A conservation outcome for Kirkwood Farm has been guaranteed, thanks to Willistown Conservation Trust who — with support from conservation partners and donors — will purchase 90 acres of the 218-acre Kirkwood Farm property for the creation of a public nature preserve.
Kirkwood Farm — located on Plumsock and Providence Roads across from Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) headquarters — was originally listed for sale during fall of last year, and in March 2023, movie director and screenwriter M. Night Shyamalan purchased it, ensuring that its 218 acres would not be lost to development. WCT had been invested in Kirkwood Farm’s fate for years, and the environmental nonprofit worked with Shyamalan to finalize its sale and plan for its future — a future that now includes further protective measures and this vision for a preserve, as outlined in the agreement of sale signed on June 2.
WCT President and Executive Director Kate Etherington notes, “The chance to acquire and protect another portion of Kirkwood Farm is a dream come true for Willistown Conservation Trust. This future preserve will be an incredible asset to our community by providing public open space for all to enjoy, while protecting its abundant natural resources for generations to come.” WCT Board Chair John Stoviak adds, “We are very grateful to Willistown Township, Chester County, Firstrust Bank, and WCT’s supporters for helping WCT pursue this game-changing opportunity.”
Originally 550 acres and owned by descendants of the Rockefeller family with a history that can be traced back to the 1700s, Kirkwood Farm sits at the heart of the Willistown countryside. Prior to its sale, it had been owned by the Rockefeller family for over 100 years. In 2004, WCT helped save a portion of the Farm by purchasing and protecting 95 acres as nearby Kirkwood Preserve located at 855 Grubbs Mill Road in Newtown Square.
The future preserve’s beauty and natural resources include rolling hills and grasslands, mature woodlands, and two headwater tributaries to the Ridley Creek, designated as High Quality Waters by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The land provides prime habitat for numerous species of wildlife and includes critical areas for declining numbers of nesting and migratory birds.
It is also an important connective piece between other local public preserves — including Rushton Woods Preserve, Kirkwood Preserve, and Okehocking Preserve — and once WCT establishes new trails here, it will enhance the greater network of hiking and riding trails enjoyed by so many. Additionally, WCT intends to restore habitat, create stream buffers, and plant native wildflower meadows to benefit wildlife.
WCT has already received funding for this project from private donors, in addition to a $500,000 grant awarded by the Chester County Commissioners that will go toward the anticipated $9 million purchase price and additional endowment.
Say County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline, “The beauty of Kirkwood Farm can be found in both its spectacular landscape and vistas, as well as its ability to be publicly accessible in the near future, with planned parking and connections to surrounding preserved land. We are very pleased to partner with Willistown Conservation Trust on this project and thank them for their diligence in ensuring this portion of Kirkwood Farm remains forever protected.”
The 90 acres is not open to the public at this time. To learn more about this preserve in the making, please visit wctrust.org/future-preserve
Press Contact: Monica McQuail, mjm@wctrust.org
