On its founding: "the town was named Kennett Square, a reference to Kennett, Wiltshire, England, with 'Square' referring to the original land grant from William Penn, which was one square mile."¹
On the Revolution, and the century after: "In 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, Sir William Howe, a British Army general, led troops through Kennett Square on their way to the Battle of Brandywine."¹ "In the 19th century, the borough played an instrumental role in the Underground Railroad, which helped slaves escape the South for freedom."¹
On the mushrooms: "Kennett Square's founder is credited with introducing mushroom growing to the area. He grew carnations… beginning in 1885, and wanted to make use of the wasted space under the elevated beds. He imported spawn from Europe and started experimenting with mushroom cultivation."¹ Today it is "referred to as the 'Mushroom Capital of the World' because mushroom farming in the region produces over 500 million pounds of mushrooms a year, representing half of the nation's mushroom crop production."¹ Four of the borough's districts are listed on the National Register.²