THE FWCCSP RECORD

Friends of White Clay Creek State Park Newsletter

Friends of White Clay Creek State Park

P.O. Box 9734

Newark, DE 19714-9734

http://fWccsp.udel. edu

Volume 4, No.1 May 2001

Six Hundred More Trees Planted in Possum Hill Field

The spring tree planting in the Possum Hill section was a great success. Volunteers planted,
fertilized, mulched, watered, and installed deer guards on 600 trees, bringing the total to 1400 trees
planted as part of the project.
Superb organization and outstanding work by about 65 volunteers saw the planting complete
just after midday on April 7. Planting was originally scheduled for March 31, but a soggy field and the
prospect of young and adult volunteers out in a cold rain postponed the work for a week.
Three water tanks recently purchased by the park provided a great improvement over last fall's
watering. Each tank, loaded on a pickup truck, had two hoses allowing two rows of trees to be
watered at the same time per truck. Last fall's watering, with a single tank and smaller hoses, had to be
completed during the week after the planting
To date, we have planted 14 different varieties native to our area. They include sycamore, black
gum, sweet gum, red maple, silver maple, sugar maple, Virginia pine, tulip poplar, American beech,
swamp white oak, pin oak, river birch, white ash, and white oak. The trees are now leafing out for the
summer. Stop by the field to see the results of our work.
Please also mark your calendars for October 6, the tentative date for the final planting of 600
more trees to fill the remainder of the 9-acre field.
Park staff will continue to mow the field for some years after the planting to keep down invasive
species, until the trees are big enough to provide a shade canopy_ We'll go back in to plant shrubs and
other understory plants some time after mowing ceases, several years from now.

Annual Meeting Program is a Big Hit

At the Annual Meeting on March 15, Debbie Paruszewski, manager of the Chambers House
Nature Center at the park, gave a slide presentation and answered questions about historical sites and
ruins in the park. Debbie's talk, titled "Trailside Time Travel," took us through the White Clay Creek
region of centuries past. Her presentation about historical sites found along the trails, the roadways,
and the creek was a big hit with the approximately 75 persons in attendance, a standing-room-only
crowd.

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Special Newsletter Supplement Chronicles Chambers Family History

"Honoring Quaker Roots" by Debbie Paruszewski, manager of the park's Chambers House
Nature Center, describes the history of the Chambers family who were early settlers in the White Clay
Valley. It is included as a special supplement to this newsletter and continues our practice of publishing
articles on topics of interest that are not directly associated with the Friends.

New Officer Elected at Annual Meeting

On March 15, Christa Stefanisko was elected vice president of the Friends of White Clay Creek
State Park. Christa has been an active project leader during the past few years, including leadership of
the Trail Watch program (1999) and co-leadership of our highly successful reforestation project. We
welcome Christa as a new officer and member of the Executive Committee.
Christa will replace Frank Rawling, who stepped down after a two year stint as vice president to
focus on some other interests. We greatly appreciate Frank's many contributions, including leadership
of our migratory bird day programs last year and this year, organization of two bird walks, maintenance
and monitoring of bluebird boxes in part of the park, and leadership of our successful effort to achieve
tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status.

Migratory Bird Day Program is Popular

On Saturday, May 5, our program of bird walks, a wildflower walk, a children's program on
preying insects, and a live raptor demonstration drew a total of approximately 50 participants. It was
great fun and an excellent opportunity to appreciate the diversity of wildlife that can be observed in the
park. This was a joint program with the park staff, and we thank our partners and volunteer leaders for
their excellent efforts.

Support Needed for Open Space Preservation

During the past few years, much has been done to preserve open spaces in Delaware, including
nearly 1000 acres of land additions to White Clay Creek State Park. This' has been possible through the
support of our legislators and other government leaders for yearly funding appropriations from the
state's substantial budget surpluses. However, with the economic slowdown and reduced revenue
forecasts, finding funds for open space has become more difficult. It is, therefore, more critical than
ever that you contact your legislators and ask them to somehow find ways to preserve these critical
open spaces before they are lost to development.

CCArts Discussion Continues

The plan to locate a facility for the Center for Creative Arts on the Big Pond tract of the park
has sparked ongoing discussion and concerns. The Friends organization, recognizing that some of our
members support the plan and others are opposed, has not taken a position, pro or con. However, we
will continue to encourage our members to express themselves when the opportunity presents itself

There is active consideration of an alternative site at Milford Crossroads opposite the l\1BNA facility.
We will keep you informed as more information becomes available.

T rail Improvement and Cleanup Resumes

The weather finally cooperated in March to allow us to resume our monthly trail work. We
started a continuing project of rerouting a sizeable portion of the David English Trail, following a new
route designated by the State Parks & Recreation trail specialist. Improved erosion control and a more
natural trail setting will result. Our April work coincided with Christina River Cleanup Day. In
partnership with the park staff, we mounted a two-pronged attack on trash and debris. In and around
the White Clay Creek bordered by the Preserve Loop Trail, a couple of intrepid waders and some
landlocked scavengers removed many interesting treasures, including four regular tires, a truck tire, and
parking stops originally placed at the Chambers Rock parking lot before flooding relocated them.
Meanwhile, at Judge Morris we were joined by a group of enthusiastic student volunteers, mostly from
the University of Delaware, who represented Hope Worldwide. Their hard work resulted in removal of
two-and-a-half truckloads of debris from areas around trails.
Contact Wendel Cassel, 302-737-3319, if you are interested in monthly trail work and currently
are not on his communication list.

Foxden Road Yields Another Haul of Litter

With springtime comes the sprouting of flowers and trees and litter along Foxden Road. On
April 7 (the same day as our tree planting) eight Friends volunteers harvested a bumper crop of30 bags
of trash plus various car parts and other large pieces of trash. We hope the task will be easier at the
next cleanup, which is tentatively scheduled for June when some of the inevitable accumulation oflitter
will be hidden by vegetation. Contact Dee and Dick Benson at 410-398-4180 if you would like to be
added to their list of Adopt-A-Highway volunteers.

2001 Membership Renewals Past Due

Special thanks to the large number ofFWCCSP members who have renewed their membership
for 2001. We appreciate your continued support of White Clay Creek State Park and the Friends
group. A few memberships are now past due. If you have not already done so, please renew your
membership by sending a check ($15 family, $10 individual, $5 student) to, FWCCSP, P.O. Box 9734,
Newark, DE 19714-9734. Make checks payable to Friends of White Clay Creek State Park. New
members who joined the group after August 31, 2000, are not required to submit dues to remain
members through March 2002. If you have any questions about your membership status, please call
Treasurer Kyle Bottorff at 239-9828 or e-mail kbottorff@.herc.com.

Friends Membership Passes 200

During the first four months of 200 1, 41 new members joined the Friends, bringing the
membership total to 230, an increase of71 members over this period one year ago. Passing the
200-member mark is an accomplishment that all members should take pride in, especially considering
that the Friends group did not even exist until mid-1998. We believe that the high rate of membership

growth and retention demonstrates a strong vote of confidence in the direction the Friends group is
taking. Thank you for your support. We are looking forward to continued growth, both in
membership and in activities throughout the year.
If you know of any persons who would like information on joining the Friends group please
refer them to our web site at http://fwccsp.udel.edu or they can call Kyle Bottorff at 239-9828 or Lisa
Wool at 235-2240. Alternatively, pass them a copy of this newsletter which includes a membership
application form.

Volunteers Thanked during International Volunteer Year

The year 2001, the International Year of the Volunteer, is an especially appropriate time to
recognize and thank the many people who support our various projects and activities. We consider our
volunteers, both members and nonmembers, as second to none in their willingness to help out when
needed. In that regard we note that the Friends recorded 315 hours of volunteer time during the first
three months of 2001, organizing and doing the many activities described elsewhere in this newsletter.

Water Ice Sales to Resume During Summer Concerts At The Park

Before we know it, the Wednesday night concerts will be starting at the Carpenter Recreation
Area in the Park. The scheduled starting times and dates are 7:00 pm from June 13 to August 1 and
6:30 pm from August 8 to August 22. Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy this wonderful summer
entertainment, and please reserve a Wednesday evening or two to help us sell water ice. Our goals are
to provide an extra treat for the audience and to raise some money for future Friends projects. We had
great volunteers last year and we'll need more this summer because long-range forecasts promise no
rain on Wednesdays! Also, extra people will be needed on July 11 when we'll be serving
complimentary refreshments in celebration of Delaware State Parks' 50th anniversary. Contact Tom
Hallenbeck, 610-274-1345, and let him know when you can help.

Many Other Projects are Continuing

To keep the newsletter brief, we do not attempt to cover every ongoing volunteer project in
each issue. However, we do express appreciation to volunteers working on other projects, including
trail watch (trail surveillance and maintenance), trail benches, and kestrel and bluebird box maintenance
and monitoring. We'll report on some of these efforts in future newsletters.
We are now contacting those persons who expressed interest at our Annual Meeting in possibly
helping to staff the Chambers House Nature Center during limited weekend hours. In the meantime, if
others are interested please contact Tom Hallenbeck at 610-274-1345.

Community Celebrations: FWCCSP Will Be There!

Each year, we present displays and provide information about the park and our FWCCSP
organization at various community events. In the coming months, we plan to exhibit at the following
events, with a little help from our Friends.
Liberty Day, July 4, ] 1:00 am- 4:00 pm, Carpenter Recreation Area. If you can spend a few

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hours at our display, greeting visitors and providing information, contact Tom Hallenbeck at
610-274-1345.
Newark Community Day. September 16. University of Delaware mall. We have exhibited at
this well-attended event for several years. In addition to volunteers to staff the booth, we are looking
for a coordinator with responsibility for setting up and taking down displays and scheduling volunteers.
To find out more about what is involved or to volunteer for a two-hour shift, contact Kyle Bottorff at
302-239-9828.
Pike Creek Community Day. September 22. 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, Carousel Park. We have been
invited to exhibit at this growing annual event, and we will have the displays available to do so. Perhaps
members living in the Pike Creek area would be particularly interested in helping out on this day. Any
and aU interested volunteers should contact Tom Hallenbeck at 610-274-1345.
Any member is welcome to borrow our displays and information about the Park if they wish to
make a presentation or just bring a display to a civic association or other organization meeting.

Calendar of Events

April 30 Executive Committee Meeting

May 5 Migratory Bird Festival
May 12 Trail Work
June 2 Trail WorklNational Trails Day
June 11 Executive Committee Meeting with the Advisory Board
June 13- August 22 Wednesday Night Concerts and Water Ice Sales (Carpenter Recreation Area)
June 30 Trail Work (no trail work scheduled in July)
July 4 Liberty Day Display
August 11 Trail Work
August 13 Executive Committee Meeting
September 8 Trail Work
September 10 Executive Committee Meeting
September 16 Newark Community Day Display
September 22 Pike Creek Community Day Display
September 27 Biannual Membership Meeting
October 6 Fall Tree Planting (tentative)

Leadersbip:

President: Andy Urquhart, 239-2471, AUrqu@aol.com

Vice-President: Christa Stefanisko, 369-1933, christa_stef@hotmail.com
Treasurer and Membership Chair: Kyle Bottorff, 239-9828, KBottorff@herc.com
Secretary and Newsletter Editor: Dick Benson, 410-398-4180, rbenson@dol.net
Projects Committee Chair: Tom Hallenbeck, 610-274-1345, hallentj@msn.com
Membership Assistant: Lisa Wool, 652-3488, lwool@delawareestuary.org

Current Project Leaders:

Trail Watch: John Thomas, 456-3242

Adopt-a-Highway: Dee and Dick Benson, 410-398-4180

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Park Benches: Andy Urquhart 239-2471
Advocacy: Andy Urquhart. 239-2471
Reforestation: AI Zverina. 239-5046, and Christa Stefanisko. 369-1933
Birding Festival: Frank Rawling, 738-0913
Trail Improvement Work: Wendel Cassel, 737-3319
Website: Rick Hall, 831-1295
Bird Boxes: Frank Rawling, 738-0913 and Andy Urquhart, 239-2471

Join us! If you are not already a member and would like to join, please return this form
with your check made payable to Friends of White Clay Creek State Park.

Name(s) _

Address
Phone ~ _ E-Mail - - - - - - - - - -

Annual Memberships

_ _$10.00 Individual Membership

_ _$15.00 Family Membership
$ 5.00 Student Membership
$ Extra Contribution
$ Total Enclosed

Friends of White Clay Creek State Park, Inc.

P.o. Box 9734 • Newark, DE 19714-9734

Newsletter Supplement

Honoring Quaker Roots

Debbie Paruszewski

Manager

Chambers House Nature Center

The choice of "Chambers House" as a name for the nature center at White Clay Creek State
Park honors both the structure's original builder and his ancestors who were one of the first Quaker
families to settle in the valley. The present structure was built by Joseph Chambers after 1819. It is
likely that he was the great-grandson of John Chambers, a Quaker emigrant, and the first recorded
individual of that surname in the region.

According to John Whiteclay Chambers II, a Rutgers University history professor and
descendant, "In 1713, a yeoman farmer in Yorkshire named John Chambers, seeking to escape from
religious persecution of Quakers in England, sold his farm and sailed with his family to William Penn's
'Holy Experiment' in Pennsylvania." He and his wife Deborah along with their five children arrived in
Philadelphia in 1713. By 1715, John Chambers had settled on a plot of land on the White Clay Creek
close to the present day Pennsylvania state line. In 1720, he purchased from David Lloyd, William
Penn's agent, 664 acres along White Clay Creek, originally part of the "Hopyard" tract. He also
purchased land on the west side of the creek. Upon John's death, the land was divided among his sons.
His eldest son Richard married Elinor Miller of what is now Avondale, and they had at least two sons,
John and Benjamin. Over the next two centuries, the descendants of John Chambers operated their
farms, known as "Hopyard," "Hillvale," "Pennview," "Hillside," and "Hilltop," located along the White
Clay Creek and what is now Chambers Rock Road.

It was a Benjamin Chambers who purchased 250 acres from David Evans in 1775, including the
land on which the nature center stands. According to 1. Thomas Scharf's History ofDelaware, (1888),
"previous to 1798, Benjamin Chambers erected a saw mill on White Clay Creek in the northwest part of
the hundred." An 1810 census lists Benjamin Chambers, his wife, three sons, and four daughters as
residents of White Clay Creek. Tax assessment records from 1816 value his holdings at $5,523 and
describe a "good framed dwelling and unframed bam." It is clear that this is not the present nature
center building, which must have been erected after this date. Upon Benjamin's death in 1819, his land
was divided between two sons, Samuel and Joseph. Joseph received I 00 acres, and according to
Scharf, dismantled his father's mill. It was on this tract of land that the nature center was built, some
time after 1819. Joseph and his family are listed as residents of White Clay Creek Hundred in the 1820,
1830, and 1840 census records.

Although much of the extended Chambers family retained their Quaker Meeting memberships,
Joseph Chambers was not a Quaker. Members of the Chambers, Passmore, Thompson, and Sharpless
families purchased land in Strickersville in 1827 where they built a meeting house which became
London Britain MontWy Meeting. These family names are visible today on many ofthe tombstones

Park Benches: Andy Urquhart 239-2471

Advocacy: Andy Urquhart 239-2471
Reforestation: AI Zverina, 239-5046, and Christa Stefanisko. 369-1933
Birding Festival: Frank Rawling, 738-0913
Trail Improvement Work: Wendel Cassel, 737-3319
Website: Rick Hall, 831-1295
Bird Boxes: Frank Rawling, 738-0913 and Andy Urquhart, 239-2471

Join us! If you are not already a member and would like to jo~ please return this form
with your check made payable to Friends of White Clay Creek State Park.

Name(s) _
Address
Phone ~ _ E-Mail - - - - - - - - - -

Annual Memberships

_ _$10.00 Individual Membership

_ _$15.00 Family Membership
_ _$ 5.00 Student Membership
$ Extra Contribution
$ Total Enclosed

Friends of White Clay Creek State Park, Inc.

P.o. Box 9734 • Newark, DE 19714-9734