Ethel Waters Park
2 Commission St
Chester native Ethel Waters was an American singer and actress, known for her contributions to jazz, swing, and pop music performed on Broadway stage and in concerts. She was born in Chester on October 31, 1896. Waters began her career as a blues singer. Her notable recordings include “Dinah”, “Stormy Weather”, “Taking a Chance on Love”, “Heat Wave”, “Supper Time”, “Am I Blue?”, “Cabin in the Sky”, “I’m Coming Virginia”, and her version of “His Eye Is on the Sparrow”. Waters was the second African American to be nominated for an Academy Award, the first African American to star on her own television show (The Ethel Waters Show), and the first African-American woman to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. She died September 1, 1977
In celebration of her noted role as ambassador of Chester, the city observed Ethel Waters Week from April 24 to 30, 1972. She was present for the dedication of Ethel Waters Park, named in her honor. A plaque placed there on May 1, 1972 reads: “dedicated to the city of Chester for the enjoyment of its people.” Chester City Council passed a special resolution that stated, “Miss Waters reflected credit to the city of her birth…” In 1972, April 30 was proclaimed “Ethel Waters Day” in Pennsylvania by then Governor Milton Shapp.
Penn’s Landing
Adjacent to Ethel Waters Park is a stone marker commemorating William Penn’s first arrival in Pennsylvania on October 28, 1682. Upon landing in what was then called Upland, the founder of Pennsylvania requested the town be renamed Chester, after his companion’s hometown in England. Designed by John Struthers, the stone monument was erected on November 8 and dedicated the following day in 1882. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
In 2019, PA Humanities produced this short video, Penn Landed Here, and There which examines the contemporary relevance of William Penn’s first landing in Chester (then Upland). Today, the place best recognized as “Penn’s Landing” by tourists and Delaware Valley residents alike is 15 miles up the Delaware River in Philadelphia. The video asks “What does this mean for the city of Chester? What would have happened if Chester never lost the rights to the name? Does it change things knowing that William Penn was a slave owner?”