental inscription reads:

Isaac Worrall
Media, Pa.
April 3, 1897

The Worralls were one of the earliest European families to settle near Media[1] after William Penn arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682. Early maps show a Worrall property across Ridley Creek from Broomall’s Run,[2] and you can find the Worrall family (sometimes spelled Worrell) on most of the historical maps of Media we have found.

The Isaac Worralls of Media

Four generations of Isaac Worralls listed on Ancestry.com lived and died in Media, Pennsylvania [3] – the 1860 census confirms the birth years of the first three generations.[4] At least the first three were builders, and seemingly all were active in community service. The first Isaac Worrall lived 1792-1865, the second 1827-1893, the third 1854-1920, and the fourth 1884-1948.[5] That’s at least 156 years of Isaac Worralls in Media! The third Isaac Worrall is likely our artistic inscriber – he would have been 43 years old in 1897.

The Isaac Worralls seem to have been involved in the shaping of Media Borough in its early decades after it was established in 1850. Just one source, the 1900 Semi-centennial of the Borough of Media,[6] lists Isaac Worrall as one of the incorporators of Christ Church in 1854; Isaac Worrall, Jr. as one of the incorporators of the Media Gas Company in 1866; and Isaac Worrall as a Burgess of Media 1891-1892. An Isaac Worrall served as a private in the Civil War under none other than captain John M. Broomall[7] – an active opponent of slavery, a US Congressman, and the owner of Scroggie Valley from around 1864 to his death in 1894. Continuing into the 20th century, an Isaac Worrall was one of the founding members of South Media Fire Company in 1922.[8]

Scroggie Builders!

Beyond community involvement, the Isaac Worralls left tangible marks – they built structures that still stand in Media. An 1855 Map of Media lists Isaac Worrall, Jr. as a mason;[9] the 1860 census lists Isaac Worrall as “Master Stone Mason”; and an 1870 Plan of Media lists “Isaac Worrall, builder.”[10] Several Worrall building projects are listed in the local papers from the late 1800’s, including the brick “centre building” of the Elwyn Institute in 1858.[11] An 1864 advertisement for bricks manufactured by Isaac Worrall, Jr. lists “all kinds of Bricks, consisting of hard, salmon, pressed, back and front stretchers, paving, etc., all well assorted, and of the best qualities”[12] – Worrall bricks could have been used in any number of remaining 19th century buildings around Media!

Notably, in 1867, Isaac Worrall built a “farm house” for his former Civil War captain, Judge John M. Broomall, at “Scrogy”, as announced in the Delaware County American: “The scenery around it is abrupt, yet very fine, and such as might suit the visionary fancies of the romantic, but not the more practical ideas of a thorough farmer.” [13] So, Isaac Worall built the stone Scroggie estate that still exists today, which shared its name with Scroggie Valley and the Scroggie Shingle Mill, and played a role in the glen’s 1700’s Newlywed Ghost Story! 

Delaware County Institute of Science

More Worrall intersections with Glen Providence history can be found in the Delaware County Institute of Science (DCIS). In 1902, DCIS President T. Chalkley Palmer presented a paper about“Local Mineralogy and Mineralogists,” [14] including Isaac Worrell[5] among the mineralogists. Chalkley Palmer is the man who wrote in depth about Scroggie Valley in 1889, and who was the subject of our history lecture at DCIS in February. DCIS has microscope slides of diatoms collected by Palmer at “Worrell’s Spring” in 1902, which we discovered when viewing slides Palmer collected from Scroggie Run. The 1911 Proceedings of the Delaware County Institute of Science lists in the Anthropology Section of its Museum Catalogue, “Collection of several hundred arrow heads, supposed to be mainly local, presented by Isaac Worrall, Sr., of Media.”[15] These would likely be from the local Okehocking, and it is fun to imagine some could have been collected in the glen.

So how old is the tree?

In 2015, we measured the diameter of the tree as 45.5”. Based on a formula by the International Society of Arboriculture to estimate the age of trees without taking a core sample, we multiplied the diameter by 6 to estimate the age of an American Beech tree in a wooded area. [16] The estimated age is 273 years old – the American Beech could have been growing as early as 1742, before the American Revolution! The tree would have had to be fairly large already in 1897 when Isaac Worrall carved that inscription.

How intruiging that the Isaac Worrall who left a long-lasting mark in Glen Providence Park was part of such an enduring family of Media, and a part of Scroggie Valley history!

A tremendous thank you to Scott McConnell for telling us about the American Beech, which we had walked past innumerable times without noticing its inscription. What a wonderful piece of history – we are so glad Scott was observant enough to discover it!

At this point, to protect the tree, we won’t publish where in the park it is located. If you have any photographs or more information about the Isaac Worralls of Media Borough or their descendants, please let us know! 

Endnotes are below the photo.

“Isaac Worrall
Media, Pa.
April 3, 1897″

ENDNOTES:

[1] The Rose Tree Families, Jane Levis Carter, KNA Press, 1984.

[2] “Map of Early Settlements from early Taylor Surveys,” The Rose Tree Families, Jane Levis Carter, KNA Press, 1984.

[3] Ancestry.com records on Isaac Worrall retrieved May 26, 2016.

[4] June 25, 1860 census of “Free Inhabitants in Media Borough” accessed through Ancestry.com, listing the second Isaac Worrall as a “Master Stone Mason.”

[5] As each generation aged, the use of Jr. gave way to Sr., making it unclear to which of the four Isaac Worralls some of the local records referred. Additionally, Worrall is occasionally spelled as Worrell (even within the same family), and there were other Isaac Worralls living in the area in the 1800’s. But the 1860 census of Media Borough make the birth years of the first three generations clear. There is an obituary consistent with this family history for “Isaac Worrall, Member of Old Family” in the August 2, 1948 Chester Times.

[6] Semi-centennial of the Borough of Media, Penna., May 19, 1900.

[7] PaCivilWar.com – retrieved May 26, 2016. Isaac Worrall was in the Sixteenth Regiment Militia under Captain John M. Broomall.

[8] South Media Fire Company, http://www.southmediafire.com/our-history.php retrieved May 31, 2016. Three other Worralls were included in the founders.

[9] 1855 Map of Media the Seat of Justice Delaware County, Pennsylvania by Thos. Hughes, C.E., courtesy of Media Historic Archives.

[10] 1870 Plan of the Borough of Media, PA by G.M. Hopkins, C.E., courtesy of Delaware County Institute of Science.

[11] “A Noble Institution,” Delaware County Republican, June 11, 1858.

[12] “Media Brick Yard,” Delaware County American, May 4, 1864.

[13] “Improvements in Media,” Delaware County American, April 10, 1867.

[14] Delaware County Institute of Science Minutes: “October 16, 1902 – President Palmer read a highly interesting paper on “Local Mineralogy and Mineralogists”. Among the latter he referred to Dr. George Smith, Col. Joseph Willcox, Theodore D. Rand, Dr. J. M. Cardeza, Patrick Bradley, Lewis Palmer, John Smedley, Deshong, Dr. W. T. W. Dickeson, and Isaac Worrell.”

[15] Proceedings of the Delaware County Institute of Science, Volume VI: October, 1910 to July, 1911. Media.

[16] Asheville GreenWorks, ashevillegreenworks.org/how-old-is-my-tree retrieved May 26, 2016.

Our first clue of a mill having been in “Scroggie Valley,” now Glen Providence Park, was in local historian Dr. Anna Broomall’s 1700’s Newlywed Ghost Story – a bit of local folklore with details that launched much research about the valley’s early history, and yielded the discovery that the park had once been called Scroggie Valley! I gradually found more evidence of a mill in early newspapers, maps, and local history books. It turns out the 1800’s shingle mill was the site of some unfortunate events – and there is possibly even an 1864 photograph of the mill!

A millrace through Glen Providence Park?

The 1700’s Newlywed Ghost Story had this intriguing hint of a mill having been in the park: “The ghost of this unfortunate woman was for many years afterwards reported to walk up and down the valley to the west of Media along the old race bank which extended from Scroggie about as far up the valley as the present Broomall’s Lake. The remains of this race bank are still visible.” These sentences led to a determined search for any reference to a millrace (mill stream) or mill in Glen Providence Park, and the eventual compilation of several pieces of evidence that it existed!

A 1909 map shows the residence of the Little family, at the southwest end of Glen Providence Park in Upper Providence, named Scroggie. The 1948 obituary of Louis Little indicates that his family estate Scroggie “was named for an old shingle mill that was located in the valley where Glen Providence Park is now situated.” According to this, the Scroggie home and Scroggie Valley were named after the shingle mill!

1855 Close-up showing the Shingle Mill Stream that was diverted from Broomall’s Run within what is now the park – to power the shingle mill near Ridley Creek.

This seemed anectodal until discovering the shingle mill stream clearly marked on an 1855 map of Media, starting just below 3rd Street (the future location of Broomall’s Dam), and running along the western (Upper Providence) side of the valley, while the natural stream continued along the Media side of the valley. An 1860 map of Chester County marks the location of the shingle mill near Ridley Creek!

So what is a shingle mill, and when was it built?

A shingle mill is used to slice a section of log into tapered wedges to make wooden shingles. Before asphalt shingles, most roofs were covered in wooden shingles. You can see photos and videos of antique shingle mills in use on the Ontario Steam Heritage Museum website. Being water-powered, the Scroggie Shingle Mill used a millrace that diverted a portion of water from the natural stream. The millrace would be engineered to accelerate the water down a manmade channel through the valley, turning the water wheel that powered the sawblade at the mill.

According to Dr. Anna Broomall’s notes from 1909, in 1848 John Hill “built the mill for splitting shingles, but, owing to some deficit in the method, the work was soon abandoned… It is not known with whom the name “Scroggie” (pronounced Scrogie, long o and hard g) originated, it dates, at least, as far back as the Hill ownership.” It would seem the shingle mill caused Mr. Hill some headaches over the next decade…

1861 drawing of the Scroggie house – from Anna Broomall’s collection at Delaware County Historical Society

Media’s first fire, and a lawsuit!

The shingle mill was the location of the first fire in Media on June 20, 1851, which, according to the 19th century historian Henry Ashmead, was “the first untoward event in the infant village” (Media was founded in 1850). He indicates “There was no similar disaster until after the lapse of eight years.” The newspaper reported, “The shingle factory of John Hill, at Media, together with a quantity of lumber was destroyed by fire on Friday last. We have heard no estimate of the loss.”

Mr. Hill apparently rebuilt the mill, only to be sued by his neighbor in 1857 over its operation. The outcome of John R. Lewis vs. John Hill is detailed in the local papers. Mr. Lewis alleged that he was entitled to ½ the water of Scroggie’s stream (according to an undocumented 999-year lease), but that the flow of water was frequently interrupted by the defendant placing gates in the run to power his shingle mill. The judge ruled that Mr. Lewis had the right to only about 1/6 of the stream’s water, for the purpose of watering his meadow, and for which he paid an ear of corn annually. The jury returned a verdict of $5 in damages for the plaintiff. It is unknown whether Mr. Lewis was satisfied with this outcome.

The shingle mill location… and an 1800’s photograph?

I have found no records of the Scroggie Shingle Mill in operation after 1861, but I did come across an intriguing photograph on Facebook of a “lumber mill on Ridley Creek in 1864.” The origin of the photo is unknown, but I decided to visit the likely site of the shingle mill within Glen Providence Park to compare the landscape to the 1864 photo. This is the location where the millrace that hugged the Upper Providence side of the valley would have been funneled by topography to join the natural stream, making it the logical location of the mill. The result is similar topography, as shown in these photographs!

“Lumber Mill on Ridley Creek in 1864” posted by Harvey Martin on “I Grew Up In Media” Facebook page – origin of photo unknown.

Probable Shingle Mill location in Glen Providence Park in January 2015 – the shingle mill would be just behind the large tree in the center of the photo

If this 1800’s photograph is of the Scroggie shingle mill, this would make the latest documentation of the mill in 1864, which, according to Anna Broomall, is the same year that Judge John M. Broomall purchased the Scroggie estate, then razed the original wooden house and built the current stone house in 1867. It is plausible that he would have razed the property’s shingle mill around the same time.

If anyone has more information on the source of the 1864 photograph, please contact us! Even if it were not an actual photo of the Scroggie Shingle Mill, it would be an example of a local mill during the same time period.

Observant hikers may find what seem to be signs of the old millrace along the western edge of the valley, bordering the wetlands. You can see the approximate location of the shingle mill marked on our 2011 Annotated Trail Map, which includes the “Shingle Mill Trail” nickname for the path leading to the mill site.

Click on the photos below for more evidence of the Scroggie shingle mill. Coincidentally, the Scroggie name seems to originate from the 1840’s, the same decade in which Charles Dickens was inspired by the gravestone of Ebeneezer Scroggie to write “A Christmas Carol.” 

Sources:

• 1848 Map of Delaware County by Joshua W. Ash, M.D. from original surveys with the farm limits, courtesy of Delaware County Institute of Science, Media, PA
• 1855 Map of Media the Seat of Justice Delaware County, Pennsylvania by Thos. Hughes, C.E., courtesy of Media Historic Archives, Media, PA
• 1860 Map of Chester Co Pennsylvania by T.J. Kennedy, on display in the 2nd floor lobby of the Delaware County Courthouse, Media, PA
• 1909 Map from the “Property Atlas of Delaware County East of Ridley Creek,” courtesy of Media Historic Archives, Media, PA
• “Burned, ” Delaware County Republican, June 27, 1851
• “Error,” Delaware County American, June 17, 1857
• History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Henry Graham Ashmead, L.H. Everts & Co.,Philadelphia, 1884, p. 590
• “Lumber Mill on Ridley Creek in 1864,” I Grew Up In Media PA Facebook page, posted by Harvey Martin September 9, 2013, origin unknown.
• “John R. Lewis vs. John Hill,” Delaware County American, June 10, 1857
• “Local “Witches” of Long Ago Described by Dr. Broomall,” Chester Times, May 15, 1931
• “Louis Little, Rifle Expert, Broker, Is Dead,” Chester Times, November 13, 1948
• Ontario Steam Heritage Museum, http://woodgears.ca/steam_museum/shingle_mills.html
• Photograph album collection of Dr. Anna E. Broomall, Delaware County Historical Society, Chester, PA
• The Rose Tree Families, Jane Levis Carter, KNA Press, 1984

George and Eleanor Butler donated the land for Glen Providence Park in the summer of 1935, and its final approval was reported in the October 30, 1935 Chester Times.  The long-time park guard and caretaker James Stokes started work the next day on October 31, 1935- so Halloween is Glen Providence Park’s birthday!

Perhaps it is fitting, as there seems to be a tradition of strange tales and haunts in the park.  In fact it was the local ghost and witch stories recounted in the early 1900’s by Dr. Anna E. Broomall that led us to discover the rich pre-park history of Glen Providence Park, from the time it was called Scroggie Valley!  Dr. Broomall was the daughter of Judge John M. Broomall, who had owned the land that is now Glen Providence Park from about 1864 until his death in 1894.

You can get in the Halloween spirit reading Dr. Broomall’s telling of the 1700’s story of newlywed ghosts haunting the park, and the 1800’s witch story of three sisters tormenting the local miller and their Witches’ Ride in the park.  We annotated the stories with our historical research and maps, and even included music for the witch story.

We have heard wonderful accounts of the annual Haunted Woods that County Parks & Recreation held in 1980’s, with Freddy Kruger, a chain saw man, Dracula, and even water creatures in the pond! It sounds like it was an impressive production, and pretty scary! This year at our Nature & Ghost Walk, we shared extra information about the historical ghost and witch stories and other appropriately odd tales about the park, and the darker side of its plants and wildlife– you can read some of those in our article “Ghosts & other park frights”.

Halloween events are just some of the park’s wonderful array of activities and events since it opened in 1935. That tradition of community events, and the elegance of the park’s design and structures built by the Works Progress Administration, are why Glen Providence Park was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places!  What a marvelous history it has had…

Happy 77th Birthday, Glen Providence Park!

And, Happy Halloween!

The image is of a 1930’s or 1940’s postcard of Glen Providence Park, showing the park guard house half way down the sledding hill.

History Timeline of the Third Street Bridge/Dam Project

Prepared by the Friends of Glen Providence Park
1883: John M. Broomall, the owner of a large tract of land on the western edge of Media, built a dam across Broomall’s Run, a small tributary of  Ridley Creek. Broomall built the dam for the purpose of harvesting and selling ice. The dam formed Broomall’s Lake.  A roadway was created over the dam.

1935: Glen Providence Park was established as the first park in Delaware County, with land donated by the Butler family, and small parcels donated by the Media Swimming and Rowing Club (name later changed to Broomall’s Lake Country Club) and one other land owner.  25 acres were originally donated, then eight more a few years later.  The northern border of Glen Providence Park is the 3rd Street Bridge/Dam.

1979/80: The Army Corps of Engineers found the dam “seriously inadequate” and recommended quick action.  No action was taken due to disagreements between Media Borough, Delaware County, and Broomall’s Lake Country Club about responsibility for repair.

1996: The road over the Third Street dam/bridge was closed by Media Borough out of safety concerns related to erosion on the southern side of the roadway.

1998: Schnabel Engineering Company was retained by Borough Council to evaluate various rehabilitation alternatives.

1999: Borough Council secured funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) Local Bridge Program to cover 80% of the cost of repairing the dam and establishing an automobile roadway. Local matching funds were required to cover the other 20% of the project’s cost.

May, 2011: Borough Council signed a three-party stipulation agreement with Delaware County and Broomall’s Lake Country Club (BLCC), indicating that the Borough had responsibility for funding and managing the repair of the dam, and BLCC and the County would share the long-term responsibility and the costs of future maintenance.  Ownership was not determined by the legal stipulation.

June 2011: The proposed design of the dam/roadway was revealed to public for the first time, indicating that 1.1 acres of park would be impacted by the construction project.

August 3, 2011: Media Borough Council held a special public meeting in the Borough Council chambers to inform the public about the design and impact of the proposed 3rd Street Project. John Harrison, Schnabel Engineering (dam design); Quentin Rissler, Larson, Design Group (roadway and bridge design); Richard Reisinger, PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Dam Safety; and Sidney New, Gannett Fleming (PennDOT’s project manager), made presentations to the public.

Borough Council President Pete Alyanakian opened the meeting by introducing Pennsylvania Senator Dominic Pillegi. Senator Pillegi announced that Media would receive a $650,000 grant in Pennsylvania Redevelopment Capital Assistance Funding to cover the local match for the project. Mr. Alyanakian noted that between this grant and the PennDOT funding, construction of the project would be 100% funded.

October 13, 2011: In order to address the concerns of the Friends of Glen Providence Park (FrOG) about the impact of the project on the Park’s natural environment and recreational use, Media Borough Council held a special public meeting in the Borough Council chambers. At the meeting, FrOG members presented a petition with over 500 signatures from residents of Media and another 300 signatures from surrounding communities. The petition called on Borough Council to minimize the environmental impact to the Park and also to establish a pedestrian-bicycle greenway, with access to emergency automotive vehicles only. FrOG members also requested that Borough Council form a Third Street Project Citizens Advisory Committee.


November 4, 2011: Representatives from Media Borough Council and the engineering firms contracted to repair the Third Street dam held a meeting with PennDOT representatives in the District 6 PennDOT office. The following persons were present: Tim Stevenson, PennDOT Design Portfolio Manager; Sidney New, Gannett Fleming (PennDOT project manager); Peter Alyanakian, Borough Council President; Monika Rehoric, Borough Council Vice-President; Peter Williamson, Councilman; Jeff Smith, Borough Manager; Robert Johnston, Gilmore Associates (Borough Engineer); Quentin Rissler, Larson Design Group; and John Harrison, Schnabel Engineering. Mr. Stevenson of PennDOT clarified that PennDOT funding from the Local Bridge Program would pay for repair or removal of the dam. Stevenson also stated that funding did not require the establishment of an automobile roadway and could be applied to a pedestrian-bicycle greenway. Mr. Stevenson emphasized that any proposed course of action must be explained within a final Purpose and Need Statement for the project to be submitted by the Borough.

January 19, 2012: Media Borough Council unanimously approved the establishment of a Third Street Project Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) to solicit public input, study relevant information, and present an advisory report to Borough Council by April 1, 2012. The CAC was established as an ad hoc, time-limited advisory body. Council charged the CAC with reporting on public opinion and its own conclusions regarding four options: 1) Repair the dam and establish an automobile roadway; 2) Repair the dam and establish a pedestrian-bicycle greenway, 3) Remove the dam and build a bridge with an automobile roadway; and 4) Remove the dam and do not build a bridge or roadway. Note: The option for removing the dam and building a bridge (greenway) for pedestrian-bicycle transportation was raised at the initial CAC meeting with Council members – clarity on that option is being sought.

May 17, 2012: Media Borough Council votes (5-2) to move forward with dam replacement in accordance with the stipulation.

There are hundreds of pages of documents about the 3rd Street Bridge/Dam Project on the Borough website.  For an overview of what is contained in those documents, read our Guide to the Bridge/Dam Documents.

It’s our historically annotated trail map!  These are not official trail and place names- they are whimsical names based on our research of the park.  Sprinkle a little historical perspective into your next visit to Glen Providence Park!

Just how much of the park have you explored?

Each trail has its own personality and treasures.  The wildlife on the Shingle Mill Trail, the views from the Mountain Laurel Trail, the evergreens on the western hill of the Switchback and Scouts Loop- and of course the waterfall and wetlands of the Ice House Trail… we highly recommend exploring it all!

This is our first version of our annotated map, which we adapted from the Delaware County Parks & Recreation trail map.   We plan to develop it as our research continues.

You can preview it below or print the Annotated trail map PDF (we recommend color printing).

Enjoy the park!

Annotated trail map - September 2011 version

We have confirmed some of the geographic locations in the story, as detailed in our End Notes.  There is also a Ghost Story recounted in the same article.

For the full experience, you can listen to the score of The Witches’ Ride via archive.org, from Engelbert Humperdinck’s 1892 opera Hansel & Gretel, while you read the story!

From the May 15, 1931 Chester Times article, Local “Witches” of Long Ago Described by Dr. Broomall:

“The pumping station of the Media Water Works occupies the sight [sic] of an old Grist Mill dating back in the eighteenth century, indeed part of the old mill still exists in the present building. [1] On the other side of the old mill race the miller’s house stands, not much altered from its original shape and occupied now by the engineer of the water works.  In the latter part of the eighteenth century and the first part of the nineteenth century this mill property was occupied by an old miller named Seth Levis, the hero of the following account.  He was a well known character of the neighborhood and died about 1840, aged some 75 years. [2]

1870 map of Media & Upper Providence - shows F. Cannon house

“A little way up the state road towards Media at the corner where the road turns off up the Valley in front of Scroggie,[3] is a small old stone house, now belonging to the heirs of Frank Cannon. [4] Years ago at the time to which this account refers this old house was occupied by three single women, sisters whose name is not now known.

“It is with these old maids and the miller above referred to, that our legend is concerned.  Back in the early days of this region before civilization had turned too strong a light on things occult, the neighborhood was peopled with its full quota of goblins and ghosts and witches and report had it that the hours on the “Witches Ride,” and witches. [sic] 

“These malicious reports were to the effect that the good old ladies, armed with the bridle of a horse, would go to a man’s house at night, enter through the keyhole and finding him asleep would throw the bridle over his head with the result of which he would turn into a horse.  He would then be taken out and rode about for hours on the “Witches Ride,” and then towards morning would be driven back to his house, the bridle removed, and he would once more be allowed to take the form of a man.  There must have been some truth in these stories as many were the men who woke up in the morning tired and fagged out as by a week’s work.

“The “Witches Ride” we have mentioned was located on top of the hill west of Media about opposite the projection of Front street. [5] For many years there could be seen more or less a circular line around the top of this hill some hundred yards in diameter which was reported to be the remains of this nocturnal tract.  

“But these night excursions came to a strange and sudden stop, a result brought about according to rumor, by the following chain of circumstances.  

1810 Map of Delaware County - shows Levis property

“One night one of the old women concluded to play a trick on old man Seth.  Quietly she entered his room, in the orthodox way, through the keyhole, and attempted to throw the bridle over Seth’s head.  Unfortunately for her Seth was awake and heard her coming.  He pretended sleep until she came near and then seizing here threw the bridle over her head and was surprised to find the charm worked both ways and that his enemy had turned into a horse.  He thereupon took her to the stable, saddled her and started out upon a midnight ride.  All night long they rose far and wide over the rough country roads, until both rider and horse were fagged out.  When dawn came he put his new horse in the stable along with the other animals.  During the day he noticed the new arrival was without shoes so he led her to the black smith’s shop and had her shod. [6] The following night the long country ride was repeated, covering if possible even more miles than before.  At dawn of the second morning tired of the joke he had played on the old lady, Seth removed the bridle and set her free once more in human form.

“We can be sure that friend Seth told the story of his adventure with great relish to his friends.  Of course there were many who doubted his story, but its truth was strangely confirmed by the fact that one of the old women fell violently ill and the doctor, when questioned, admitted that he did not understand the case.  He was greatly puzzled over certain wounds on the hands and feet of the patient, which were only accounted for when Seth’s story became known.  

End notes:

[1] According to Media historian Frank Lees, there were mills near the current Aqua plant (located at Ridley Creek Road and Baltimore Pike) starting in the early 1700‘s.  Media Borough bought the property in 1871 for waterworks, which it owned until 1994.

[2] According to the 1914 A History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania and its People, Anna Broomall is remarkably accurate in her account of Seth Levis.  He inherited a mill at Ridley Creek from his father Isaac Levis in 1798, and immediately sold a one-half interest to his brother-in-law, Edward Lewis.  Seth operated the mill until 1825 when he passed his remaining interest to Edward.  Seth Levis died in 1841 at 74 years old.   Levis and Lewis are shown on the above 1810 map of Delaware County.  This dates the witch story between 1798 and 1841 at the latest!  

1909 Map of Upper Providence Township - shows "Scrogie"

[3] The house at Kirk & Ridley Creek, at the mouth of the valley, was called Scroggie as late as 1952- as marked (“Scrogie”) on this 1909 map of Upper Providence Township. In the 1800’s, the land that is now the park was called Scroggie Valley.

[4] The Frank Cannon house, where the three sisters lived, is marked on the 1870 map of Media & Upper Providence!

[5] The Witches Ride was “on top of the hill west of Media about opposite the projection of Front street”, the same location as the circular path at the top of the hill at the park’s Kirk Lane entrance!

[6] The black smith may well have been at the Minshall House, Media’s oldest house!  According to the Media Historical Society, “during the early nineteenth century, the house was owned by a blacksmith.”

We will add to these end notes as we learn more information!

Researched by Stephanie Gaboriault

1683 map of Chester County

Like old maps? We sure do!  Here are six  maps we have found of the land that is now the park, from 1683 to 1909.  The historical locations play a role in a Ghost Story and Witch Story that take place in Glen Providence Park.  Click on the images for a larger view!

1683 map of Chester County

This is before Delaware County was created!  That’s Ridley Creek in the center, with Crum to the right, and Chester to the left. The park would be just north of the center, to the right of Ridley Creek, on the land owned by Peter and William Taylor.

Not coincidentally, 1683 was the year that land in this area was ceded by Native American tribes.

1810 map of Delaware County

1810 map of Delaware County

That’s Ridley Creek up the center, along the orange boundary line. Broomall’s Run is along the word “Providence” in Upper Providence. The park would be under the “PR”.

The road along the top of “Providence” is Kirk Lane- it was a major road at the time. There is no Ridley Creek Road shown.

1848 map of Delaware County

1848 Map of Delaware County

The park is just about in the center- the creek running along Isaac Cochran’s property is Broomall’s Run, and the road above that is Kirk Lane.

1870 Plan of Borough of Media

1870 Plan of Borough of Media

Broomall’s Run is along the Borough line at the top. When Broomall’s Run was used as the Borough’s water supply, there was a reservoir and waterworks near Orange Street, upstream from the future Broomall’s Lake and Glen Providence Park.

The orientation is tilted- note the compass rose.

1892 Plan of Borough of Media

1892 Plan of Borough of Media

This shows Broomall’s Lake, which was created around 1883 by Judge John M. Broomall to harvest ice. It also shows Third Street crossing the dam.

There is no park pond shown on this map- the pond was created in 1936 or 1937, after Glen Providence Park was established in 1935.

1909 Map of Upper Providence Township

1909 Map of Upper Providence Township

What a find! This map shows the “Scrogie” estate (usually spelled Scroggie) which gave Scroggie Valley its name.  It also shows the Palmer family property where T. Chalkley Palmer grew up, and George Butler owning the “Broomall House” at Front and West Streets.

George Butler must have later acquired the land he subsequently donated to create Glen Providence Park.

Sources:

The 1909 map from the “Property Atlas of Delaware County East of Ridley Creek” is posted with permission of the Media Historic Archives.

The 1683, 1810, 1848 and 1870 maps are posted with permission of the Delaware County Institute of Science. Check them out for yourself- they’re hanging on the wall in their map room!

The 1892 map is on our own wall!

We will add more historical maps as we find them!