Another piece of property in Birmingham Township, part of the Brandywine Battlefield landmark has been preserved in perpetuity. A coalition of groups spent $850,000 to preserve the Dilworth Farm, a 10.4-acre site along S. Birmingham Road in Birmingham Township, used by Washington's forces as they retreated from the 1777 battle.
A brief ceremony to dedicate the preservation, with a ribbon cutting, was held on site Friday morning, the day before the 240th anniversary celebration of the Battle of Brandywine to be held at nearby Sandy Hollow Heritage Park. On hand were U.S. Reps. Pat Meehan, R-7, and Ryan Costello, R-6, as well as Chester County Commission Chairman Michelle Kichline, Andrew Outten, education coordinator at the Brandywine Battlefield Park, and Molly Morrison, president of Natural Lands.
According to Clint Schemmer, the communications manager for Campaign 1776, an initiative of The Civil War Trust, the money came from Chester County, the American Battlefield Protection Program and donations from Campaign 1776. He said his group kicked in $75,000, while $450,000 came from ABPP and $350,000 from the county.
Jim Lighthizer, Civil War Trust president, said during the ceremony that preserving American battlefield sites is more than just preserving some open space. Preserving battlefields helps create good citizens.
"The point is this, when you save battlefields you create outdoor classrooms. When you create outdoor classrooms, what you're doing is place-based teaching, you're allowing people to come to the place where history actually happened, to learn about it, to learn what it took to become, to keep a democracy a democracy…If you don't know your history, you can't possibly be as good a citizen as you could be," he said.
Meehan and Costello were invited because they voted for the programs involved in preserving the farm.
Meehan picked up on Lighthizer's point about maintaining battlefields as outdoor classrooms and said while a defeat for Washington's forces, the Battle of Brandywine teaches some important lessons.
Washington's decision to make a stand against the British here, Meehan said, "was really a decision to make a stand for the preservation of what became this country and the idea of freedom from, not only from Britain."
Costello addressed the coordination of the efforts involved to save the farm and specifically spoke to the efforts of the Land and Water Conservation Fund to preserve such sites.
"In Southern Pennsylvania, conservation and education efforts create an important partnership in preserving open spaces for future generations to understand our history, and a perfect example of this partnership in the preservation of the Brandywine Battlefield," Costello said.
Kichline, too, addressed the importance of preserving battlefields, saying they, not only provide a glimpse into history but also preserve open space.
Morrison said Natural Lands next goal is the preservation of Osborne Hill, an 88-acre site where Gen. Howe's forces outflanked, then attacked Washington's forces from the north.
What exactly will happen with the farm is yet to be determined. During an informal interview with Jeannine Speirs, from the Chester County Planning Commission and the administrator of the Brandywine Battlefield Task Force, said, whatever happens, would eventually be up to Birmingham Township.
"If the township takes ownership, it's hoped that the farm would be used the same as Sandy Hollow, for passive recreation and battlefield preservation," she said.
Speirs added that the barn would be an ideal place to use as an interpretation center.
However, Birmingham Township has not as yet decided to accept ownership. Supervisor Jon Conklin said the township's aim in accepting easements was to preserve the site from development.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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