ChesLen Preserve

about ChesLen Preserve

ChesLen Preserve is the largest privately owned nature preserve open to the public in Chester County. Miles of marked hiking trails lead visitors through shady woodlands, flower-filled meadows, farm fields, and stream valleys.

ChesLen was the vision of philanthropist H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, whose 2007 donation of 568 acres to Natural Lands inspired Chester County to transfer 500 additional acres, thus establishing the preserve. Since that time, Natural Lands has added more than 200 acres to the preserve through purchases of adjoining lands.

The preserve includes part of a rare ecosystem known as the Unionville Serpentine Barrens, which supports a number of threatened plant and animal species. Serpentine barrens derive their name from the presence of serpentinite, a type of rare, greenish bedrock from which the soils are weathered. The soil’s peculiar chemical characteristics make it inhospitable to all but a few tenacious plant species that have adapted to these extreme conditions. The term “barrens” was coined by farmers who discovered long ago that the soils were poor for growing crops.

Without periodic disturbance, bordering woodlands quickly encroach, creating a richer soil layer over the serpentinite soil as their leaves drop and decompose. For millions of years, this essential disturbance came from native animals: mastodons, mammoths, and herds of hungry elk kept trees at bay by browsing and trampling the ground beneath them. Humans have done their part, too. Native peoples set fires to improve hunting conditions, grazed livestock, and mined for soapstone.

When the serpentine barrens disappear, so too do the rare plants and insects that depend on this unique, inhospitable habitat. Natural Lands’ team of land stewardship experts are working to restore the barrens through removal of encroaching vegetation and planting the areas with grasses and wildflowers that thrive in the hostile serpentinite soil.

Paddlers can put in kayaks and canoes and enjoy West Branch Brandywine Creek, which winds through the preserve.

Visitors can also explore Ollie Owl’s NaturePlayGround, where young explorers can climb logs, build stick tee-pees, hunt for bugs, explore small streams, and get a little dirty, tired, and inspired. Free play is encouraged and is a great way for kids to gain an appreciation for nature.

background

In 1763, surveyors and astronomers Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon came to the New World to end a bloody, 80-year boundary dispute between Pennsylvania and Maryland. Their survey established the official line between the two colonies and stands among the greatest scientific achievements of the time. A reference point, now known as Star Gazers’ Stone, was placed to mark the astronomical meridian line north of their observatory on the nearby Harlan Farm. The Star Gazers’ Stone and a small plot of surrounding land are now part of ChesLen Preserve and are accessible from a parking area at the northern end of the property.

ChesLen Preserve was once part of a 17,000-acre tract owned by the legendary Texas-based King Ranch, which expanded to this area so their cattle could graze on the lush fields and fatten up before sale. They gained nearly two pounds a day during their six-to-ten-month stay. ChesLen’s agricultural past also includes sod farming and mushroom production.

Visitors can pass by a small cemetery that is a remnant of the Chester County Poorhouse, once located nearby. Built in 1798, the poorhouse was a place of refuge for orphans and indigent adults. Its construction represented a vast improvement in the treatment of paupers who, less than a century earlier, were forced to wear a scarlet “P” on their sleeves and risked being beaten or driven out of the county. The poorhouse expanded over the years to include an asylum for the mentally ill and eventually became the Embreeville State Mental Hospital, in operation until 1980.

Down. But Not Out.