Patterson Farm Preservation

Patterson Agriculture & Heritage Center - To Preserve Heritage, Agriculture, Nature.

Patterson Farm Preservation, Inc. 501c3 nonprofit org.

Preservation Is Our Passion

Our team of volunteers is committed to a bright and sustainable future for historic Patterson Farm.

We are experienced, insured preservationists, focused on success.

Care to join the effort? Share your talent! Get in touch for more information about how you can help make restoration a REALITY!

Our Foundation

Preservation Is Our Passion

Seeing a need for energetic, nonprofit work to save this important historic site from the ravages of time, neighbors of the farm incorporated in 2015 to provide the governing body of Lower Makefield Township with sensible solutions for restoration.

We've consistently grown thanks to the helping hands and caring hearts of our supporters who BELIEVE in preservation.

Our Mission

Preservation Is Our Passion

Our Mission

Patterson Farms compelling history, exceptional natural resources and eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places make it an irreplaceable Pennsylvania landmark.

We envision Patterson Farm fully preserved and restored, recognized as a National Register property. With the help of the community we will restore Satterthwaite Hou

Patterson Farms compelling history, exceptional natural resources and eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places make it an irreplaceable Pennsylvania landmark.

We envision Patterson Farm fully preserved and restored, recognized as a National Register property. With the help of the community we will restore Satterthwaite House as a home for small scale educational and cultural activities organized by Patterson Farm Preservation, Inc. and with a living space for farmer(s). Our programs will promote agriculture, heritage and nature without any further loss of agricultural lands.

Show Less

Activities & Accomplishments

Advocacy and Action

We stand for preservation! We've gathered 5300+ signatures on our Petition For Preservation. We're strong advocates for local agriculture, heritage and nature.

For years our members steadfastly lobbied Lower Makefield Township officials for a farmland preservation easement to protect Patterson Farms precious land. That easement was finally achieved in 2017, protecting a majority of the farm.

We've exposed illegal discharge of industrial waste water on Patterson Farm by former tenant Brightfarms, for which the PA DEP issued a fine for violation of Clean Streams Act.

In 2021 we applied for, and received, the listing of Patterson Farm on Preservation PA's Most At Risk List. By partnering with Preservation PA we've brought statewide recognition to the importance of Patterson Farm. Preservation PA has advocated for, and helped achieve, successful preservation of many of Pennsylvanias' most important historic sites.

A Growing Community

There's much to do and our numbers are growing. Since our incorporation in 2015, Patterson Farm Preservation members have collaborated with citizens, businesses and civic organizations to further the cause for farm preservation, generate funds and bring educational events to the public. The "Friends of Patterson Farm Preservation" on social media number over 3,500. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

We are committed to preserving...

Agriculture

Natural Environment

Here in Bucks County, PA agriculture is our heritage and future. Patterson Farm land has continuously produced food for 338 years.

The abundantly-fertile Patterson Farm soil is currently rented to the Stewart family, local farmers who have a 5-generation legacy of growing award-winning produce. They collaborate with government conservation authorities and have made conservation improvements to Patterson Farm at their own expense, in addition to paying rental rates that are some of the highest in Bucks County. They give back to the community by sharing of the abundance of their harvest with local food banks. They are committed to being good neighbors and responsible stewards of the land.

Produce grown on Patterson Farm is available at the Charlann Farms farm store at 586 Stony Hill Road, Yardley, PA. Visit their website for CSA share information.

Natural Environment

Patterson Farms open fields, wetlands and woodlands host an array of wildlife. According to ebird, over 100 species of birds have been documented by birders at the farm.

Photography enthusiasts, artists and nature lovers enjoy the open vistas where they are likely to spot songbirds, amphibians, raptors, waterfowl and mammals.

Patterson Farm is a place of refuge for the animals who share our world. Patterson Farm enthusiasts enjoy the serenity of its bucolic open spaces. The open fields, old-growth woodlands, and waterways on the farm help mitigate storm runoff and damage caused by climate change.

History

Natural Environment

History

Before written history, Native Americans made their home on the land we now know as Patterson Farm. In 1683 Quaker immigrant Thomas Janney and his family arrived from England to escape religious persecution. For more than three centuries Patterson Farm has endured. Each successive owner has added their unique contribution to the farms history. Those contributions write the pages of history that tell the American story. Our goal today is to continue that story and preserve the farm so future generations can add their story, too! Visit our timeline page for more information about the farms history.