AI Representation: A rural farm landscape with open fields, a barn and surrounding woodland. Image credits: Chatgpt
Crebilly Farm lies in Westtown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, near the junction of Routes 202 and 926. The Robinson family has owned the land since 1937, according to Philadelphia Magazine. In 2016, developer Toll Brothers proposed building 319 homes on the property, and Westtown Township’s Board of Supervisors denied the application. The dispute went to court, and in December 2019 the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court upheld the denial on most grounds. Supervisor Richard Pomerantz of Westtown stated in the township’s release in December 2024 that the other option available for the site was developing 319 houses. On October 2, 2017, O. The statement cited the National Park Service’s [hyperlink] 2007 Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States. The report examined 243 battlefields and found that nearly 70% were located in urban areas and that 141 were lost or extremely fragmented, with residential and commercial development identified as the main threats. In 2022, the project moved forward after the developer’s agreement expired and the Robinson family agreed to conservation. On April 4, 2022, Westtown Township’s Board of Supervisors approved an agreement to purchase 208 acres of Crebilly Farm for $20.8 million, according to the township’s referendum FAQ. In early 2022, the township hired Natural Lands to pursue public funding for a price tag of more than $22 million. The November 2022 referendum passed by a two-to-one margin, creating a township open-space fund. The campaign announcement also mentions a $2 million challenge from Mt. 9, 2024 statement says that the closing was made with the help of grants made at federal, state, and county level, referendum revenues, Natural Lands’ fundraising, and the Delaware River Watershed Protection Fund managed by the Open Space Institute, with a lead grant from the William Penn Foundation.
Because of its significance to the Brandywine Battlefield, james Lighthizer, then president of the Civil War Trust, which is now the American Battlefield Trust , sent a statement to the Westtown Township Planning Commission urging the preservation of Crebilly Farm.
Natural Lands describes Crebilly Farm as “an oasis of green” in a rapidly developing part of Chester County, with rolling fields, woodlands, and streams. “volunteers waged a five-year battle against the sale to Toll Brothers during meetings in the township, on the web, and in court, according to Natural Lands. That part of the county has filled steadily with roads, shopping centers, and subdivisions. The struggle drew enough media attention to become a “David vs. Goliath” story across the area. Cuba Center and an anonymous donor, who will match gifts dollar for dollar. The township’s Dec.
Today, most of the land is becoming a township park, and the rest is protected by conservation easements.
