By The Schuylkill River & Urban Waters Research Corps Archive team
Images
Excerpt from the Public Ledger Almanac of 1879: The 1879 Public Ledger Almanac includes an account of "all the streams of any magnitude within the boundaries of Philadelphia as the same were noticed from the discoveries by the Dutch and Swedes up to the present period." It describes the localities of Bow and Darby Creeks and discusses the origins of their names. Other creeks that ran through Tinicum Township are not mentioned, perhaps because they were not considered of any magnitude. The piece mentions that many of the streams mentioned in Swedish and Dutch reports have since been obliterated, but maps indicate that Plum, Middle, and Grun Creeks still existed around the time of this publication. ~ Source: HathiTrust Digital Library ~ Creator: Westcott & Thomson ~ Date: 1879Minerals in Delaware County : The 1892 Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia includes a document on the minerals of Philadelphia nad the vicinity. According to the authors, "the vicinity of Philadelphia has long been famed for the number of its mineral localities and the remarkable abundance and variety of species and specimens." The segment on Delaware County mentions the kyanite and garnets found at Morris' Ferry, which was across Darby Creek from Tinicum. ~ Source: Accessed through Google Books, pg. 196 ~ Creator: J. T. M. Cardeza, M. D. in Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
~ Date: Presented at the May 17, 1892 meeting of the AcademyExcerpt from "Brandywine: A Military History of the Battle that Lost Philadelphia but Saved America, September 11, 1777": Michael Harris describes a construct on Darby Creek used in the Battle of Brandywine during the Revolutionary War. The four-gun earthwork on Tinicum Island, however, "had limited effectiveness against small ships and cruisers." Harris wrote that the Delaware River was "notorious for its changing channels, shoals, sand bars, and appearing and disappearing islands," which complicated military strategy for both sides. ~ Source: Google Books ~ Creator: Author: Michael Harris
Publisher: Savas Beatie LLC ~ Date: Published 2014Excerpt from "The WPA Guide to Pennsylvania" : The WPA Guide to Pennsylvania was created as part of the Federal Writers' Project, a New Deal program intended to provide employment for writers and artists. The Federal Writers' Project created a series of American Guides, including the Guide to Pennsylvania in 1940. The book includes a number of driving tours that cross the state. Tour 6, from Trenton, N.J. to Wilmington, Del., enters Tinicum Township from the West, across Darby Creek near the Morton House. The tourist is instructed to "travers[e] malodorous swamps to Essington." The tour goes on to give a history of European settlers in Tinicum, starting with the Swedish Governor Printz. ~ Source: Google Books ~ Creator: Work Progress Administration: Federal Writers' Project ~ Date: 1940 Excerpt from "Sketch and map of a trip from Philadelphia to Tinicum island" ~ Source: HathiTrust Digital Library ~ Creator: Henry D. Paxson ~ Date: 1926An Act to incorporate the Kingsessing and Tinicum Meadow Company : The Act defines an area of marshland, a portion of which is within Tinicum Township, and establishes "The Kingsessing and Tinicum Meadow Company" from the property owners in this area. The Act delineates the organization of the Company, its obligations, and its authority. The purpose of the Act is to provide structure for the process of manipulating the landscape of marshes and creeks, which previously had been undertaken by individuals without coordination, and often with conflict between adjacent landowners. For example, the Act states that "all creeks, ditches, or other water courses which now are or hereafter shall be made in the said Kinsessing and Tinicum Meadow District, which shall be of the width of nine feet and of the depth of three feet, shall be held and esteemed in all respects lawful fences or enclosure." ~ Source: Google Books ~ Creator: Laws of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, passed at the session of 1851 ~ Date: April 3, 1851Excerpt of 1768 Act: Though Tinicum had not yet been established as its own township--it was considered part of Ridley--a 1768 Act establishes policies regarding the construction and maintenance of banks, dams, and floodgates. The Act begins by defining an area of land now considered to be in Tinicum Township. Settlers had already built up the land to establish solid ground on which to settle, so there was a perceived need to regulate this process and the ongoing repairs that would be required. The Act contains twenty sections that cover the funding, responsibility, and authority of constructing and repairing such structures. ~ Source: Published by Wm Stanley Ray, State Printer of Pennsylvania, 1900Available at Google Books ~ Creator: The Statutes at Large of Pennsylvania from 1682 to 1801 compiled under the authority of the act of May 19, 1887 by James T Mitchell and Henry Flanders ~ Date: Passed February 20, 1768The Kingsessing and Tinicum Meadow Co. v. Shields: William Shields, a landowner within the Kingsessing and Tinicum Meadow District, objected to a tax demanded by the Company in 1894. Shields's argument was that he did not approve of the use the money was put to--the purchase of a steam pump. The court ruled in favor of the Kingsessing and Tinicum Meadow Company, declaring that "unless there is some fraudulent purpose in the assessment of the tax or unless the purpose is clearly ultra vires, a taxpayer cannot prevent its collection." ~ Source: Published by T. & J. W. Johnson & Col. 1894. Accessed at Google Books ~ Creator: Pennsylvania County Court Reports containing Cases Decided in the courts of the several counties of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. ~ Date: May 19, 1894Excerpt of "Diehl Family": A book chronicling the arrival of families to Pennsylvania during Colonial and Revolutionary years includes an account of the Diehl family. German-born Nicholas Diehl came to Philadelphia as a young adult in 1761. Records show that he purchased "a good-sized tract of land on Tinicum Island" in 1768, where he was "the largest landowner in the township" for a time, owning "by far the largest number of horses and was the only person in the township having more than one servant." The text goes on to give a brief description and history of Tinicum Township. ~ Source: Edited by John W. Jordan, LLDPublished by The Lewis Publishing Company, 1911 Accessed at Google Books ~ Creator: Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania: Genealogical and Personal Memoirs ~ Date: 1911 Tinicum Township Sheriff Sales 1907 : A list property sales in Pennsylvania describes several properties in Tinicum, which are frequently characterized by their proximity to creeks or the presence of ditches and drains. The descriptions also note the presence of built structures, often farm houses and barns. ~ Source: Accessed through Google Books ~ Creator: The Philadelphia Record ~ Date: March 11, 1907Hart against Hill: An 1836 lawsuit regarding a tract of land along the Delaware River and Darby Creek traces ownership back to a will executed in 1748. The main issue involved the use of that land to access the river to fish. Mary Hart accused Jacob Hill of trespassing on her property. Hill countered with the argument that regardless of who owned the land, he had the right to use the fishery.
Representing the plaintiff, Mr. Dick stated that "the main question is, did Sanderlin by the will of Christopher Taylor acquire a title to the soil on the bank of the river, or a mere easement... Now, it can be shown by the cases, that the ownership of land on tide water, extends to low water mark... The words 'fishing place' do not, either in common or technical language imply any right in the soil."
The case concluded in favor of the defendant ~ Source: Published by T. & J. W. Johnson & Co., Law Booksellers, Publishers and Importers, 1884.Accessed at Google Books ~ Creator: Reports of Cases Adjudged in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, by Thomas I. Wharton, with references to cases in the subsequent reports, by John Sword, continued by I. Tyson Morris. ~ Date: January 22, 1836Morris Ferry House on Darby Creek: Morris Ferry House on Darby Creek, 6-12-1919. Hagley ID 69170_13841, Box 349, Westinghouse Electric Corporation Steam Division photographs (Accession 1969.170), Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department, Hagley Museum and Library, Wilmington, DE 19807. ~ Source: Westinghouse Electric Corporation Steam Division photograph collection ~ Creator: Charles Yessel ~ Date: June 12, 1919"Evils of Old Tinicum" : Ten years after the Lazaretto closed, recreation in Tinicum was slowly gaining popularity. A disguised pastor reports on "fragrant violation of law" occurring in Tinicum Township in the form of baseball games, alcohol consumption, and gambling on a Sunday afternoon. The area around the ferry across Darby Creek is mentioned as a site of particularly vile activity. ~ Source: Google Books ~ Creator: The Philadelphia Record ~ Date: October 15, 1905Excerpt from "A history of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and its people." ~ Source: Google Books ~ Creator: A history of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and its people, Volume 1, page 280 ~ Date: Published in 1914
Audio
Audio File 1
Chris Templin describes how Darby Creek has become more shallow. ~ Creator: Chris Templin ~ Date: July 12, 2018 View File Record
Audio File 1
Pat Barr describes how the creeks around Tinicum have changed in his memory. ~ Date: August 8, 2018 View File Record
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Pat Barr discusses flooding in Tinicum Township. View File Record
With the Delaware River to the south, Darby Creek to the northwest, and Bow Creek to the northeast, waterways formed the boundaries of Tinicum Township. Water flowed within these boundaries as well. The land itself was regularly inundated until developers built it up. Long Hook Creek, Middle Creek, Plum Creek, and various small streams meandered through the tidal marsh until they too were filled in. Historic maps of the township differ somewhat in the placement of these creeks, and their courses may indeed have varied, according to seasonal conditions and human interventions.
