Opened four years ago, First State National Historical Park is already poised to expand, thanks to deals with the heirs of two deep-rooted, Brandywine Valley industrial families and land preservation tax incentives, writes Joseph DiStefano for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

First State National Historical Park’s largest property stretches across 1,100 acres of woodlands and creek-side meadows east of Brandywine Creek in Chadds Ford Township and Brandywine Hundred in Delaware.

Now, the planned expansion will add another 270 acres on Beaver Valley Road by Concord Township.

The original purchase and the newest addition have both been made possible by Mt. Cuba Center, the charitable foundation that manages the family fortune of more than $300 million left by the late DuPont Co. chairman, Lammot du Pont Copeland, and his wife Pamela.

Mt. Cuba Center paid $20.8 million for the 1,100 acres to Woodlawn Trustees in 2013 or around $19,000 an acre. However, this latest purchase will cost significantly more.

Woodlawn and its partners in development are currently asking for more than $29,000 an acre this time around, as they had been planning to build affordable housing on the site. But the final price may be even higher because Mt. Cuba’s exact share and its asking price are not yet publicly known.

Read more about First State National Historical Park’s expansion in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.