Christiana Hundred near Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

A Gift of Preservation

First State National Historical Park

— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —

A Gift of Preservation Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Pete Skillman, November 5, 2024

1. A Gift of Preservation Marker

Inscription. 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

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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.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Environment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1901.

Location. 39° 50.079′ N, 75° 34.547′ W. Marker is near Wilmington, Delaware, in New Castle County. It is in Christiana Hundred. It is on Brandywine Creek Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 99 Brandywine Creek Rd, Wilmington DE 19803, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Philadelphia.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic,

on the Delmarva Peninsula,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland

and

Toward a Future Union / A Gift of Preservation Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Pete Skillman, November 5, 2024

2. Toward a Future Union / A Gift of Preservation Marker - wide view

also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Toward a Future Union (here, next to this marker); Smith's Bridge (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Smith's Bridge (approx. ¼ mile away); Grace Episcopal Church (approx. 1.8 miles away); Lorraine Fleming (approx. 1.8 miles away); Lynn W. Williams (approx. 1.8 miles away); Pennsylvania (approx. 2 miles away in Pennsylvania); The Garden of the Righteous Gentiles (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilmington.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 6, 2024, by Pete Skillman of Wilmington, Delaware. This page has been viewed 156 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 6, 2024, by Pete Skillman of Wilmington, Delaware.