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Chester Creek is a 9.4 miles (15.1 km) tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Delaware River

Delaware River

The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...

 in Delaware County

Delaware County, Pennsylvania

Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

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East Branch

The East Branch of Chester Creek is 17.1 miles (27.5 km) long. Rising near Kirkland, it crosses under the junction of U.S. Route 202

U.S. Route 202

U.S. Route 202 is a highway stretching from Delaware to Maine, also passing through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire....

 and Pennsylvania Route 100

Pennsylvania Route 100

Pennsylvania Route 100 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that runs from U.S. Route 202 in West Chester, Pennsylvania to Pennsylvania Route 309 in Pleasant Corners, Pennsylvania....

. Just below, it is dammed to form the West Chester Reservoir. Flowing southward, it is dammed just above the Pennsylvania Route 3

Pennsylvania Route 3

Pennsylvania Route 3 is a state highway located in the southeastern portion of Pennsylvania. The route connects West Chester with Philadelphia. The divided highway that comprises much of its route is the West Chester Pike, built as a turnpike by the Philadelphia and West Chester Turnpike Company...

 crossing to form the Milltown Reservoir. It flow south from there to Westtown, where Goose Creek enters and the former West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad

West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad

The West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad operated in the greater Philadelphia area in the 19th century. It later became the West Chester Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad , and is now called the Media/Elwyn Line on the SEPTA system....

 (now owned by SEPTA) runs alongside it. The stream runs easterly about two miles, then turns south and passes a large stone quarry at Glen Mills

Glen Mills, Pennsylvania

Glen Mills is an unincorporated community in Concord Township and Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States about 17 miles from Philadelphia. Glen Mills is known for its gardens and its golf course. Major offices including Deloitte with a headcount of about 100 people...

. It turns southeasterly and meanders slightly, passing through Darlington

Darlington, Pennsylvania

Darlington is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 299 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Darlington is located at ....

 and Wawa

Wawa, Pennsylvania

Wawa is an unincorporated community located in Middletown Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Named for the Ojibwe word for "goose" ,Wawa was originally known as Grubb's Bridge...

 and meeting the West Branch at Lenni

Lenni (SEPTA station)

Lenni is a derelict train station located on the corner of Station Lane and Lenni Road in Middletown Township, Pennsylvania. The station was a stop on the Pennsylvania Railroad's West Chester Line...

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West Branch

The 9.1 miles (14.6 km) West Branch originates near Dillworthtown, in Chester County

Chester County, Pennsylvania

-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...

 and flows generally eastward. Just before entering Delaware County, it is dammed to form Brinton Lake. At Markham, Webb Creek enters at the site of the historic Newlin Grist Mill

Newlin Mill Complex

The Newlin Mill Complex, a water powered gristmill on the west branch of Chester Creek near Concordville, Pennsylvania, USA, was built in 1704 by Nathaniel and Mary Newlin and operated commercially until 1941. During its three centuries of operation, the mill has been known as the Lower Mill, the...

. From here to Chester Heights

Chester Heights, Pennsylvania

Chester Heights is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,481 at the 2000 census. Most of the borough lies south of U.S...

, the creek is paralleled by the abandoned right-of-way of the Octoraro Branch, damaged in flooding from Hurricane Agnes

Hurricane Agnes

Hurricane Agnes was the first tropical storm and first hurricane of the 1972 Atlantic hurricane season. A rare June hurricane, it made landfall on the Florida Panhandle before moving northeastward and ravaging the Mid-Atlantic region as a tropical storm...

 in 1972. The creek loops southward in a deep gorge to skirt the "Heights" and comes north to meet the East Branch below Lenni.

Main stream

The two branches converge between Lenni and Glen Riddle. The main stream winds southward and eastward through a rocky gorge, formerly the site of many mills that tapped its power. The Chester Creek Railroad

Chester Creek Railroad

The Chester Creek Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area in the 19th century. It operated of track between Lamokin Street in Chester, and Lenni in Middletown Township, where it connected with the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad...

 (later the Chester Creek Branch

Chester Creek Branch

The Chester Creek Branch railroad line ran from Lamokin Street in Chester, Pennsylvania to Lenni in Middletown Township, until 1972. It was operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad , and later by Penn Central. The branch diverged from the Northeast Corridor main line near the now-defunct SEPTA Lamokin...

 of the Pennsylvania Railroad

Pennsylvania Railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....

), built 1869, paralleled it from Lenni to Upland

Upland, Pennsylvania

Upland is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Upland is governed by an elected seven member borough council. The population was 2,977 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Upland is located at ....

, where it turned away from the creek. In 1972 the rail line was severely damaged by flooding from Hurricane Agnes

Hurricane Agnes

Hurricane Agnes was the first tropical storm and first hurricane of the 1972 Atlantic hurricane season. A rare June hurricane, it made landfall on the Florida Panhandle before moving northeastward and ravaging the Mid-Atlantic region as a tropical storm...

. Chester Creek joins the tidal Delaware River near Chester

Chester, Pennsylvania

Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...

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East Branch

• Goose Creek
• Westtown Run
• Hickman Run
• Forsythe Run
• Rocky Run

External links

• U.S. Geological Survey: PA stream gaging stations