Chester County kicks in $4.2 million for Crebilly Farm preservation
The effort to preserve an iconic part of Chester County’s landscape got another boost as the Chester County commissioners approved an open space grant totaling more than $4.2 million to Westtown for the preservation of Crebilly Farm.
The latest funding is added to a $2.15 million Preservation Partnership Grant that the commissioners awarded to regional conservation non-profit Natural Lands in February for the effort, bringing a total county contribution for saving the 312-acre farm at the county’s southeastern edge to $6.35 million.
More than $13 million has also been dedicated to the preservation from state and local sources.
“Helping to preserve Chester County land for future generations is one of the most important actions we can take as county leaders,” Chairwoman Marian Moskowitz said in a press release
announcing the commissioners’ unanimous vote at its business
meeting.
The county’s parks department has been working for some time with the township and Natural Lands to put the funding together.
“Our Open Space program, approved overwhelmingly by voters more than 30 years ago, not only allows us to preserve valuable acres, it also contributes to Chester County’s economic success,” added Moskowitz.
Crebilly Farm, whose history dates back to the early days of the nation, is one of the largest remaining unprotected properties in the county. In November, Westtown voters approved a tax levy that would raise $7.5 million for its purchase from the current owners, the Robinson family, the founders of Acme Markets.
Commissioner Josh Maxwell said that “Crebilly Farm is a gemstone of hills and woods that deserves to remain as it was when the Battle of the Brandywine occurred there in 1777 during the American Revolution. Its historical and environmental worth cannot be overstated.