History of the Great Pumpkin Carve

Each year at the Great Pumpkin Carve, over 70 carvers gather to sculpt, saw and chisel giant pumpkins – some weighing up to 400 pounds – before crowds of enthusiastic onlookers.  This unique Chadds Ford tradition began in the early 1970’s when Andrew Wyeth and his son, Jamie, were convinced to carve pumpkins for decorating the inside of the Chadds Ford Inn (today Brandywine Prime). Other Chadds Ford artists joined in the carving and, within a few years, the event spread from the Inn’s front porch all the way across the lawn of the Chadds Ford Gallery. As the Pumpkin Carve grew it moved to larger and larger venues, finally landing in the meadow behind the Chadds Ford Historical Society in 1992. 

The Great Pumpkin Carve is held as an annual fundraiser for the Chadds Ford Historical Society.