Brookhaven, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Brookhaven is a borough in Delaware County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. The population was 7,985 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), of which, 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) of it is land and 0.59% is water.
Brookhaven has many streets named after presidents. The Dutton Mill Estates section of the borough comprises: Adams
Drive, Lincoln
Drive, Monroe
Drive, Jackson
Drive, Jefferson
Drive, Madison
Drive, and Grant
Drive. You can find Washington
Avenue and Mt. Vernon
Avenue elsewhere in the borough.
It is about 15 minutes away from South Philadelphia.
of 2000, there were 7,985 people, 3,476 households, and 2,200 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 4,705.3 people per square mile (1,813.5/km²). There were 3,595 housing units at an average density of 2,118.4 per square mile (816.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.64% White, 2.02% African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.24% Asian, 0.44% from other races
, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population.
There were 3,486 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the borough the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $48,289, and the median income for a family was $58,271. Males had a median income of $40,158 versus $32,155 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $23,706 (compared with $21,587 nationally). About 1.6% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.
Median rent in Brookhaven, at the time of the 2000 Census, was $654. Monthly homeowner costs, for people with mortgages, were $1,098.
The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 14. The number of murders and homicides was 0. The violent crime rate was 1.8 per 1,000 people.
was originally part of a land grant given to William Penn
in 1681 by King Charles II of England. The Proprietor negotiated with the Lenni-Lenape Indians, who were the original occupants of the land, the land was then divided into municipal districts. The area of Brookhaven was included in the Municipal District of Chester Township. 317 acres (1.3 km²) were surveyed to Thomas Coebourn who settled in 1682 along with Richard Few who was granted 227 acres (0.9 km²). Thomas Brassey
was granted 385 acres (1.6 km²) in 1684. These original grants were parceled eventually into smaller pieces of land and sold to subsequent settlers, such as Trimble, Edwards, Lister and Shepherd, among others. Many of these original settlers have streets named after them in the borough. The elementary school is named Coebourn Elementary (on Coebourn Blvd) after Thomas Coebourne and there are streets named Trimble, Edwards, Lister and Shepherd.
For approximately two hundred and fifty years, the region was dependent upon a farming and dairy economy as well as two thriving mill businesses spanning both Chester Creek
and Ridley Creek
. Bisected by the 1687 Edgmont Great Road, Brookhaven developed into a town of small crossroads, at Sneath's Corners in the mid-19th century. The road from Hinkson's Corners (now Brookhaven Road), was established sometime before 1816 as a service road to the mills on Ridley and to Chester Creeks in 1847. These byways became major highways and at the crossroads of these two highways grew a cluster of services, professional offices and summer homes. In 1872, the name "Brookhaven" became most widely used after it was published in the letterhead of the Beatty Brothers General Store at Sneath's (later Beatty's) Corners.
The Brookhaven community attracted numerous doctors and lawyers, and at the turn of the century, was a popular locale for Sunday outings amongst residents of the river tier communities. Brookhaven's mills were perhaps its most notable commercial activity. Thomas Coebourne established the second gristmill
in the new Pennsylvania
colony, successfully challenging William Penn's monopoly
vested in the Caleb Pusey
Mill (the Caleb Pusey house is still standing) downstream on Chester Creek. After a 1687 court battle went in Coebourne's favor and granted individuals the right to establish mills, the area's creeks powered a multitude of industries. The original Coebourne Log Mill was replaced in 1750 by a stone structure which was sold to Jonathan Dutton (Dutton Mill Road is a major road in the area) in 1792. A redrawing of Chester Township's borders in 1829 placed this site in present Middletown Township
, with only the mill race and the owner's mansion in Brookhaven. The Johnson Ax Factory, the Lower Bank (Todmorden-Sackville) Hair Cloth Mills, Bickley's Gristmill and the Crozer Cloth Mill all utilized the notable drop for streams from the inland plateau to power their machinery. Both the 1826 and the post-flood 1844 mill surveys show large outputs for these factories.
In the latter part of the 19th century, several large stock farms were thriving; by the 1900s most of these were consolidated under the ownership of John P. Crozer (the namesake of Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland) who bred racehorses and prize bulls. After Crozer's death and World War II
, these farms were sold off to developers. In 1902, the New Chester Water Company built a filtration and storage facility which then serviced the entire city and Chester Township. This plant, on Harrison's Hill, opposite K-Mart, is still in active use. The Delaware Valley's rapid industrial expansion and the resulting baby boom
of World War II, brought increasing pressure for suburban housing.
At the time of Brookhaven Borough's incorporation on April 4, 1945, the Borough
had 672 persons and 150 homes. The trolley
line which had run from Chester to Media
via Edgmont Avenue stopped in 1938. The trolley
tracks were removed in 1945 and the road was realigned and widened as most of the area's transportation had become automotive. In the last fifty years, Brookhaven has evolved very dramatically from a dairy and stock farm economy to a residential community of over 8,500 people living in over 3,600 homes, apartments and condominiums and supporting approximately 150 businesses.
Source (edited): Brookhaven: Our Heritage of History. Fiftieth Anniversary Commemorative Booklet, 1995. Mary Jo Ruth, Editor
(formerly W.T. Grant), Pathmark
(former Pantry Pride
), and one of the first Giant
stores in the Philadelphia area.
One of the first Walgreens
in the Philadelphia area opened in Brookhaven in 1984. Brookhaven also was home to one of the first Shell
stations in Delaware County, which converted from Texaco
in 2004 (originally opened in 1981).
At the center of Brookhaven is a freestanding Wine & Spirits Shoppe
, as found in many area towns.
A famous haunt of Brookhaven is Tom Jones Restaurant, which was sued by Tom Jones (the singer) for taking his name. The lawsuit was later dropped, and Tom Jones is still there to this day.
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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 7,985 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Brookhaven is located at 39°52′14"N 75°23′27"W (39.870662, -75.390915) with an average elevation of 98 feet (30 m) above sea level.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the borough has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), of which, 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) of it is land and 0.59% is water.
Brookhaven has many streets named after presidents. The Dutton Mill Estates section of the borough comprises: Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
Drive, Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
Drive, Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
Drive, Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
Drive, Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
Drive, Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
Drive, and Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
Drive. You can find Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
Avenue and Mt. Vernon
Mount Vernon (plantation)
Mount Vernon, located near Alexandria, Virginia, was the plantation home of the first President of the United States, George Washington. The mansion is built of wood in neoclassical Georgian architectural style, and the estate is located on the banks of the Potomac River.Mount Vernon was designated...
Avenue elsewhere in the borough.
It is about 15 minutes away from South Philadelphia.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 7,985 people, 3,476 households, and 2,200 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 4,705.3 people per square mile (1,813.5/km²). There were 3,595 housing units at an average density of 2,118.4 per square mile (816.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.64% White, 2.02% African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.24% Asian, 0.44% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population.
There were 3,486 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the borough the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $48,289, and the median income for a family was $58,271. Males had a median income of $40,158 versus $32,155 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the borough was $23,706 (compared with $21,587 nationally). About 1.6% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.
Median rent in Brookhaven, at the time of the 2000 Census, was $654. Monthly homeowner costs, for people with mortgages, were $1,098.
The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 14. The number of murders and homicides was 0. The violent crime rate was 1.8 per 1,000 people.
History
Brookhaven, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
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...
was originally part of a land grant given to William Penn
William Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
in 1681 by King Charles II of England. The Proprietor negotiated with the Lenni-Lenape Indians, who were the original occupants of the land, the land was then divided into municipal districts. The area of Brookhaven was included in the Municipal District of Chester Township. 317 acres (1.3 km²) were surveyed to Thomas Coebourn who settled in 1682 along with Richard Few who was granted 227 acres (0.9 km²). Thomas Brassey
Thomas Brassey
Thomas Brassey was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built about one-third of the railways in Britain, and by time of his death in 1870 he had built one...
was granted 385 acres (1.6 km²) in 1684. These original grants were parceled eventually into smaller pieces of land and sold to subsequent settlers, such as Trimble, Edwards, Lister and Shepherd, among others. Many of these original settlers have streets named after them in the borough. The elementary school is named Coebourn Elementary (on Coebourn Blvd) after Thomas Coebourne and there are streets named Trimble, Edwards, Lister and Shepherd.
For approximately two hundred and fifty years, the region was dependent upon a farming and dairy economy as well as two thriving mill businesses spanning both Chester Creek
Chester Creek
thumb|upright=1.45|Chester Creek near [[Upland, Pennsylvania]]Chester Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in Delaware County, Pennsylvania in the United States.-East Branch:...
and Ridley Creek
Ridley Creek
Ridley Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in southeast Pennsylvania in the United States. The entire drainage basin is in the suburban Philadelphia area, but the upper creek and extensive park lands on the creek retain a rural character, while the mouth of the creek has long been heavily...
. Bisected by the 1687 Edgmont Great Road, Brookhaven developed into a town of small crossroads, at Sneath's Corners in the mid-19th century. The road from Hinkson's Corners (now Brookhaven Road), was established sometime before 1816 as a service road to the mills on Ridley and to Chester Creeks in 1847. These byways became major highways and at the crossroads of these two highways grew a cluster of services, professional offices and summer homes. In 1872, the name "Brookhaven" became most widely used after it was published in the letterhead of the Beatty Brothers General Store at Sneath's (later Beatty's) Corners.
The Brookhaven community attracted numerous doctors and lawyers, and at the turn of the century, was a popular locale for Sunday outings amongst residents of the river tier communities. Brookhaven's mills were perhaps its most notable commercial activity. Thomas Coebourne established the second gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
in the new 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...
colony, successfully challenging William Penn's monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
vested in the Caleb Pusey
Caleb Pusey
Caleb Pusey, formally Caleb Bartholomew, was a lastmaker and a friend and business partner of William Penn, the founder of the colony of Pennsylvania. Pusey came to the colony to manage Chester Mills for Penn...
Mill (the Caleb Pusey house is still standing) downstream on Chester Creek. After a 1687 court battle went in Coebourne's favor and granted individuals the right to establish mills, the area's creeks powered a multitude of industries. The original Coebourne Log Mill was replaced in 1750 by a stone structure which was sold to Jonathan Dutton (Dutton Mill Road is a major road in the area) in 1792. A redrawing of Chester Township's borders in 1829 placed this site in present Middletown Township
Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Middletown Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 16,064 at the 2000 census. The Pennsylvania State University has an undergraduate satellite campus located in the north-central portion of the township, while Neumann College, a private...
, with only the mill race and the owner's mansion in Brookhaven. The Johnson Ax Factory, the Lower Bank (Todmorden-Sackville) Hair Cloth Mills, Bickley's Gristmill and the Crozer Cloth Mill all utilized the notable drop for streams from the inland plateau to power their machinery. Both the 1826 and the post-flood 1844 mill surveys show large outputs for these factories.
In the latter part of the 19th century, several large stock farms were thriving; by the 1900s most of these were consolidated under the ownership of John P. Crozer (the namesake of Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland) who bred racehorses and prize bulls. After Crozer's death and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, these farms were sold off to developers. In 1902, the New Chester Water Company built a filtration and storage facility which then serviced the entire city and Chester Township. This plant, on Harrison's Hill, opposite K-Mart, is still in active use. The Delaware Valley's rapid industrial expansion and the resulting baby boom
Baby boom
A baby boom is any period marked by a greatly increased birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds and when the number of annual births exceeds 2 per 100 women...
of World War II, brought increasing pressure for suburban housing.
At the time of Brookhaven Borough's incorporation on April 4, 1945, the Borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
had 672 persons and 150 homes. The trolley
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
line which had run from Chester to Media
Media, Pennsylvania
The borough of Media is the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania and is located west of Philadelphia. Media was incorporated in 1850 at the same time that it was named the county seat. The population was 5,533 at the 2000 census. Its school district is the Rose Tree Media School District...
via Edgmont Avenue stopped in 1938. The trolley
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
tracks were removed in 1945 and the road was realigned and widened as most of the area's transportation had become automotive. In the last fifty years, Brookhaven has evolved very dramatically from a dairy and stock farm economy to a residential community of over 8,500 people living in over 3,600 homes, apartments and condominiums and supporting approximately 150 businesses.
Source (edited): Brookhaven: Our Heritage of History. Fiftieth Anniversary Commemorative Booklet, 1995. Mary Jo Ruth, Editor
Retail
Cambridge Shopping Center, opened in 1972, is a Brookhaven landmark. It is anchored by KmartKmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
(formerly W.T. Grant), Pathmark
Pathmark
Pathmark is a supermarket chain headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey. It was founded in 1968 when its then parent, Supermarkets General Corporation, pulled out of the ShopRite retailers' cooperative...
(former Pantry Pride
Pantry Pride
Food Fair, also known by its successor name Pantry Pride, was a large supermarket chain in the United States. It was founded by Samuel N. Friedland, who opened the first store in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in the late 1920s. As of 1957, Food Fair had 275 stores, and at its peak, the chain had more...
), and one of the first Giant
Giant Food of Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Giant Food Stores, LLC is an American supermarket chain that currently operates stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia under the names of Giant, FoodSource, and Martin's. Giant is a subsidiary of Netherlands-based Royal Ahold...
stores in the Philadelphia area.
One of the first Walgreens
Walgreens
Walgreen Co. , doing business as Walgreens , is the largest drugstore chain in the United States of America. As of August 31st, the company operates 8,210 locations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1901, and has since expanded...
in the Philadelphia area opened in Brookhaven in 1984. Brookhaven also was home to one of the first Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
stations in Delaware County, which converted from Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
in 2004 (originally opened in 1981).
At the center of Brookhaven is a freestanding Wine & Spirits Shoppe
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is an independent government agency that manages the beverage alcohol industry in Pennsylvania. It is responsible for licensing the possession, sale, storage, transportation, importation, and manufacture of wine, spirits, and malt or brewed beverages in the...
, as found in many area towns.
A famous haunt of Brookhaven is Tom Jones Restaurant, which was sued by Tom Jones (the singer) for taking his name. The lawsuit was later dropped, and Tom Jones is still there to this day.