MALVERN — Supporters of a Revolutionary War battlefield in suburban Philadelphia are a step closer to having the site become a national historic landmark.

The research and documentation submitted by supporters of the Paoli Battlefield have put the 40-acre Chester County site in contention for the country’s highest historic designation.

Volunteers must now prepare their submission for further scrutiny by a state review board, which will pass its recommendation along to the National Park Service. Paoli Battlefield Preservation Fund President Bruce Knapp says the Interior secretary could decide by next summer whether it deserves national historic landmark status.