A Gift of Preservation

A Gift of Preservation. . A landscape like this is no accident. William Poole Bancroft, a wealthy Quaker mill owner and conservation visionary, triggered a preservation effort in the early 1900s that continues today.

Bancroft anticipated a future of encroaching city sprawl and dwindling open space. To protect the pastoral landscape for future generations, he began to buy parcels of land in the Brandywine Valley region, and in 1901 he created the Woodlawn Trustees to carry out his vision after he was gone.

Thanks to Bancroft's foresight, and the philanthropy of the Mount Cuba Center, more than 1,300 acres of this land became part of First State National Historical Park. This landscape of rolling hills and valleys containing forests, meadows, and streams flowing into Brandywine Creek provides a topography not found elsewhere in the state of Delaware.

Your Part in Preservation

• Keep pets on a leash no longer than six feet.
• Take your trash with you.
• Use only non-motorized watercraft.

(Captions)
Individual trees in Brandywine Valley forests may be 200-300 years old.
The Brandywine Valley region offers a varied terrain for many kinds of recreation. Bikers, hikers, kayakers, horseback riders, runners, birders, artists, cross country skiers, and dog walkers all take advantage of the trails and cultural landscape in the area locally known as Beaver Valley.