Brinton Run Preserve is open to the public!
Visitors can now appreciate this piece of nature and its rich history. To ensure the property is never developed, the property has been placed under a Conservation Easement, held by Chadds Ford Township.
NALT's First Public Preserve!
Brinton Run Preserve has been open to the public for one year! Celebrate our accomplishments and look forward to the future with us.
About The Preserve
Located at 6 Oakland Road in Chadds Ford Township and within the Brandywine Creek Greenway, Brinton Run Preserve’s 71 acres support a variety of wildlife habitats, including woodlands, fields, streams and a pond. The preserve is also one of the most important tracts on the Brandywine Battlefield.
The former owner, Mrs. Frank Baldino, approached NALT to help find an alternative to development and to create a shared conservation solution. Through the incredible support of many, NALT now owns Brinton Run Preserve!
Brinton Run Preserve is open to the public so visitors can appreciate this piece of nature and its rich history. To ensure the property is never developed, the property has been placed under a Conservation Easement, held by Chadds Ford Township. This is NALT’s very first public preserve!
Just 3 miles from NALT headquarters, within the Dilworthtown Historic District and across from the historical Brinton 1704 House, Brinton Run Preserve played a role in a final skirmish during the Battle of the Brandywine, as you can seen above.
History
On September 11, 1777, General George Washington was determined to prevent the British from capturing the American seat of government, Philadelphia. Taking up positions along Brandywine Creek, Washington mistakenly believed that his army blocked all fords across the Brandywine. Opposing Washington was an army of 15,500 British Regulars and Hessian troops. While one detachment demonstrated against the American front at Chadds Ford, the bulk, hidden by heavy fog, crossed further upstream. When the main British force appeared undetected on the Continental right flank, Washington dispatched troops to shore up the position. Despite putting up a stiff resistance, the Continentals were eventually overrun. A stout rearguard action and organized retreat kept the defeat from turning into disaster. Although the British went on to occupy Philadelphia, the bulk of the Continental Army survived to fight another day. All told, approximately 30,000 troops were engaged in the fighting, with nearly 1,900 combined total casualties.
– American Battlefield Trust
This amazing partnership of individuals, community groups, and government agencies came together to save this historic battlefield and create a public preserve that can be enjoyed for generations to come.
Steve Carter, NALT President
Recent Improvements
We are excited to share that Lee & Ann Terrey, Chadds Ford locals, donated two benches you will find now ready for use at the preserve. The Terrey’s are hopeful that these benches enhance your preserve experience, and we are excited to include this amenity for our preserve users. Additionally, multiple volunteer and scout projects in 2023 greatly improved preserve experience and infrastructure to include picnic tables and an outdoor education area.
Brinton Run Preserve is looking to further expand our amenities to include building out our future education center, but we need your support! We hope to install bat and bird boxes, build benches, interpretive signs and a Lenape Ethnobotany Garden. We also hope to use these funds to purchase necessary equipment for our habitat management at the property such as tractors and mowers for maintenance. Lastly, we hope to purchase education items like spotting scopes, nature explorer backpacks, and an audio tour for users to enjoy at the preserve.
In total, these items will cost around $100K to implement, but if you would like to donate towards a particular item and are curious about these donations, please reach out at our email brintonrunpreserve@nalt.org or give us a call! Please consider donating (link below) and choose “I am contributing to Brinton Run Preserve’ to ensure your donation supports your local preserve! Your donations are tax deductible and greatly appreciated.
Funding & Vision
NALT was able to raise $3.85 million to purchase the property with financial support from the American Battlefield Trust, Chadds Ford Township, Delaware County’s Open Space and Recreation Grant Program, Mt. Cuba Center, the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program, and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Through local partnerships with the Brinton 1704 House, Chadds Ford Township and other groups, NALT hopes to create a community space where everyone is welcome to enjoy nature and appreciate the unique history of Brinton Run Preserve. We have placed place a conservation easement on Brinton Run Preserve, protecting the property in perpetuity. The conservation easement is held by Chadds Ford Township. Read more here.
NALT removed a modern home on the property and is now continuing to improve the preserve by:
- Removing invasive plants and reintroducing native plant species.
- Implementing a comprehensive trail system.
- Undertaking riparian maintenance.
- Creating opportunities for community programming with a variety of local partners.
- Creating interpretive opportunities to help passive recreational users better understand the history of the Battle of Brandywine.
Purchasing the property was the first step, but we still have a long way to go before we can complete our vision for Brinton Run Preserve and the greater community.
Help us create pollinator meadows, trails, educational programming and more by contributing to the Brinton Run Preserve operating fund.
Brinton Run Preserve is open to the public! Stay updated on our progress and get naturalist updates by signing up for our Friends of Brinton Run Preserve mailing list below or following our Facebook and Instagram pages!
NALT Opens Historic Brinton Run Preserve to the Public
CHADDS FORD, PA – The North American Land Trust (NALT) today announced that it has opened Brinton Run Preserve in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, an historic tract of the Battle of Brandywine where American and British forces fought on September 11, 1777.