Page 46 - The Hunt - Fall 2022

Moving forward, Brandywine Conservancy has undertaken a master plan for Birmingham Hill Preserve. The overarching goals are to honor the history of Sept. 11, 1777, conserve natural resources, offer access to the public, and develop interpretative and educational programs. “It gave my mother peace of mind to take care of the farm, to know that the conservancy would continue to do so when she died, and to know she’d given back to a
community that had given so much to her,” says Watson. “It’s her legacy—giving that 100-plus acres, even though they paid for it. So it would stay as it’s been forever. It’s the way it should be.”
The first phase of the master plan entails site restoration—basically removing trees and nonfunctional buildings of no historic value, including Odell’s residence. On the 100 former Odell acres, an existing stable might be reused as a lecture facility or viewing terrace. An expanded trail network
In 2007, the family parted with an adjacent 100-acre tract. Brandywine Conservancy came up with the funds for the $8 million purchase price through a mad fundraising effort, all while staving off developers.
is planned beyond what was established after the corridor’s initial easements.
On a more regional scale, there’s the recently adopted Brandywine Battlefield Heritage Interpretation Plan, designed to boost tourism in Chester and Delaware counties. Birmingham Hill Preserve is an example of an important interpretive site within a larger strategy for utilizing the Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site Park
as a “flagship gateway.” From there, visitors would be guided to targeted heritage centers
44 THE HUNT MAGAZINE fall 2022
JIM GRAHAM