Red Clay Creek is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...

of White Clay Creek, running through southeastern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

and northern

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacen ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. As of 2000, portions of the creek are under wildlife habitat protection.

Course

The East and West branches both rise in

West Marlborough Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania West Marlborough Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 814 at the 2010 census. East Marlborough and West Marlborough townships were carved out of the larger Marlborough Township in 1729. West ...

, near the hamlet of Upland, and flow south through

Kennett Square Kennett Square is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known as the Mushroom Capital of the World because mushroom farming in the region produces over 500 million pounds of mushrooms a year, totaling half of the Un ...

before uniting just north of the Delaware border. The stream enters Delaware near the town of Yorklyn and flows southward through New Castle County, passing through Marshallton. Red Clay Creek empties into White Clay Creek near

Stanton Stanton may refer to: Places United Kingdom ;Populated places * Stanton, Derbyshire, near Swadlincote * Stanton, Gloucestershire * Stanton, Northumberland * Stanton, Staffordshire * Stanton, Suffolk * New Stanton, Derbyshire * Stanton by Bri ...

, approximately southwest of Wilmington. Ultimately, White Clay Creek enters the Christina River, also near Stanton.

Tributaries

* Calf Run, located in the southeast of Mill Creek Hundred * Pyle's Run, located in Christiana Hundred

History

The creek serves as a boundary between the Hundreds of Mill Creek and Christiana. The Wilmington and Western Railroad follows the creek south from Yorklyn as far as Greenbank. In the late 19th Century, several factories were located along Red Clay Creek, including those for the manufacture of

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many c ...

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

and

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...

. The creek suffered from severe flooding in 1999 due to Hurricane Floyd and in 2003 due to

Tropical Storm Henri The name Henri has been used for six tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean: * Hurricane Henri (1979), took unusual route around Yucatán Peninsula, caused no significant damage *Tropical Storm Henri (1985), crossed Long Island as a weak storm ...

. Since 2000, portions of the river, along with other tributaries of White Clay Creek, have been protected as part of the

White Clay Creek Wild and Scenic River White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

Bridges

Ashland Covered Bridge Ashland Covered Bridge, also known as Ashland Bridge or Barley Mill Road Covered Bridge, is a covered bridge over Red Clay Creek on Barley Mill Road (near the junction of Brackenville Road) in Ashland in New Castle County, Delaware. It was added t ...

, in New Castle County, Delaware *

Wooddale Bridge Wooddale Bridge is a covered bridge over Red Clay Creek at Wooddale in New Castle County, Delaware. It is one of three covered bridges in the state of Delaware along with the very similar Ashland Covered Bridge and the Smith Bridge. It and the As ...

, in New Castle County, Delaware

References

External links