Dear friends and community,

I'm reaching out to you today to ask for your support to help the Paoli Memorial Association (a 501c3 organization) build of a Heritage Center to house the Paoli monument, originally installed in 1817. This Heritage Center will welcome visitors to both our 23-acre park and the 40-acre Paoli Battlefield.

On the night of September 20, 1777, Crown Forces executed a nighttime attack on the American camp in present-day Malvern. Around 300 Continental (American) troops were killed, missing, wounded, or captured. 52 American soldiers were buried the next day by neighbors in a mass grave, and the event became known as the Paoli Massacre or the Battle of Paoli. This tragic event gave rise to one of the first battle cries for the fledgling United States: Remember Paoli!

In 1817, a white stone obelisk was erected on the burial mound to honor the patriots who gave their lives that fateful night. Current research reveals this is the second-oldest Revolutionary War monument. Due to the ravages of time, weather, and vandals, this monument needs to be removed and placed inside the new Heritage Center: a safe, climate-controlled home for this important piece of our history. A replica of the monument as it appeared in 1817 will be commissioned to take its place on the burial mound.

Today, the Paoli Battlefield Historical Park and the Paoli Memorial Grounds are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The battlefield to the east of the mass grave is owned by the Borough of Malvern and administered by the civilian board of the Paoli Battlefield Preservation Fund (PBPF). The Paoli Memorial Association (PMA) was formed in 1896 to oversee the gravesite and the land to its west.

The Heritage Center will also feature educational exhibits and learning tools to help visitors of all ages better understand our site's significance. Our focus is to provide accessibility to all, including an ADA-accessible restroom, parking space, and walkway access to the mass grave and other monuments on site. The Heritage Center will be part of Chester County’s Heritage Trail, connecting the Paoli

Battlefield with other important Revolutionary War and heritage sites across the region.

Please join us today! Sign up for our updates to learn more about our goals, the history of the land and the Battlefield, and more.

To visit our website to learn more, please click here: https://paolimemorialassociation.org/