Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Brandywine Conservancy celebrates preservation of battlefield
BIRMINGHAM » You could imagine the cannons roaring, muskets firing and the human suffering and bloodshed on the 241st anniversary of the legendary American Revolutionary War Battle of Brandywine at the 13-acre site now perpetually saved from bulldozers.
On Tuesday Sept. 11, the Brandywine Conservancy threw itself a party to commemorate its acquisition of a key piece of land within the heart of the historic battlefield.
About 150 well-wishers celebrated the Museum of the American Revolution’s replica of George Washington’s tent and two of the general’s guards were on hand, along with the volley and smoke of musket fire.
“The dedication ceremony celebrated the purchase of a 13acre parcel located on Birmingham Hill — the epicenter of the battlefield — which merges with an adjacent 100 acres previously acquired by the Conservancy in 2007,” reads a conservancy release. “This acquisition completes the organization’s 25year endeavor to preserve over 500 contiguous acres where the fiercest fighting transpired during the Battle of Brandywine.”
The event was staged on “high ground,” with a sweeping view of a fog-covered field at the site of the longest and largest single-day battle during the Revolution.
Morris Stroud is chairman of the board of the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art and celebrated what he said was a momentous occasion, more than 20 years in the making. He said the success to secure the land didn’t come easy.
“We prevented over 100 acres from being developed,” Stroud said about the modern day battle. “You can see the fields and try to picture what happened.
“Many gave their lives here for a cause. They gave their lives for an idea.”
Scott Stephenson is director of collections and interpretation at the Philadelphia American Revolution Center.
He told the audience that the Sept. 11 cannons could be heard as far away as Independence Hall and 30,000 men, nearly the entire population of Philadelphia at the time, fought.
Thirteen hundred Americans were killed, wounded or captured during the British win, with 100 British dying on the battlefield.
“The significance of this place cannot be overrated,” Stephenson said.
Brandywine Conservancy Director Ellen Feretti said that the 13-acre site was the “final piece of a decade’s long quest … to preserve this hallowed ground.”
Virginia Logan, The Frolic Weymouth Executive Director and C.E.O., Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art, noted that it was amazing what was achieved when people worked together.
“This is a place to teach and inspire about the battlefield and to enjoy the beauty of nature,” she said.
State Sen. Tom Killion, R-9, said, “the Brandywine Conservancy is tenacious when they sink their teeth in.”
State Rep. Carolyn Comitta, D-156, spoke just prior to replica musket fire.
“When it’s gone it’s gone,” Comitta said. “The land is an artifact.”
She then told those assembled that they too were a part of the ongoing story of the land.
The Conservancy release reads: “Beginning in the mid1990s, the Brandywine Conservancy and a consortium of local preservation groups, citizens, and federal, state, county and local government officials formed the Brandywine Battlefield Task Force. In addition to interpretation and education about the
battle, the Task Force’s mission was to implement public and private partnerships to preserve lands within the Brandywine Battlefield National Historic Landmark.
“This was the beginning of a concerted effort by the Conservancy to preserve the remaining undeveloped historic sites where the heaviest battle action occurred. Over the next 25 years, nearly $18 million was raised to purchase land outright or buy conservation easements resulting in the permanent protection of 500 acres of the battlefield. Chester County, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Park Service were key partners in the project, along with Natural Lands. Securing this last parcel on Birmingham Hill brings fulfillment to decades of work to preserve the area as a contiguous whole and prevent development in the heart of one of the nation’s most important historic battlefields.”
The release also addressed the future of the site: “Protecting this piece of our national heritage for future generations, the Brandywine Conservancy looks forward to its next chapter planning the long-term use and management of the Birmingham Hill property. Conservancy staff will undertake a master planning process that is expected to take a year to complete. The immediate goals are to preserve the property’s historic integrity and conserve its existing natural resources, while working alongside qualified partners.
“Eventually the Conservancy hopes to open the property for public visitation — respectful of the site’s historic value — with opportunities for public education and interpretation programs.
“The final acquisition of the Birmingham Hill property was made possible by support and contributions by many dedicated supporters, including the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program, Chester County, the Longwood Foundation, the late Mr. H. F. Lenfest and his wife, Marguerite, the McLean Contributionship, the American Battlefield Trust, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Crestlea Foundation, the William P. Worth Trust, Mr. and Mrs. William P. Worth, III, Mr. Peter Rogers, and Ms. Dianne Bricker.
“The Brandywine Conservancy protects water, conserves land, and engages communities. The Conservancy uses a multifaceted approach to conservation,” reads the release. “Staff work with private landowners who wish to see their lands protected forever and provide innovative community planning services to municipalities and other governmental agencies. The Conservancy currently holds 483 conservation and agricultural easements and has facilitated the permanent preservation of more than 64,500 acres of land. The Conservancy is a program of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.”