CHESTER, Pa., a city and port of entry of Delaware County, on the Delaware River, and the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore, the Baltimore and Ohio, and the Phila delphia and Reading railroads, 15 miles south of Philadelphia. The favorable lo cation and excellent shipping facilities of the city have given it a diversity of industries. Chester is the local trade centre of a very prosperous agricultural and manufac turing district. It is the site of the Roach ship yards, where several vessels of the United States navy have been built. According to the Federal census of 1910, Chester has over 128 factories, employing $24,000,000 capital and 8,000 hands, and having annual products to the value of $19,400,000. The principal indus tries were ship-building, foundry and machine shop work, and the manufacture of cotton, woolen and worsted goods. The United States census of manufactures for 1914 recorded 153 industrial establishments of factory grade, em ploying of whom 6,295 were wage earners, receiving annually $3,506,000 in wages. The capital invested aggregated $25,148,000, and the year's product was valued at $21,021,000; of this, $7,920,000 was the value added by manu facture. There are national banks having ap
proximately $700,000 capital and a surplus of $575,000, several private banking houses, several daily and weekly newspapers. Chester is con nected with Media, Darby and other surround ing towns by electric railways. It is the seat of the Pennsylvania Military College and Crozier Theological Seminary and Swarthmore College is nearby. The notable buildings are the United States government building, including the post-office; the city hall, erected in 1724, of great historic interest ; Chester and Homoeo pathic hospitals and the public library. Besides the educational institutions mentioned, there are public schools, with about 6,000 pupils, and public school property valued at $500,000; a public high school and Chester Academy. Chester was settled by the Swedes in 1643, un der the name of Upland, and is the oldest town in the State. It was incorporated in 1866. In 1913 it adopted the commission form of govern ment. Pop. (1914) 40,000.