The land around Chadds Ford was inhabited by the Lenni Lenape Indians centuries before the Europeans arrived. In 1638 the first European explorers, the Swedes, discovered the Brandywine and by 1700 English Quakers made up most of the population in the area. In 1707 “Ye Great Road to Nottingham,” now U.S. Route 1, was laid out from Baltimore to Chester. It was one of the five main routes from Philadelphia in the early 18th century. During the late 1730s and 1740s when John Chads operated a ferry service across the Brandywine, the crossing place became known as “Chads Ford.” About 1827 a bridge to span the river was built. During the 1800s the harnessing of water power for use in mill operations was a major factor in the growth of the area. The mills not only manufactured goods such as gun powder and paper, they also processed grain and timber grown in the area. Chadds Ford is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, about 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia. Prior to 1996, Chadds Ford Township was known as Birmingham Township and the name was changed to allow the township to correspond to both its census-designated place and to reflect its role in the Battle of Brandywine. Chadds Ford was home to N.C. Wyeth, his son Andrew Wyeth, and grandson Jamie Wyeth. Brandywine Battlefield is located in the township, along with the Brandywine River Museum, which houses much of the Wyeth collection.