Kennett Township near Kennett Square in Chester County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Peirce's Woods
Where Nature and Design Meet
| | Heritage, Horticulture & Design | |
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., May 26, 2021
1. Peirce's Woods Marker
Originally part of the Peirces' working farm, this seven-acre woodland garden has been meticulously planned using native plants.
During the 19th century, the Peirce family tapped sugar maples on this site for syrup. They also turned the woods into a pleasure ground for local residents, hosting picnics and adding rowboats on the nearby lake. Today, Peirce's Woods has been developed into a unique garden highlighting the ornamental characteristics of a native deciduous forest - one of the first projects of its kind in a public garden.
"The purpose was to save the collection of old trees...many of them of extraordinary growth and arresting appearance."
Pierre S. du Pont, 1945
[Photo captions, left to right, read]
Peirce's Woods includes eight "rooms" emphasizing native deciduous azaleas. Cathedral Clearing features massive oaks and maples towering overhead, while the Rhododendron Rooms are secluded respites embraced by walls of greenery.
In 1995, a team of Longwood gardeners collected more than 10,000 plants being threatened by a North Carolina highway project. Many of these refugees are now at home in Peirce's
this page online
Erected by Longwood Gardens.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1945.
Location. 39° 52.386′ N, 75° 40.317′ W. Marker is near Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, in Chester County. It is in Kennett Township. It can be reached from Longwood Road west of East Baltimore Pike (U.S. 1), on the right when traveling west. Marker is on the grounds of Longwood Gardens, at the east end of the Flower Garden Walk plaza. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square PA 19348, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania and in Greater Philadelphia. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, New Netherland, and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., May 26, 2021
2. Peirce's Woods Marker
Other markers no longer nearby. Italian Water Garden (was about 600 feet away but has been confirmed missing); The Peirce - du Pont House (was about 700 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . . Longwood Gardens: The Rise & Fall of Peirce's Park. (Submitted on October 19, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 19, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 241 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 19, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
