Kennett Square in Chester County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Borough of Kennett Square
Photographed by Pete Skillman, February 7, 2026
1. Borough of Kennett Square Marker
Shortly after William Penn and English Quakers began arriving here in 1682, Penn gave his daughter a 15,000 acre tract named "Letitia's Manor". It was later divided into smaller tracts and one of those was Kennett Township, named after a village in Wiltshire, England. A small village sprung up where the Lancaster and Nottingham roads intersected. A 1765 petition for a license to operate a "public house of entertainment" was the first time the village was called Kennett Square.
In 1777, British and Hessian soldiers camped here on their way to Philadelphia, before defeating George Washington and the Continental Army at the Battle of Brandywine. There was a military encampment here during the War of 1812 and in 1861 Kennett saw their men head off to fight in The Civil War. The Borough of Kennett Square was incorporated in 1855. Because of the region's continuing Quaker tradition, residents of Kennett Square were active in the Abolitionist Movement and the Underground Railroad, earning it the nickname 'Hot Bed of Abolition'.
The borough has been home to writers, artists, inventors and professional athletes. Kennett Square was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in August, 1989.
National Historic District
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these
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Location. 39° 50.829′ N, 75° 42.677′ W. Marker is in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, in Chester County. It can be reached from East State Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 121 E State St, 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 least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Crown Forces Encampment (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Wm. W. Fahey Post No. 491 (approx. 0.3 miles away); State Fencibles of Philadelphia Campsite (approx. 0.4 miles away); Kennett Square (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Manor of Steyning (approx. 0.9 miles away); Herb Pennock Park - A History (approx. 0.9 miles away); Historic Homestead (approx. 0.9 miles away); Battle of Brandywine (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kennett Square.
Another marker is no longer nearby.
Photographed by Pete Skillman, February 7, 2026
2. Borough of Kennett Square Marker - wide view
Also see . . . Kennett Square Historic District - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form.
The Kennett Square Historic District has local significance in the areas of commerce, industry, and architecture during the period from 1800 to 1938 with emphasis on the period after 1855 when Kennett Square became an incorporated borough. The district served as a commercial center for the surrounding agricultural area in southem Chester County, a role still reflected by the surviving commercial buildings in the district. Industry also played an important part in the district's economy, and many historically important industrial buildings survive today. The architecture within the district evolved from early-nineteenth-century Georgian and Federal styles through late-nineteenth-century styles to early-twentieth-century styles. The buildings within the district in Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Stick, Colonial Revival, and other styles represent this architectural evolution. The Kennett Square Historic District retains an outstanding collection of well-preserved nineteenth century and early-twentieth century buildings that represent its commercial, industrial, and architectural development.(Submitted on February 7, 2026, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 7, 2026, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. This page has been viewed 73 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 7, 2026, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.
