Kennett Square is marking "Occupation Day" on Thursday, September 10, the date in 1777 when British forces took over the town the day before the Battle of the Brandywine. Folks dining along State Street will have the chance to meet Revolutionary War reenactors from 4 to 6 p.m. and listen to a fife-and-drum corps.
According to the "Kennett Occupation Day" website: "The day and night before this great battle the entire British and Hessian Armies marched into the small town of Kennett Square and occupied the homes and taverns where they rested and planned their attack strategy. The occupation was devastating to the local community as livestock, horses, food, etc. were taken by the British Army."
The event is co-sponsored by the Chadds Ford Historical Society and the Kennett Heritage Center.
Speaking of Kennett history, Lynn Sinclair and Lars Farmer were kind enough to show me around the new Kennett Heritage Center at 120 N. Union St., the former home of Dr. Isaac D. Johnson (and, more recently, the law office of Kennett Township supervisor Scudder Stevens). Perhaps you've seen workers in the front yard doing millwork.
Still under renovation, the museum will include rooms devoted to the 1700s (including the Lenni-Lenape), the early 1800s, the late 1800s, and the Underground Railroad. Lynn said she hopes to have the center open later this year: "It would be really fun to have a holiday celebration here!"
This rendering shows what the first room in the Heritage Center will look like.
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