Brinton Run Preserve
North American Land Trust’s first public preserve is open to visitors daily, dawn to dusk. Visitors can now appreciate this piece of nature and its rich history.
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 was able to acquire Brinton Run Preserve.
Brinton Run Preserve is now 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.
Brinton Run Preserve is located on the traditional territory of the Lenape, whose homeland includes Delaware, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and southern New York. To recognize this legacy of the land is an expression of respect and honor to the Indigenous people who, for over 10,000 years, have been the caretakers of these lands and of the Lenape Sipu, The River of Human Beings, more commonly known as the Delaware River. It is here that the people called the ‘grandfather tribe’ and the ‘peacemakers’ have lived their lives, spoken their language, and held their ceremonies for thousands of years.
The Lenape were the first tribe to sign a treaty with the United States and the first tribe to have land set aside for them in New Jersey. Over a period of 250 years, many Lenape people were removed from their lands and dispersed throughout the country, with some taking refuge within other tribes. A large number of Lenape families, however, remained in their homelands and continue the traditions of their ancestors up to the present day.
North American Land Trust openly recognizes the Lenape Indian tribe as the original inhabitants of Brinton Run Preserve. We acknowledge the Lenape people as the indigenous stewards of their homelands and also the spiritual keepers of the Lenape Sipu, or Delaware River. By signing the Treaty of Renewed Friendship in 2022, North American Land Trust commits to actively support our Lenape sisters and brothers in whatever way we are able to, for a term of four years, helping to maintain the cultural identity of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Southern New York.
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
We Continue to Grow
Brinton Run Preserve is looking to further expand our amenities, particularly in developing our future education center, but we need your support.
Over the past year, we have enhanced user experience by adding upgraded trail signs and a series of benches donated by Chadds Ford locals, Lee & Ann Terrey. Volunteer and scout projects to build picnic tables and an outdoor education area, have greatly improved the preserves atmosphere for gathering.
Habitat improvements like the management of our pollinator meadow, construction of Kestrel and Bluebird boxes, and the development of a Lenape Ethnobotany Garden are all projects we are proud to see come to fruition.
We are eager to see our programmatic and educational opportunities expand with our future education center and hope to include items like spotting scopes, nature explorer backpacks, and an audio tour for users to enjoy at the preserve.
If you would like to donate towards a particular item, are curious about corporate sponsorships and naming opportunities, or would like to volunteer, please reach out at our email brintonrunpreserve@nalt.org or give us a call.
Volunteer projects and improvements at Brinton Run Preserve
Help Brinton Run Preserve Grow
Please consider donating 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.
Click HereFunding & 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.
Stay updated on our progress and get naturalist updates by signing up for our Friends of Brinton Run Preserve mailing list 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.