Baldwin’s Book Barn

865 Lenape Rd, West Chester, PA 19382, USA

Although the skies were a bit dreary after overnight rains, the colors of fall beckoned. We drove out through Chester County (west of Philadelphia) discovering “new” old byways and highways in the Brandywine Valley. As we headed out of West Chester on Highway 52 we came upon Baldwin’s Book Barn. What a find! Over 300,000 used books, manuscripts and maps are housed in a converted 1822 five-story rustic dairy barn. Baldwin’s Books was found in 1934 in Wilmington, DE by William and Lila Baldwin. In 1946 they moved out to the Brandywine River Valley expanding into the old stone barn and converting the milking house into the family home. Baldwin’s Books is warm and cozy (complete with wood-burning stove and numerous cats). Books, maps, and prints are shelved in a rabbit-warren of floors and rooms. Chairs are set into nooks and crannies, perfect for browsing the latest found treasure. Join the generations of book lovers who have rambled through the rooms and across the wood floors of Baldwin’s Book Barn for almost 70 years. Add Baldwin’s to your next journey through the Brandywine.

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Browsing through Books in the Brandywine Valley: Baldwin's Book Barn

Although the skies were a bit dreary after overnight rains, the colors of fall beckoned. We drove out through Chester County (west of Philadelphia) discovering “new” old byways and highways in the Brandywine Valley. As we headed out of West Chester on Highway 52 we came upon Baldwin’s Book Barn. What a find! Over 300,000 used books, manuscripts and maps are housed in a converted 1822 five-story rustic dairy barn. Baldwin’s Books was found in 1934 in Wilmington, DE by William and Lila Baldwin. In 1946 they moved out to the Brandywine River Valley expanding into the old stone barn and converting the milking house into the family home. Baldwin’s Books is warm and cozy (complete with wood-burning stove and numerous cats). Books, maps, and prints are shelved in a rabbit-warren of floors and rooms. Chairs are set into nooks and crannies, perfect for browsing the latest found treasure. Join the generations of book lovers who have rambled through the rooms and across the wood floors of Baldwin’s Book Barn for almost 70 years. Add Baldwin’s to your next journey through the Brandywine.

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