Darby Creek Then and Now

Darby Creek Then and Now. . , By the time of the Revolutionary War, Morton Homestead was being used as a ferry house. It may have looked something like this. Early settlers used the ferry to cross Darby Creek to Tinicum Island. Like many other streams along the Delaware River, Darby Creek was lined with marshes. Today, the marsh has been filled in to "reclaim" the land and to help control flooding., Changes To The Natural Environment , We are not the first people to alter the marsh. Early settlers drained the marshes and cut the abundant marsh grass for hay. They planted crops in the rich former marshland. Cutting grass was easier than clearing the forest, but drainage systems were expensive to maintain. The new fields had a maddening way of reverting to marshes. As farmers cleared land on higher ground, the marshes were abandoned., In the late 1800s, railroads opened the area to people seeking pleasant homes in suburban neighborhoods. New roads led to the construction of a bridge across Darby Creek, replacing the ferry and bringing quick, easy access to Tinicum Island. In the twentieth century, construction projects including Interstate 95, nearby apartment houses and replacement of the bridge across the creek, brought more changes. In places, the marsh has been filled in to a depth of ten feet. Darby Creek once ran about 30 feet closer to the Homestead than it does now. A settler from the 1600s would have a hard time recognizing the Homestead today!, Changes To The Way We Live , Long ago, Indians planted seasonal crops on the floodplains. By 1000 A.D. they had settled in small villages along Darby Creek. Archaeologists found evidence of their presence while excavating Morton Homestead., In the 1600s, England, Sweden, and Holland all claimed land in the Delaware Valley. The land around Darby Creek was once part of the colony of New Sweden. Swedes and Finns lived in small fortified settlements or independent farms along the creek. In 1655, the Dutch captured New Sweden but lost it to the English just nine years later., The English formalized the landholding system. Thanks to them, we have our first official record of the Homestead. In 1672, Morton Mortonson (whose name was later shortened) and Jan Cornelius obtained title from the English governor to the land on which they were living., When William Penn founded Pennsylvania in 1681, many of the settlers were Swedish farmers. One hundred years later, at the time of the American Revolution, Swedish influence was still strong. After the Civil War the area around Darby Creek became a suburb, and most of its Swedish character was lost.,

When?. Before 1638: Indians , 1638 - 1655: New Sweden , 1655 - 1664: Dutch dominion , 1664 - 1681: English rule , 1681 - 1784: Pennsylvania colony , 1784 - 1870: Americans , 1870 - 1935: Suburban development , 1935 - 1937: Building restoration , 1937 - present: Historic park