Since Glen Providence Park was established as a bird sanctuary and arboretum in 1935, Girl and Boy Scouts have been a part of its narrative! The day after work began on the park, a November 1, 1935 article in the Chester Times invited the reader to “Come with your bird glasses, your flower guides, your tree books. Bring the school children and scout groups, and let Nature teach them her ancient lessons.” The Scouts heeded that call, with accounts of Girl and Boy Scouts from across Delaware County visiting the park since the 1930’s.

Articles through the 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s recount how Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Brownies, and Cub Scouts held picnics, cookouts, meetings, and ceremonies in the park, including new troop investitures and “a court of awards.” In September 1939, a Rutledge Cub pack had a meeting where “An interesting nature program was presented, which included a spirited contest on trees”(!). That October, a Lansdowne Girl Scout troop took a field trip to the “Bird Sanctuary.” 

Volunteerism

In addition to the many meetings and activities, the Scouts have a record of volunteerism in Glen Providence Park. In 1970, a dozen Upper Providence Boy Scouts conducted a major cleanup behind what was then Skelly contracting and Media Laundry, above the Mountain Laurel Trail – they “piled up enough trash for several truckloads in the park below the guardhouse.” In 1971, as part of a Boy Scout “Conservation Good Turn” program, Minquas District Boy Scouts cleaned up “creeks, streams, and roadways,” in parks including Glen Providence. “The Anti-Litter Day campaign” had the administrative support of the newly formed Chester-Ridley-Crum Watersheds Association. This was a predecessor of CRC’s Annual Streams Cleanup, which is in its 18th year, and still involves many Scouts troops!

In 2005, Kathryn Lenahan from Girl Scout Troop 907 took on an individual project that honored the intent of the park’s dedication as a bird sanctuary. A Penncrest High School graduating senior, she earned a Girl Scouts Gold Award for “designing and building a bird blind for people to enjoy birdlife.” Sadly the bird blind (a small shelter from which you can observe wildlife) near the Kirk Lane entrance was destroyed several years ago, possibly by a fallen limb. We marked its approximate location on our annotated trail map.

It is a possibility that in the 1930’s or 1940’s, the Scouts may have planted a number of trees in the park. We have not found confirmation of this, but we know that the Norway Spruce trees that cover much of the western hill were planted, seemingly since 1935, and that Boy Scouts had planted White Pines along nearby Ridley Creek Road around 1932. We would love to learn more about the Norway Spruce planting!

There is one Norway Spruce in the park that we know was planted by Cub Scouts. Sadly, the tree was planted in 1991 in memory of a Cub Scout from Pack 642.

Scouts today

The involvement of Scouts in the park continues. In 2012 and 2013, we attended a meeting in the park with 3rd grade Brownie Troop 5248 to talk about the Scouts’ history in the park, and the plants and wildlife – then they helped us with a park cleanup and with plantings around the stage! In 2014, the Minquas District Boy Scouts held a spring cleanup in the park with Media Rotary and Penncrest Interact. And just this month, we participated in a meeting in the park with 6th grade Girl Scout Troop 5037 to talk about the park and environmental stewardship, and about ideas for their Silver Award projects next year.

In honor of all that the Scouts have done in the park through the years, on our September 2011 annotated trail map, we nicknamed the park trail along Kirk Lane the Scouts Loop!

If anyone has more information about, or photos of, Scouts and their projects in the park, please contact us via email (using the Contact Us link) or by leaving a comment on this page.

Sources

Chester Times & Daily Times articles researched on the Newspaper Archives of Delaware County Library:

Chester Times:
Club Leaders See New County Park, November 1, 1935
Rutledge Cub Pack No. 7, September 27, 1939
October Days in Lansdowne, October 14, 1939
Rutledge, May 7, 1949
Eight Brownies Get Their ‘Wings’, June 10, 1950
18 Girl Scouts Attend Cookout, October 27, 1950
Media Girl Scouts, October 25, 1951
Ridley Park WSCS Plans Luncheon, June 6, 1955
Troop Enjoys Wiener Roast, October 31, 1957

Daily Times:
Girl Scouts Go Camping, April 16, 1960
Leaders of Patrols Selected, October 27, 1964
Boy Scouts help clean up Glen Providence Park area, December 1, 1970
Scouts to collect litter, June 4, 1971

And:

RTM Honors Girl Scout Gold Award Winner, County Press, May 31, 2005

We were delighted last year when local resident William Vanleer shared with us a series of 12 photographs by his grandfather, GJ Ulshafer, taken in Glen Providence Park around 1939! There are wonderful written descriptions of the park from its early years in the Chester Times and elsewhere, but early photos are harder to find.

These 1939 photographs are enchanting, showing entrance signs for “Glen Providence Bird Sanctuary & Arboretum,” rustic footbridges, and even the park’s original drinking spring by the base of Broomall’s Dam, as described in the 1941 Nature Guide to Glen Providence Park. That guide was written by long-time park supervisor James R. Stokes, Jr., who may be the park guard in one of the photos! The park visitors’ attire alone evokes a bygone era.

This collection of images is a treasure, and we are very grateful to William Vanleer for sharing his grandfather’s photographs with us.

Click on any photo for a closer look! There is further information about some of the photographs in our History album on Facebook. 

Individuals from the Friends of Glen Providence Park attended the second public meeting for Delaware County’s Open Space Plan on Tuesday March 12, 2013.  Delaware County Planning recently posted the meeting’s presentation files on its website, giving those who did not attend the Public Forum the opportunity to review and comment on the long range concept plans for six County parks, including Glen Providence Park.

Public feedback is an important element in the Open Space Plan process, and County Planning, County Parks & Recreation, and the consultants are thoughtfully considering comments and feedback.

There is a significant change proposed for the Glen Providence Park pond and Broomall’s Run, outlined below- please take the time to review the Concept Sketch for Glen Providence Park, and provide your feedback to County Planning. While there is no specific deadline, we recommend replying no later than Friday, May 3.

We have included a guide and links to the three sections of the presentation that are posted on the County website.  If you have any comments, ideas, or suggestions regarding the County parks plans, please email them to Senior Planner, Steven R. Beckley, AICP at BeckleyS@co.delaware.pa.us, or print and fill out the evaluation form used at the Forum and return it to the address, fax, or e-mail listed at the bottom.

The 3 Presentation sections are as follows:

– Timing & Objectives: the list of objectives is thoughtful and excellent.  There are additional Public Meetings planned for Fall 2013 and January 2014 to review Final Drawings and Draft Recommendations, then a Final Public Meeting to present the Plan.

– Needs Assessment, Survey Findings, Values & Philosophy, The Big Picture and Trends: All of the public feedback so far emphasizes the need to preserve natural open spaces in Delaware County, and prioritizes passive use such as hiking trails.

– Specific Park Proposals include Concept Sketches for Glen Providence Park and other parks
 

There are some significant proposals made for Glen Providence Park:

Please refer to the PDF of the Concept Sketch for Glen Providence Park, and give the County feedback on the following proposed changes to the park:

– Divert Broomall’s Run through the pond: This is proposed to address ecological and erosion problems at the pond, as we outlined in Upcoming Changes: Pond & Wetlands. Would you want to see the stream adjacent to the pond filled in, and relocated to run through the pond? Do you have any environmental expertise to know whether this would be helpful or harmful to the pond and stream ecology?

– Additional parking lot built at Kirk Lane: Have you ever found the Kirk Lane parking lot to be full? Do you see a need for more parking spaces?  What do you think of the proposed location?

– ADA accessible terrace below the main entrance overlook: Do you feel this would be used? Do you think it would positively or negatively impact the main entrance?

– Children’s Natural Play Area, using natural materials to make features such as stepping stones, walkways, and balance beams near the picnic pavilion: How do your children use the park? Is this a feature you would like to see, or that your children would use?

* May 2, 2013 Update: Please see the comments below for an explanation of why we do not support the first two proposals.
 

Other identified Park Needs & Long Range Ideas include:

– Structure repairs & maintenance
– Trail maintenance standards
– Repair restrooms
– Erosion control
– They are considering our idea to re-establish the Eleanor Reed Butler Waterfall as a recirculating waterfall from the pond!
– Improve signage

Please make any specific comments on County Planning’s evaluation form, and reply to Steven R. Beckley by email, mail, fax or phone.
 
Thank you!

We were delighted and amazed to find a copy of the 1941 Nature Guide to Glen Providence Park in the Media Historic Archives, after reading about it in the June 7, 1941 Chester Times.  It was wonderful on a cool, blustery, beautiful day last Saturday to walk the trail described in the guide, comparing plants and features from 1941 and now!  Along the way we referred to early park photographs and descriptions, while searching for ephemeral spring flowers.

The 1941 Glen Providence Park Supervisor James Stokes wrote, “This guide has been prepared as a seeing eye for nature lovers, in order that they may enjoy the abundance of shrubs, flowers, trees and wild life found in this lovely Glen.”  There are quotes from the Delaware County Park and Recreation Board President Samuel L. Smedley, and National Recreation Association Specialist L.H. Weir.

The self-guided 1941 trail starts by the main entrance on State Street, heading down the sledding hill past the concert stage and turning right along the Ice House Trail towards the Broomall’s Dam waterfall.  Some of the still-existing trees and plants described include Flowering Dogwood, Hemlock, large Sassafras trees, Birch, Skunk Cabbage and Iron wood (Hornbeam).

In 1941, we could have crossed “an arched rustic bridge which commands a beautiful view of the Falls”, to pass a fernery and get to the drinking spring by Broomall’s Dam.  As that bridge fell long ago, we made a stream crossing over the stepping stones, past a scenic view of the wetlands fed by the numerous natural springs along Broomall’s Run. We made our way near the drinking spring, and saw the emerging Bloodroot flowers along the trail where indicated by the 1941 Guide.  We first spotted the Bloodroot on April 3 this year during this cold spring, 17 days later than last year’s warm spring!

By the pond is the lovely but now-dry Eleanor Reed Butler waterfall, and in the pond we saw turtles and fish- but it would be two days before the American Toads first emerged.   We took the lower Shingle Mill Trail to its end along Broomall’s Run, where there was once a children’s wading pool with “a very fine view of meadowland” stretching to Ridley Creek Road.  There was also a 100′ rustic footbridge over the marsh and stream!  Still growing is an “Oddity of Nature – nine trees growing from one central root of a Sycamore tree.”

In the absence of the footbridge, we made another stream crossing and connected with the lower Mountain Laurel Trail,  abundant with the state flower Mountain Laurel, and an enchanting patch of Partridge Berry on a fallen tree.  The 1941 trail ends at the pavilion, near our Earth Day Plantings.

While it was a late-blooming Spring, it was beautiful to get a clear view of the park’s landscape with early Spring colors, before the foliage emerges. Thank you to the 14 adults, 2 lovely children and the delightful dog who joined us on our walk!

You can view the PDF version of the 1941 Nature Guide to Glen Providence Park, and you can view and print our Annotated Trail Map with trail names and historical annotations!

One of the loveliest original features in Glen Providence Park might go unnoticed, if it were not still marked with a dedication plaque. On the west side of the pond, near the island, is the now-dry Eleanor Reed Butler Waterfall.  The stones where water once flowed are now covered in enchanting ferns, and the pool of water that was at the base of the waterfall is dry.

This waterfall was one of the first features installed in the park in 1936- amazingly, it was fed through a pipe leading from the drinking spring 500′ upstream by Broomall’s Dam, which is marked on the 1945 Plan of Glen Providence Park (shown below). The waterfall and pipe feeding it are described in two early Chester Times articles about the park:

– August 8, 1936: “… This water has been piped from that spring nearly five hundred feet down the valley, feeding the lake [the park’s pond] and providing drinking water.”

– February 8, 1937: “A second supply [of water to the pond] is from the larger spring above referred to [the drinking spring near the dam], the water being carried through about 500 feet of pipe and liberated over an artificial cascade into the lake, making a very attractive feature.”

As with any man-made features, the waterfall required maintenance over time. The July 17, 1948 Chester Times describes how the Providence Garden Club was working to improve the waterfall in memory of Eleanor Reed Butler, who with her husband had donated the majority of the land for the park as a Bird Sanctuary and Arboretum. Eleanor Butler also named Glen Providence Park, “because of its glen-like formation and as it is located in the heart of the Providence townships.”

In the Media Historic Archives, we found a photo of the Eleanor Reed Butler Waterfall still functioning in 1975. It is believed that the pipe feeding the waterfall has since caved in. We have hopes that the waterfall can be rehabilitated- as part of public participation in Delaware County’s Open Space Plan, Friends of Glen Providence Park made the suggestion to restore the waterfall, as a re-circulating waterfall pumped from the pond.  This would help to aerate the pond, add to the sound of babbling water, and restore this historical park structure.  Delaware County is considering this suggestion for Glen Providence Park’s Site Plan that will result from the Open Space Plan process.

The Eleanor Reed Butler Waterfall is a lovely tribute to the woman who gave so much to our community by preserving this land- we hope the waterfall can be lovingly preserved for future generations!

Chester Times articles researched on the Newspaper Archives of Delaware County Library.

If anyone has photographs of the Eleanor Reed Butler Waterfall when it was still functioning, please email us at FriendsoftheGlen[AT]gmail.com!   You can click on the 1945 map, 1975 photo, and current photos below….