Olde Ridge Village has a past as rich as its present. The land it lies upon was part of a 52 acre farmstead in the last half of the 19th century. The original yellow farmhouse was built in 1869. Of the farm’s outbuildings, only the wagon house still stands. Its wooden walls, pegged rafters and brick and stone foundation now create the interior for one of the Village Shoppes. Currently GiggyBites Bakery for Dogs. Ridge Road, formerly known as Kaolin Road, led to the Kaolin Works. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Kaolin Works exported the popular white potter’s clay all over the world. Among the early 18th century settlers were William Brinton and Francis Chadsey. Their son John began the only documented ferry across the Brandywine, which was eventually dubbed ‘Chadds Ford’. Chadds Ford was a fashionable ‘summer place’ for city people at the turn of the 19th century. Howard Pyle, a noted illustrator, held a summer art school in an abandoned grist mill. Thus, the Brandywine School of Art was born. Three generations of Wyeths; NC, Andrew and Jamie, carried on the tradition. There is much to explore in the Brandywine Valley. If you drive down one of our back roads, you’ll still encounter an occasional country inn. Or you can travel an old 18th century road that now happens to be a little more well-developed and stumble upon the Olde Ridge Village Shoppes. Welcome to The Brandywine Valley, where Southeastern Pennsylvania meets Northern Delaware.