Preserving the History of the Battlefield-Newark, DE - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

Preserving the History of the Battlefield-The flagpole and flag were placed here to memorialize the commitment of the Coach family that has spent generations preserving the area of the Battlefield.

(Inscription under the photo in the upper left) The Cooch family has resided at nearby Cooch’s Bridge since 1746, the year that Colonel Thomas Cooch emigrated from England with his family. He operated a flour mill at the site, was active in civic affairs and was a colonel in the Delaware militia before and during the Revolutionary War. He built the Cooch house in 1760, which was subsequently enlarged by his grandson, General William Cooch and by his great-grandson, Levi Griffith Cooch. Eight generations of the Cooch family have resided in the house and the family has been active in agriculture, public service, the milling industry and law.

(Inscription under the photo in the lower left) Edward W. Cooch, Jr. is pictured on the porch of the Cooch house with the 2006 W3R marchers who passed through this area on the way to Yorktown, recreating the Washington-Rochambeau march of 1781. This is one of the many enactment activities he hosted at the Cooch house during his lifetime.

(Inscription under the photo in the upper center) This monument is located in front of the Cooch homestead on Old Baltimore Pike, next to the bridge over the Christiana River. Dedicated September 3, 1901, it was erected by several patriotic societies and citizens of Delaware. Made of Brandywine blue rock, it stands over eight feet high and is surrounded by four cannons more than nine feet long which weigh in excess of thirty-four hundred pounds each.

(Inscription beside the photo in the lower right) The newly-adopted 13 star flag may have been flown for the first time during the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge. On June 14, 1777 the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which stated “Resolved, that the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternated red and white, that the union field representing a new constellation. “Circumstantial evidence suggests that the flag was the first flown during the battle, although the claim has not been proven” and “if not flown first here, then where?—Ned Cooch.

(Inscription under the photo in the upper right) Colonel Thomas Cooch and his family evacuated the house shortly after the British army landed at Head of the Elk on the Chesapeake Bay in August 1777, the beginning of the Philadelphia Campaign. Delaware’s only Revolutionary War battle was the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge which took place on September 3, 1777. Lord Cornwallis occupied the house after the battle. Many American soldiers who died during the battle are thought to be buried in unmarked graves on the Cooch farm.

Group that erected the marker: Pencader Heritage Area Association Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 2029 Sunset Lake Road Newark, DE USA 19702 URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   09/25/2021 Don.Morfe visited it