William Penn State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #17. The main offices are located in Elverson in Chester County, Pennsylvania in the United States.
The forest is named for William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. It was originally named "Valley Forge State Forest", for the camp at Valley Forge in the American Revolutionary War. Valley Forge State Park was the first state park in Pennsylvania, and the headquarters of the state forest were located there as well. The state park was transferred to the National Park Service and became a federal park in 1976 for the American Bicentennial. The state forest retained the Valley Forge name for thirty one years.
After the July 1, 2005 realignment of Pennsylvania State Forest Districts, what was then Valley Forge State Forest and District #17 acquired the northern parts of Berks and Lehigh Counties from Weiser State Forest and District #18. In August 2007, "In a bid to eliminate public confusion over the name of the federal park and the state forest district, the Bureau of Forestry renamed the Valley Forge State Forest District in honor of one of Pennsylvania's first conservationists -- William Penn."
William Penn State Forest is located on 812 acres (329 ha) in three tracts: 10 acres (4 ha) in Lancaster County; 200 acres (81 ha) on Little Tinicum Island in the Delaware River in Delaware County; and 602 acres (244 ha) of the Goat Hill Serpentine Barrens in Chester County. District #17 also includes Berks, Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia Counties.
Read more about William Penn State Forest: History, Neighboring State Forest Districts, Nearby State Parks, See Also
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