A bustling village once surrounded these falls. Taking advantage of the waterpower, George Wallace built a sawmill here in 1814. Over the next decade, the Village of Brandywine added a whiskey distillery, gristmill, woolen mill, and a dozen houses. In 1825, Wallace transferred his property to his sons, who then formed the Wallace Brothers Company.Eventually, Brandywine’s prosperity dried up. The Ohio & Erie Canal, and later the railroads, shipped goods to the cities of Akron and Cleveland, leaving towns like Brandywine behind. Except for the barn and house built by James Wallace in 1848—now restored as the Inn at Brandywine Falls—only a few hidden foundations remain of the Village of Brandywine.
Brandywine Falls’ rock base (right) consists of alternating layers of erosion-resistant sandstone and easily eroded shales. In the Village of Brandywine (below) is the mid-1800s, a steel bridge carried Brandywine Road over Brandywine Creek, just before the falls next to the gristmill (to the left in photo). In the distance stands the Wallace Farm, now the Inn at Brandywine Falls.
(Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
