Brandywine River

Brandywine Creek
River
Hagley mill race on the Brandywine
Country	United States
States	Pennsylvania, Delaware
Cities	Chadds Ford, PA, Wilmington, DE
Source	West Branch Brandywine Creek
- location	Honey Brook Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
- elevation	850 ft (259 m)
- coordinates	40°06′51″N 75°55′35″W / 40.11417°N 75.92639°W / 40.11417; -75.92639
Secondary source	East Branch Brandywine Creek
- location	Honey Brook Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
- elevation	686 ft (209 m)
- coordinates	40°07′09″N 75°53′15″W / 40.11917°N 75.88750°W / 40.11917; -75.88750
Source confluence
- location	East Bradford and Pocopson Townships, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA
- elevation	184 ft (56 m)
- coordinates	39°55′21″N 75°38′58″W / 39.92250°N 75.64944°W / 39.92250; -75.64944
Mouth	Christina River
- location	Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware, USA
- elevation	0 ft (0 m)
- coordinates	39°43′55″N 75°31′53″W / 39.73194°N 75.53139°W / 39.73194; -75.53139Coordinates: 39°43′55″N 75°31′53″W / 39.73194°N 75.53139°W / 39.73194; -75.53139
Length	20 mi (32 km)
Basin	300 sq mi (777 km2)
Discharge	for Wilmington
- average	408 cu ft/s (12 m3/s)
Christina River Basin, including Brandywine Creek

Brandywine Creek (also called the Brandywine River) is a tributary of the Christina River in southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware in the United States. The Lower Brandywine (the main stem) is 20.4 miles (32.8 km) long and is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River with several tributary streams. The East Branch and West Branch of the creek originate within 2 miles (3 km) of each other on the slopes of Welsh Mountain in Honey Brook Township, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of their confluence.

The mouth of the creek on the Christina River in present-day Wilmington, Delaware, is the site of the New Sweden colony, where colonists first landed on March 29, 1638. The Battle of Brandywine was fought around the creek near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 1777, during the American Revolution. Water powered gristmills in Brandywine Village, near the creek mouth, and the nearby DuPont gunpowder mill were important in developing American industry before the introduction of steam power.

The headwaters of both the East Branch and West Branch of Brandywine Creek are in western Chester County, Pennsylvania, near Honey Brook. The East Branch and West Branch flow southeast for 27.4 miles (44.1 km) and 33.1 miles (53.3 km), respectively, to their confluence about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Coatesville, between East Bradford Township and Pocopson Township. The combined drainage of the East Branch and West Branch, downstream of the confluence, is defined as Brandywine Creek and continues to flow southeast through Chester County, past Chadds Ford,Delaware County, Pennsylvania then enters the state of Delaware about 5 miles (8 km) north of Wilmington.