National Park Service Awards $1.8m Grant to Preserve Crucial Part of Brandywine Battlefield

(Chadds Ford, Pa.) — The National Park Service has awarded a Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant of more than $1.8 million to preserve 16.2 acres on Pennsylvania’s Revolutionary War Brandywine Battlefield, advancing the remarkable effort that is setting aside long-protected portions of this historic landscape from suburban sprawl.      

The $1,838,388 grant awarded to the Chadds Ford Township, in Delaware County, Pa., together with funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Chadds Ford Township, the American Battlefield Trust, Longwood Foundation, the Welfare Foundation and the North American Land Trust will be used to acquire and preserve the historic property in perpetuity. The land had been threatened with the development of residential units.   

The target property is in an area that was a crucial part of General George Washington’s main defensive line during the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, as he sought to block British advances toward Philadelphia, then the seat of the federal government.   

As it did after a previous collaboration with the Trust at the Brinton Run Preserve, NALT plans to open the land to the public after developing hiking trails and creating pollinator habitats in the rolling fields. It will offer historical and cultural programs at the preserve and eventually move its headquarters to the historic Joseph Davis House. Built in 1725, the house later served as the home of noted artist N.C. Wyeth and his family from 1907 to 1911; he created some of his notable works in a carriage house converted to a studio.  

 “It was a milestone moment for us to actually receive the award announcement,” said NALT President Steve Carter. The total value of the transaction is $3.6 million, amounting to nearly $250,000 per acre, and a small amount of fundraising still remains to be done.  

“There are many incremental steps in the ongoing work to protect the Brandywine Battlefield,” said David Duncan, president of the American Battlefield Trust, “But this is indeed a moment worthy of celebration.”  

Since 1996, the Trust has partnered with ABPP, NALT and local governments to protect and interpret 172 acres at Brandywine valued at nearly $2.9 million.  

The American Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants Program promotes preservation of America’s most historically significant Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War battlegrounds, which will play an essential role in the commemoration of the nation’s 250^th anniversary in 2026. 

These grants have been used to save approximately 35,000 acres in 20 states, including some of the most famous battlefields in American history: Antietam, Md.; Appomattox and Fredericksburg, Va.; Gettysburg, Pa.; Charleston, S.C.; Princeton, N.J.; Sacketts Harbor, N.Y. and Shiloh, Tenn. 

From a grassroots organization started by historians 30 years ago, the American Battlefield Trust has grown into one of the most successful private heritage land preservation organizations in the nation. The Trust is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters today. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected more than 58,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War, representing more than 160 sites in 25 states. Its 350,000 members and supporters believe in the power of place and the continued relevance of history as a means to fully understand our rights and responsibilities as Americans.  Learn more at www.battlefields.org. 

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