In 1906, William Bancroft began buying land that later became a 1,359-acre park

In 1906, William Poole Bancroft began buying land in Delaware’s Brandywine Valley to hold it in reserve for the public’s health and well-being.

He eventually acquired more than 1,300 acres.

Parts of the land were later donated to the National Park Service, with 1,359 acres now forming the largest unit of First State National Historical Park.