tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39457197472760287602024-03-18T16:58:56.077-04:00The Mill Creek Hundred History BlogCelebrating The History and Historical Sites of Mill Creek Hundred, in the Heart Of New Castle County, DelawareScott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.comBlogger485125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-18176787096998180762024-02-28T10:41:00.001-05:002024-02-28T10:41:17.297-05:00The Milford Crossroads School, District #37<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZOPIF4tvVATlbnO0Cg25eaSxAHQRD9p-yN6kjmMi5yDwpf1FxvtpaX01pKywom_0JX5FnEM7ZW0v72bc7hlz29kudEAQ1lor0I59BN2Y8Gnqic74Kq-vClndHhGMR0J7vf1zKSxqGDsHmJr1XLtnllr8PTb6Yq-Fpv9L-g5TZ5zwgbuxbPZscv0rf6aR/s4669/milford%20xroads.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3550" data-original-width="4669" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZOPIF4tvVATlbnO0Cg25eaSxAHQRD9p-yN6kjmMi5yDwpf1FxvtpaX01pKywom_0JX5FnEM7ZW0v72bc7hlz29kudEAQ1lor0I59BN2Y8Gnqic74Kq-vClndHhGMR0J7vf1zKSxqGDsHmJr1XLtnllr8PTb6Yq-Fpv9L-g5TZ5zwgbuxbPZscv0rf6aR/s320/milford%20xroads.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second Milford Crossroads School,<br />as it looked in the 1920's</td></tr></tbody></table>It's been a while since we've taken a look at an old schoolhouse, and to the best of my knowledge I've <br /> covered just about every 19th Century school in Mill Creek Hundred -- except for the one that stood near Milford Crossroads. It was actually one of the oldest schools in the area, and had two different schoolhouses over the years, serving the children of the region. The last school stood until fairly recently and was used as a residence for several decades -- and I wouldn't be at all surprised if some of you had contact with the owners at some point.<p></p><p>The school stood on the east side of Paper Mill Road just below its intersection with Possum Park/Thomson Station Road (aka, Milford Crossroads). The spot is today directly north of the northern entrance into the Shops at Louviers. Designated as District #37, the school was certainly one of the earlier ones established, and appears on the 1849 map. I had assumed that the school and district were likely set up soon after the Free School Act of 1829. However, determining the exact build dates of these older schools can be difficult because there's usually not much in the way of documentation, with the exception of one kind of secondary clue.</p><p>I've learned that if you're lucky and know the right names to look up, you might be able to find the deed wherein a farmer sells a small lot to the trustees of a school, for the purpose of erecting a schoolhouse. So, thinking the school was built circa 1830, I tried to figure out who might have owned the surrounding farm at the time and attempted to find the deed, but to no avail. It turns out, I was looking at the wrong timeframe. It wasn't until I attacked it from the other end that I found the answer.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Eventually I found a 20th Century deed (which we'll get back to shortly) that referenced an 1815 sale from George and Christina Jacobs, so I searched for and found that deed. Sure enough, on September 30, 1815 the Jacobses sold a little over half an acre to Thomas Smith, Isaac Mote, Sr., Samuel Kibler, Samuel Baldwin, and John C. Vinsant, trustees for the new school. The deed specifically states that the land is for erecting a schoolhouse. Although a later newspaper article implies that the school was older than that, unless there was another one built elsewhere, I'm comfortable with saying that the first Milford Crossroads School was built soon after this September 1815 date.</p><p>When the Free School Act when into effect, in some places new schools were built and in other places older schools were used for the newly-formed districts. It would seem that the 15 or so year old school here was used as the District #37 school. As seen in the 1868 map below, District #37 hugged the east side of White Clay Creek, from Pleasant Hill Road most of the way down Paper Mill Road and over to Muddy (Middle) Run to the east. At Milford Crossroads, the school was pretty well centered in the district and easily accessible by road.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6YtKZAiK0ML2yxK6KwcJefKs17u2VfjwfdKG7JjDvPHN7fwcioUKs-E5LOFyiVa2SVdxLDlJs7LVNCz1aAVmrxPzvJEHX_xAnmwuPAWU17FUtitr_iL20jTA8I_9kxN03QJZfz8UBjlU2JGrHnyBoSrbR6Tw4Q_FA1DL5hRShl79YeAj_eFyvG0rJY6z/s806/district%2037%201868.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="788" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6YtKZAiK0ML2yxK6KwcJefKs17u2VfjwfdKG7JjDvPHN7fwcioUKs-E5LOFyiVa2SVdxLDlJs7LVNCz1aAVmrxPzvJEHX_xAnmwuPAWU17FUtitr_iL20jTA8I_9kxN03QJZfz8UBjlU2JGrHnyBoSrbR6Tw4Q_FA1DL5hRShl79YeAj_eFyvG0rJY6z/w391-h400/district%2037%201868.jpg" width="391" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1868 Beers map showing District #37. Although the school<br />is not shown, it would be above the "D" in "DIST"</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The small, stone schoolhouse served the area's children for almost 75 years, and possibly in an interesting way. By the 1880's the school was old obviously not meeting the needs of the community. The district had a small surplus of funds and received permission to borrow some more, with the purpose of building a new, up-to-date school building. Just before the decade's end, a new District #37 school began to go up. The article seen below appeared in the newspaper on December 28, 1889, and provides us with some interesting information. Do keep in mind, though, that as far as what <i>I've</i> found, this article is the <i>only</i> source for some of this information.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTCkdamMWV_ncDFDpKucBOQXBOl5YeemqzbHqginWGdyvAHuayagloJpyazkV4X4Jyfu8EY246e8CjXJ3ix2tkRTt_WhrVWYhhc0caV_FmYEkMDFZ1t1QyqLVp4EpkKzwO3DEYu0So5ZLwp9YjTZrAGO5-Y5eJ3alTx1JZHgocVEIn6fnaIW6qe9zXxJj3/s574/1889-12-28%20Milford%20Crossroads%20School.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="461" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTCkdamMWV_ncDFDpKucBOQXBOl5YeemqzbHqginWGdyvAHuayagloJpyazkV4X4Jyfu8EY246e8CjXJ3ix2tkRTt_WhrVWYhhc0caV_FmYEkMDFZ1t1QyqLVp4EpkKzwO3DEYu0So5ZLwp9YjTZrAGO5-Y5eJ3alTx1JZHgocVEIn6fnaIW6qe9zXxJj3/w321-h400/1889-12-28%20Milford%20Crossroads%20School.jpg" width="321" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">December 28, 1889 account of the old school<br />and of the coming new schoolhouse</td></tr></tbody></table><p>For one thing, "old stone school house" is the only description I've found for the original structure. Stone construction does make sense, and would be consistent with all the other MCH schoolhouses built prior to the 1880's. And though the article says it "was built more than 100 years ago", because of the previously discussed 1815 deed I'm very skeptical of that. I think it's more likely that by 1889 it was older than anyone's memory, and just assumed to have been over a century old.</p><p>The other interesting tidbit in the article is the passage about how fifty years ago (i.e., the 1830's) the school served both white and black students. I'm admittedly no expert in early 19th Century education in Delaware, but this does sound plausible. I think that at that time there certainly were segregated schools, but it was not mandated by law. I think that if a given community wanted to segregate, they did. If they wanted to educate their children together, they did. It wasn't until later that segregated schools became mandated. As the last line in the article states, the new school was for white students only. That school is the one seen at the top of the page.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-RDgZIKfl2H-_js8OT8U8chwyf4IQrWmPNYU3O8FE53m20Z6aez33VNnHCqrLj7yNorvl-IYGEUATd7Eeb1IHlfEdYOGj3I3hlXzh44zRZhFRS0pL4poY_-pVErV9BHXFnF_pgqQvh5w7N0joEzd8mcblgmz1qIdhxFtPay7_sKVeyBjnZYH7-z7_hrS/s1109/labeled%20current%20aerial.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="1109" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-RDgZIKfl2H-_js8OT8U8chwyf4IQrWmPNYU3O8FE53m20Z6aez33VNnHCqrLj7yNorvl-IYGEUATd7Eeb1IHlfEdYOGj3I3hlXzh44zRZhFRS0pL4poY_-pVErV9BHXFnF_pgqQvh5w7N0joEzd8mcblgmz1qIdhxFtPay7_sKVeyBjnZYH7-z7_hrS/w640-h486/labeled%20current%20aerial.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diagram showing the location of the Milford Crossroads School</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The new, brick schoolhouse would not serve education purposes quite as long as its predecessor -- only about 57 years as compared to 75. By the early post-war period of the late 1940's, the older, one-room rural schoolhouses were becoming more out-of-date and less useful, especially compared to newer, larger, modern schools. Nearby Newark had that kind of school, and in August 1946 it was announced that all Milford Crossroads students would be attending the Newark school for the upcoming year. This arrangement worked well, and after the close of schools in June 1947, votes were taken in District #37 (which still technically existed, even if there was no operating school) and in the Newark Special School District to officially consolidate the two.</p><p>After that was done, the only thing left was for the Newark District to sell the brick schoolhouse, which they no longer needed. In January it was announced they would take bids for the property, and a February 23, 1948 newspaper item stated it was sold to David J. Eastburn for $2150.51. Except...it appears it wasn't. I don't know if that report was incorrect or if the sale fell through for some reason or if Eastburn got outbid at the last minute by a buck, but in April it <i>was</i> actually sold to Gladys T. Spencer, wife of Jesse G. Spencer, for $2151.51. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSP79_wUhpsc2-PtSc5dAGOWDfSYRolp7Xz0had7JC-GqIN0s4NmERzjShK9a1QaYEERCuZbKs8i-zjlTUYL1e3eyEJb_vAw20rYnFTHhtKQM8-ywkKWLXEKFCYos_l3u2AIKfvwPpkKkCAAEgu-azurTQKFbrB9H0RA9k6ls5RrowNoe1b1BSkEcxvnD/s757/1947-5-30%20consolidation.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="757" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSP79_wUhpsc2-PtSc5dAGOWDfSYRolp7Xz0had7JC-GqIN0s4NmERzjShK9a1QaYEERCuZbKs8i-zjlTUYL1e3eyEJb_vAw20rYnFTHhtKQM8-ywkKWLXEKFCYos_l3u2AIKfvwPpkKkCAAEgu-azurTQKFbrB9H0RA9k6ls5RrowNoe1b1BSkEcxvnD/w400-h306/1947-5-30%20consolidation.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May 30, 1947 notice of the Milford Crossroads District vote<br />on consolidation. The Newark district voted a month later.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>There may have been a special reason why Mrs. Spencer was interested. Turns out she had personal experience with one room schoolhouses, because she happened to have worked in one! From 1942 until its closing in the Fall of 1947, Mrs. Spencer was the teacher at the Walnut Green School, near Hoopes Reservoir. I don't pretend to know the Spencers' motivations for purchasing the Milford Crossroads School, but perhaps having just overseen the closing of a one-room schoolhouse, Gladys and Jesse didn't want another to disappear.</p><p>The Spencers moved into their new (old) home at Milford Crossroads, an area that would soon get quite a bit busier with the opening of the Dupont Company's Louviers Building in August 1952. After the closing of the Walnut Green School (which also was sold and converted into (well, in that case, back into) a residence), Gladys Spencer transferred to the Krebs School in Newport, where she taught until her retirement in 1966. She was well educated (also teaching piano and violin), and there was even a short article from June 1956 reporting about her receiving her master's degree from UD at the same time her son William was getting his bachelor's diploma. Her husband Jesse was a carpenter who began farming when they moved, but in 1959 the couple stumbled into a new venture.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUN2QLryY80CCzZ4NJB8n0lDbES4PiSgbGYMIoymgh_Fwy32sK9ut7GFZray0UCftNJYSJ5j2zD8tvpvRovrySfJB3UWtYRjAcqvCU5THBHAAIGhkHdFrNo5_dYMJGkGCWtN45Bz1HXp6FZRXPBax9KRxqkIbORIpvNd-7ZjKKFtx3LXemFWkv-6TwMKM/s549/1984%20pony%20ride.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="549" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUN2QLryY80CCzZ4NJB8n0lDbES4PiSgbGYMIoymgh_Fwy32sK9ut7GFZray0UCftNJYSJ5j2zD8tvpvRovrySfJB3UWtYRjAcqvCU5THBHAAIGhkHdFrNo5_dYMJGkGCWtN45Bz1HXp6FZRXPBax9KRxqkIbORIpvNd-7ZjKKFtx3LXemFWkv-6TwMKM/w400-h379/1984%20pony%20ride.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newspaper photo of Gladys Spencer giving a<br />pony ride in July 1984</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In that year Jesse brought home their first pony, prompting Gladys to ask, "What are we going to do with that!" Well, what they did was to buy even more ponies over the years, and eventually open the Fairwood Park Riding Academy. The farm had small ponies (mostly Shetland) and specialized in giving rides to children. Jesse passed away in 1977, but Gladys and son Jesse, Jr. carried on with the business until 1990. </p><p>(On a personal note, in researching this I realized that I probably got a ride from the Spencers at least once. My grandfather worked for Dupont at the Louviers site (among others) and I recall attending several employee picnics there with my grandparents in the late '70s. I can't be 100% sure, but I feel like there were pony rides, and if there were, why wouldn't they have used the ones from literally right across the road?)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQ5YHHichPqfDEBEyxlItpMKydSvSiTjRuzHWTkLlxs9pxe1z0eWR0sK9Du039WE8qDNB7x60kNcHmzRJa06heRwbF9uloUdIbggTX7gEJvFF3Zl0yPr7zNf0grU8ph-azKwHWeDfScxNQAxdb6t5_n5lVYXYgs7exAVvxz40qQG5qazXFxQO6YzGicNz/s1299/29285191.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1299" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQ5YHHichPqfDEBEyxlItpMKydSvSiTjRuzHWTkLlxs9pxe1z0eWR0sK9Du039WE8qDNB7x60kNcHmzRJa06heRwbF9uloUdIbggTX7gEJvFF3Zl0yPr7zNf0grU8ph-azKwHWeDfScxNQAxdb6t5_n5lVYXYgs7exAVvxz40qQG5qazXFxQO6YzGicNz/w400-h315/29285191.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South side of the Milford Crossroads School, <br />aka the Spencer House, in the late 1990's<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Gladys Spencer passed away in 1993, but I feel like she may have moved out of the house several years before that. The now more than century-old school was left in disrepair, as can be seen in the photo above, which I believe was taken by the UD CHAD team in the late 1990's. By late 2006 it had gotten even worse, as seen below. Sometime very soon after those pictures were taken, the remains of the Milford Crossroads Schoolhouse were taken down, putting an end to a nearly two century old presence.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIzE-UHu3NKmr18JjwPYAYm0Xcy13IoViSzIMyVm-mfu6qTu7LYQju0Vlq1FFKGbWkk_cf_oltkhzxaUn3iED1sa_bXj5CwdqPLMHCjhidUlVfxrYz4MeR4J47BifMlsFJbJuQP-ZOLn1HALQIq1c84pC6LUBy0J5lkLSHaS1MUlwutDyuL7W6pBo97ld/s720/milford-crossroads-school-house%2012-2006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIzE-UHu3NKmr18JjwPYAYm0Xcy13IoViSzIMyVm-mfu6qTu7LYQju0Vlq1FFKGbWkk_cf_oltkhzxaUn3iED1sa_bXj5CwdqPLMHCjhidUlVfxrYz4MeR4J47BifMlsFJbJuQP-ZOLn1HALQIq1c84pC6LUBy0J5lkLSHaS1MUlwutDyuL7W6pBo97ld/w400-h300/milford-crossroads-school-house%2012-2006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South side of the schoolhouse in 2006</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpnGh58vj1iPfT9FhOqijvZqESRZdui16-SttKUD5HxOAKY_yrH4eAjo80KWMqY3bqvyygeejvlscjKsa1yqAzr7l5EyCxSGevsMYmVoMsFdecic3_Z_Frw5Ukr822Oz8JDoXdyziOw92SNbYT4HpeAFKZ2gCK1XIbcVZIBzolLD7lnSvUfoGJAtMKtmP/s720/milford-crossroads-school-house2%2012-2006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpnGh58vj1iPfT9FhOqijvZqESRZdui16-SttKUD5HxOAKY_yrH4eAjo80KWMqY3bqvyygeejvlscjKsa1yqAzr7l5EyCxSGevsMYmVoMsFdecic3_Z_Frw5Ukr822Oz8JDoXdyziOw92SNbYT4HpeAFKZ2gCK1XIbcVZIBzolLD7lnSvUfoGJAtMKtmP/w400-h300/milford-crossroads-school-house2%2012-2006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front of the school, 2006</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As a final note, two items. First, since it's almost impossible to deal with this corner of MCH without mentioning his name, although the school was never owned by S. Hallock du Pont, he did own the adjacent land to the south. And since I'm sure someone will bring it up, the push mobile derby track was on his property, directly south of the schoolhouse and the Spencers' farm.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOilxOG5e_5Q6aYd8P3akmYjZoIm6iTZSnRgzxBNDkk07UXcPyAhXvRyAk0_1r5MmcoZPuobazBzvyLactYL-gDFDyTGrYFyMId0iaSr_u-aKPtZumpMdWE1UuINPf4uIvbKYTnsg7jxM8CjTDBqpSBZhTlYX9Tw9p798Xp63vyjjxPmQ84QCcZ3nOemHB/s599/1997%20aerial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="595" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOilxOG5e_5Q6aYd8P3akmYjZoIm6iTZSnRgzxBNDkk07UXcPyAhXvRyAk0_1r5MmcoZPuobazBzvyLactYL-gDFDyTGrYFyMId0iaSr_u-aKPtZumpMdWE1UuINPf4uIvbKYTnsg7jxM8CjTDBqpSBZhTlYX9Tw9p798Xp63vyjjxPmQ84QCcZ3nOemHB/w398-h400/1997%20aerial.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1992 aerial showing the long, straight push mobile derby<br />track. The school is in the wooded area directly above it</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-40268885668292654962024-02-12T15:24:00.001-05:002024-02-13T09:46:39.538-05:00The Brown-Murray Farm, aka The Farmhouse, Part 2 -- The Murrays<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0hAhfNr71vmkGyEL0sug848t1CM7Hdc2k9ViLBqoVErcU85A-KDmlekDXfyoQwxTSxRVAtgon4vjzYNPP1BkMZXrl1LBygMDIiSm8pQb9-K9sNXbOhU3rtSW8cULFS4y3F8L9KVoeYwYDCr0uKvrDoV-urEEd1E-6_XanDS5TD7bKqOsVmvnXnB2JJ3o/s1276/1937%20zoom.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1276" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0hAhfNr71vmkGyEL0sug848t1CM7Hdc2k9ViLBqoVErcU85A-KDmlekDXfyoQwxTSxRVAtgon4vjzYNPP1BkMZXrl1LBygMDIiSm8pQb9-K9sNXbOhU3rtSW8cULFS4y3F8L9KVoeYwYDCr0uKvrDoV-urEEd1E-6_XanDS5TD7bKqOsVmvnXnB2JJ3o/s320/1937%20zoom.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Murray Farm in 1937</td></tr></tbody></table>In <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2024/02/a-much-better-history-of-brown-murray.html" target="_blank">the last post</a> we traced the early history of the farm located due north of Delaware Park, along Old Capitol Trail, where the Murray Manor trailer park and the wedding venue known as <a href="https://www.thefarmhousede.com/" target="_blank">The Farmhouse</a> are located today. We saw it go from being part of a large, pre-William Penn era land grant, to an 80 acre mid-18th Century farm, to being incorporated again inside a larger tract, to finally being a 155 acre family farm. It went through numerous families with names like Cann, White, Reynolds, Rice, Brown, and McCallister. Finally, in 1917, it was sold to Levi W. and Kate Murray for $13,000. This was both the beginning of a new era for the Murrays, and the culmination of generations of family work.<p></p><p>Although many of you may know the name only from Murray Manor (Mill Creek Trailer Park until the late 1980's), besides being in that location for more than a century now, the Murray family goes back several more generations and another three quarters of a century in New Castle County. We begin with Levi W. Murray, Jr.'s grandfather, Samuel. Samuel Murray was born about 1809 in Pennsylvania, possibly in Philadelphia. I say that because the first record of him in Delaware is a December 1842 deed in which Samuel, Elizabeth, Ann, John, Levi, and David Murray -- all described as being "of the City of Philadelphia" -- purchase a "Tavern house or tenement and lot of land" in the Village of Glasgow. I've yet to find proof, but I assume that this is Samuel and his five siblings. I don't know why they purchased the tavern, or what their connection was at the time to the area. They only held it for a few months, selling the tavern and lot in March 1843, so it could have just been an investment opportunity. Glasgow was originally known as Aiken's Tavern, named for the colonial-era establishment. The old tavern was torn down in the 1830's and a new one built across the road (where the Arby's is now), and this is presumably what the Murray kids bought.</p><p>In any case, if this was Samuel's first introduction to Pencader Hundred, he seems to have taken to the area. He may have even moved down around that time, because a mere two years later, in October 1845, Samuel Murray purchased 17 acres of land, about two miles southwest of Glasgow. In the deed, Murray is described as already being a resident of Pencader Hundred. He obviously knew this farm well, because dated the same day, he sold six acres of it that sat on the south side of the railroad tracks.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBnqFJdsyqdsK-jbjcwE_gmfCK2G6u3eyak5Eldy0FH89ZAa5yLUDgKLVn7by-5cdd14722P3FyZZMatGwjhVUHRHqZppVjZpV6r2hPWqAFo7IOPffoNtRZsdWZ-oW-XUwcinlOI1NT9Z_jJSv9xX9yEKN34TnjAWLOST4lDxS2gRua9L9in8GXsLhEfo/s1207/Samuel%20Murray%20farm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="1207" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBnqFJdsyqdsK-jbjcwE_gmfCK2G6u3eyak5Eldy0FH89ZAa5yLUDgKLVn7by-5cdd14722P3FyZZMatGwjhVUHRHqZppVjZpV6r2hPWqAFo7IOPffoNtRZsdWZ-oW-XUwcinlOI1NT9Z_jJSv9xX9yEKN34TnjAWLOST4lDxS2gRua9L9in8GXsLhEfo/w640-h416/Samuel%20Murray%20farm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing the vicinity of Samuel Murray's farm and<br />the route of the New Castle & Frenchtown Rail Road</td></tr></tbody></table><p>What? There are no railroad tracks a mile or two south of Glasgow, you say? Well, in 1845 there were, and Samuel Murray's farm sat right along the New Castle and Frenchtown Rail Road (NC&FRR). Opening in 1831 (and using horse-drawn cars for the first year), the NC&FRR was the first railroad in Delaware, and one of the first in the country. It unfortunately began operating about the same time the C&D Canal did, and for the same purpose. Before long, larger railroads were built, bypassing little New Castle, and the Maryland sections of the track were being abandoned about the time of Murray's arrival. By the late 1850's, the Delaware right-of-way west of Porter (near Porter Road, just south of Rt. 40) was abandoned as well.</p><p>Murray's farm sat west of Frazer Road and on the north side of what's now McDaniel Lane, which happens to be the old NC&FRR right-of-way. Samuel and wife Sarah raised (I believe) seven children on their farm, but we'll concern ourselves with the eldest son, Levi, born in 1843. He grew up and worked on the farm with his father, but from September 1864 to January 1865, Levi had a bit of an adventure.</p><p>He enlisted in the army, and on September 1, 1864 was mustered into Company B, 9th Infantry Regiment, Delaware Volunteers. It was a regiment of what were known as "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Days_Men" target="_blank">Hundred Days Men</a>", a term given to volunteer regiments raised in 1864, at the height of the war. They were lightly-trained troops on short-term service, used for routine tasks, thereby freeing veteran troops for frontline duty. Specifically, the 9th Regiment was stationed at Fort Delaware, guarding the Confederate prisoners there. Levi Murray served more than his 100 days, being mustered out on January 23, 1865.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEipG4v_S8AgkMRjBONZERZnI4SHb243aIBU4y1XOpNOQFvJKTW3qH9ayYLjz0KKrIRcEcBF3jKN8gquaPIna3ea1mY3-RcXsb0rAdZsm4U28dJFzzf4_ijI6KJq7Mjywlf7GAhGnzt2z6cyE7RqQhswxY8ihe6vBuFa8LONDiCD5x5DUqRWi9SU297x9/s481/1876-11-21%20Murray%20on%20farm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="481" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEipG4v_S8AgkMRjBONZERZnI4SHb243aIBU4y1XOpNOQFvJKTW3qH9ayYLjz0KKrIRcEcBF3jKN8gquaPIna3ea1mY3-RcXsb0rAdZsm4U28dJFzzf4_ijI6KJq7Mjywlf7GAhGnzt2z6cyE7RqQhswxY8ihe6vBuFa8LONDiCD5x5DUqRWi9SU297x9/w400-h360/1876-11-21%20Murray%20on%20farm.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">November 1876 sale notice, which places Levi Murray on<br />the farm just north of where the Christiana Mall is today</td></tr></tbody></table><p>At some point, perhaps immediately after that, Levi moved out of the house and in 1870 is listed as a farm worker in New Castle Hundred, probably near where the Wilmington Airport is now. In February 1872 he married Mary Emma Calhoun, and probably moved on to lease a farm of his own about then. It's often difficult to locate tenant farmers, but with Levi we caught a break. As the 1876 sale notice above states, Murray was farming on a property between Stanton and Christiana that was in the process of being sold. I'm fairly certain this was the farm on the east side of what's now Rt. 7, just south of Churchman's Road. The house and barn sat right where the ramp from northbound Rt. 7 to southbound I-95 is now.</p><p>The couple would raise six children of their own, and when they moved around 1880, the Murray family story would finally enter Mill Creek Hundred (more or less) for good. Levi moved onto one of the Cook farms on Polly Drummond Hill Road, just above White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church. Although he would never buy the farm, Levi Murray would reside there and work the farm for the next 30 or so years. The only catch is, I don't know exactly which farm the Murrays settled on -- Robert Cooke owned farms on both sides of the road. They were either on the same side of the road just above the church (my guess, as one report says it's a two minute walk form the church), or across the road in the home later purchased by Judge Hugh Morris (but another article mentions a party on the "extensive front lawn").</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvDlfq3zFfQyGW4jyb0RoWPZV0remmCmn_2OOmukirVcuNnyrrFh65RyldPMJm6fRPx792CYkgmSLpTPxOanQ-0hgVQrkaTyh1LvjrdeUADhVFkxr-lShxrrYWT6RWUf4BY2ojEUm0zsPw5TbcjJGS1PlnPmNh5OdgOvdeARFl4O75-QDn0Nm1Iu377HP/s727/1921-12-14%20Levi%20Murray%20obit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="319" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvDlfq3zFfQyGW4jyb0RoWPZV0remmCmn_2OOmukirVcuNnyrrFh65RyldPMJm6fRPx792CYkgmSLpTPxOanQ-0hgVQrkaTyh1LvjrdeUADhVFkxr-lShxrrYWT6RWUf4BY2ojEUm0zsPw5TbcjJGS1PlnPmNh5OdgOvdeARFl4O75-QDn0Nm1Iu377HP/w280-h640/1921-12-14%20Levi%20Murray%20obit.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levi Wesley Murray, Sr. passed away<br />in December 1921 at his Newark home<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Around 1910, the Murrays moved to a farm just outside of Newark, on Elkton Road at West Park Place. Levi W. Murray, Sr. died on December 12, 1921, as a well-known and respected member of the community. But by at least 1910, however, their second son, Levi Wesley Murray, Jr., had already moved out. In 1908 he married Kate Moody, with whom he would raise a family of five. In the 1910 Census they were living in New Castle Hundred along Franklin School (now School Bell) Road, just southwest of the 13/40 split. Since the household directly before them was Kate's father, I assume they were helping to farm his land. They would only be there a few more years, though, because in February 1917 Levi and Kate bought their own farm -- 147 acres along the Newark Road, from Helen and James McCallister (the former 155 acres, minus a five acre lot sold and three acres to the Pennsylvania RR). Yes, we finally got back to the Farmhouse/Murray Manor property, and God bless you for sticking it out.</p><p>When Levi and Kate finally moved into their home in the Spring of 1918 (after the previous year's crops were fully harvested), they did so with children John, Eleanor, and Margaret. Helen and Ralph would come along in 1920 and 1925. Levi farmed his land, and both he and Kate were involved in the community -- among other things, Levi was involved in local politics and Kate with the White Clay Creek Improvement Society (part of White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6eQ3ngYU0Vw1xYFgfCOUsuzAJ3ykxTpRGuosbXsgmRZPPs0Qvyq3LR4eCrWPO98UcSKtMgFy0DSf1KeQOucEK4YpFQ74hdSbBYmgeI3GSQZ-tue3qa8tfTmmIG3-5HvZRvK9Ucjkb-e1ernnBLYz6YF_GYUASAinlEPYrqbvPX0zypkKLpPkd0IcHeQj/s392/west%20side%20of%20house.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="392" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6eQ3ngYU0Vw1xYFgfCOUsuzAJ3ykxTpRGuosbXsgmRZPPs0Qvyq3LR4eCrWPO98UcSKtMgFy0DSf1KeQOucEK4YpFQ74hdSbBYmgeI3GSQZ-tue3qa8tfTmmIG3-5HvZRvK9Ucjkb-e1ernnBLYz6YF_GYUASAinlEPYrqbvPX0zypkKLpPkd0IcHeQj/w400-h264/west%20side%20of%20house.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the west, now parking lot, side of the house</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Most of the children ended up with office jobs, but not youngest son Ralph. He remained at home working on the farm with his father, and in 1948 married Berniece Betty Long, with whom he would raise five children. However, back in 1937, Delaware Park racetrack opened on the farm next door, and it would become a big part of Ralph's life. As a boy he earned extra money working there, using his tractor to open the starting gate. Through his connections with the track and the people there, he learned that some of the traveling trainers and jockeys needed a place to park their trailers during the racing season. In 1949, a section of the eastern edge of the farm was put aside for just that use, and the Millcreek Trailer Park (now Murray Manor) was born. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHphWEs3Wukk5fwwtKY442ghB4wJZRYGGnPZNLbr8xKKRHHFtxLViSrGJn62oGTK_8TIBvUuNMZSjg52VDqoArCHTUB82QpaAXx1l_o-sr5L18njwSqjvmzfPphohV77DqH53J9modH4k0sbouS_UYSHb9J5MUCFyUaDWxgKUUqvejaNVDzu3U1dWbYwL/s390/barn.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="390" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHphWEs3Wukk5fwwtKY442ghB4wJZRYGGnPZNLbr8xKKRHHFtxLViSrGJn62oGTK_8TIBvUuNMZSjg52VDqoArCHTUB82QpaAXx1l_o-sr5L18njwSqjvmzfPphohV77DqH53J9modH4k0sbouS_UYSHb9J5MUCFyUaDWxgKUUqvejaNVDzu3U1dWbYwL/w400-h398/barn.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Murray barn, which stood until about 1969,<br />just behind the present-day parking lot</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Levi W. Murray, Jr. passed away in 1950, and soon after Kate and daughter Eleanor had a house built next door. They moved there, leaving the old farmhouse to Ralph and Berniece, and their growing family. Ralph continued the farm the property over the next few decades, balancing farming with also expanding the trailer park. Eventually the park won out, and he stopped farming (I think) in the late 1960's. However, the trailer park (one of the largest and most successful in the area) was not the last venture undertaken by Murrays on the property.</p><p>At some point an addition was put onto the house, and used to host meetings and bingo games for the park's civic association. It was so nice that tenants began asking to use it for parties and gatherings, and around 1990 another idea was born. If the folks there liked holding events at the house, why wouldn't others? More sections were added to the house and in 1993 The Farmhouse officially opened as a premier wedding venue. The business was started by two of Ralph and Berniece's daughters and a family friend, and is now owned and operated by three of their granddaughters -- the fourth generation of Murrays at the house.</p><p>So if you're fortunate enough to attend (or host!) an event at <a href="https://www.thefarmhousede.com/" target="_blank">The Farmhouse</a>, you're truly treading on history. The property was part of a tract laid out in the 1670's. It shrank and grew over the years, going in and out of a number of prominent area families. And though there have been a lot of additions added to the house, the original sections of the old farmhouse are still very much there. I'm still unsure as to exactly when the home was built, but if you look back to the account of James and Mary Brown's 10th wedding anniversary party at the home in 1882, it refers to it even then as "the old house". </p><p>The Murray family has taken good care of that old house for over a century now, and as we've seen, their story has footprints all over New Castle County for two generations and about 75 years <i>prior</i> to their arrival on the farm along Mill Creek, just west of Stanton. Agricultural pursuits may be a thing of the past on the old farm property, but the current ventures are going strong with no end in sight.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-17919333376415767912024-02-07T11:30:00.002-05:002024-02-07T15:48:57.291-05:00A (Much Better) History of the Brown-Murray Farm, aka The Farmhouse -- Part I<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIFuUPKhJiE7LM5Z_l-ZpWsTL4l36xGJibpEKicD4TNGUGR1Qv2BS9lb2iNvp3Yy3V8kPuOCp3-usByHW41jVF26NEk3fC57FMwbIIvqSjFSWQazVb3gp997RmxtpfdsJBSawlIaOlXdyoAosJvbswVLFNpGY6tuCo9zSHKNH2XWxLM6eRd6oX8wcdzo7/s1007/current%20view.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="1007" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIFuUPKhJiE7LM5Z_l-ZpWsTL4l36xGJibpEKicD4TNGUGR1Qv2BS9lb2iNvp3Yy3V8kPuOCp3-usByHW41jVF26NEk3fC57FMwbIIvqSjFSWQazVb3gp997RmxtpfdsJBSawlIaOlXdyoAosJvbswVLFNpGY6tuCo9zSHKNH2XWxLM6eRd6oX8wcdzo7/s320/current%20view.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Farmhouse today</td></tr></tbody></table>More than ten years ago I wrote <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/brown-farm-aka-farmhouse.html" target="_blank">a post</a> about the property on which <a href="https://www.thefarmhousede.com/" target="_blank">the event venue known as The <br /> Farmhouse</a>, on Old Capitol Trail by Murray Manor and Delaware Park, sits. I did the best I could at piecing together the farm's story, with the resources I had available to me at the time. Aside from a lack of details, I did get most of it right, with one notable exception that we'll address shortly. In the intervening years, though, I've gotten access to property records and cultivated a better understanding of the area. After recent outreach from the owners of The Farmhouse (still members of the Murray family, who have owned the home for over a century now), I decided to take another shot at telling the story, now that I can use more actual facts and fewer guesses.<p></p><p>The last time the 155 acres were sold to a new family as a farm was in February 1917, when Levi W. Murray purchased the property from Helen and James McCallister for $13,000. We'll get to Levi and wife Kate in the next post, and see how they got there and what they did after they arrived. But the story of the land goes back much further, although the central mystery of exactly when the original portion of the house was constructed is still unclear. </p><p>The land that would eventually make up the 155 acre farm was originally part of a larger tract of 570 acres laid out and sold in 1676 by Edmund Andros, Governor of New York (this was even before William Penn's arrival). It was sold originally to two men, then consolidated to one in 1679, then parts of it sold of through the late 17th and early 18th Centuries. Ultimately, at least 270 acres of it was consolidated under the ownership of William Cann, who in 1749 sold a square lot (113 perches, or about 1865 feet, on a side) to Moses White. To the best of my ability to decipher, the image below shows where that 80 acre lot was. Old Capitol Trail now runs though the upper corner of it, Kirkwood Highway is to the northwest, and Delaware Park is to the south.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfme-tlsC0RY_V_IjRqHrqnJNjo6SuG9VjaqQ4A6EsuWDcCT3EWuAgrwVaHm8eNWMzUSW_8AIKlRSPjof5CZUWEGKatTRaxtPy1GsmNfAPvn0Fxoe9myZ7s5LMbU6Dq1m39NcdTLZkw9Mh8K0Cl162vK3AjAu3eqdhUojdBjJn8yL6pR5BwIFApl4Xmb_/s820/1749%20Moses%20White%20tract.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="820" height="562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfme-tlsC0RY_V_IjRqHrqnJNjo6SuG9VjaqQ4A6EsuWDcCT3EWuAgrwVaHm8eNWMzUSW_8AIKlRSPjof5CZUWEGKatTRaxtPy1GsmNfAPvn0Fxoe9myZ7s5LMbU6Dq1m39NcdTLZkw9Mh8K0Cl162vK3AjAu3eqdhUojdBjJn8yL6pR5BwIFApl4Xmb_/w640-h562/1749%20Moses%20White%20tract.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approximate outline of the 80 acre tract<br />sold to Moses White in 1749</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Moses White's lot encompasses most of what's now Murray Manor and, crucially, the site of The Farmhouse. This tract seems to have been divided off of the larger one, however the 1749 deed does say that it was "now in the possession of James Bailey". I believe that means that Bailey was the tenant farmer on the land at the time, so it does mean it was occupied then. Whether Bailey was living in the original section of the Murray House or an earlier structure is unclear. And since the next deed does describe Moses White as being "late of Mill Creek Hundred", it's logical to assume that he and wife Ann lived on and worked the farm.</p><p>Moses White likely died in early 1783, leaving his widow and four children. A year later, eldest son James White sold the 80 acres to Alexander Reynolds, whose family had been and would be in the area for a number of years. I have to admit that this is one of those situations where I have to just give an overview, leave the details of the story for another time, and walk away with what's left of my sanity. This whole area west of Stanton passed in and out of a few families, with tracts being combined and split apart. I will come back to this at some point because another old house on the Delaware Park property (nearer to the Rt. 4 entrance) was also owned by Alexander's father, William Reynolds, and may have been the family home. For now, though, we'll leave it with Alexander acquiring hundreds of acres, which mostly ended up with his son, Dr. William Reynolds.</p><p>After Dr. Reynolds' death in 1827 his children divided, and divided up, his holdings. These holdings encompassed about 460 acres, including lots in the Village of Stanton. The lands west of Stanton were divided by the children, and in 1833 children Alexander W. (also a doctor) and Ann sold three parcels to William W. Rice -- a 155 acre tract and two lots in Stanton. The figure below shows the approximate outline of the 155 acre tract, which as you can see includes the old Moses White farm along with more land to the northeast. Like the Reynolds family, the Rices were no newcomers to Mill Creek Hundred.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTYSIokULBqOpg_V39v3Bt-vt3HRO6OsPdlqqiIGTpAZ7_R0UUJgQoso_rAgz9ewslfWceHOI7xrZJYYmuXsPxCbloUTB3h-BhCXZuetAvqcNSAsTkf_H66iqA4Ff6_LvJRkWMHRBLbSpeeP1us5U86bTrwmAlhhEltUNMId_D0TdXNGPoHPap6e6U2v_/s1062/Rice-Brown%20Farm%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="1062" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTYSIokULBqOpg_V39v3Bt-vt3HRO6OsPdlqqiIGTpAZ7_R0UUJgQoso_rAgz9ewslfWceHOI7xrZJYYmuXsPxCbloUTB3h-BhCXZuetAvqcNSAsTkf_H66iqA4Ff6_LvJRkWMHRBLbSpeeP1us5U86bTrwmAlhhEltUNMId_D0TdXNGPoHPap6e6U2v_/w640-h444/Rice-Brown%20Farm%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approximate outline of the 155 acre farm partitioned out of<br />Dr. William Reynolds' estate in 1833 and sold to William W. Rice </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The family is a bit hard to pin down and trace, but I believe that William was a descendant of the Evan Rice (or Riis) who owned <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-eastburn-bell-farm.html#more" target="_blank">land near Corner Ketch</a> dating to the early 1700's. He was born in 1806, possibly to Wilmington merchant Washington Rice or one of his brothers (one of Washington's sons, Thomas B. Rice, would be executor of William W.'s estate). In 1828 he married Mary White, and the way things were interconnected in MCH at the time, I would not at all be surprised if she were related (granddaughter, maybe?) to Moses White. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">William W. Rice seems to have had some money, either from his family and/or from his own toil, because in addition to the Stanton-area farm, William owned a tract along Old Coach Road near Polly Drummond, as well as several houses in Wilmington. He may have split his time between MCH and Wilmington, but was listed here in the 1850 Census. After William's death in 1851, his properties were sold off (by executor Thomas B. Rice -- also, one of William's sons was named Washington, further convincing me he was closely related to the more prominent Washington Rice), including the 155 acre farm. It was sold in January 1852 at public auction for $6410 to Christiana Hundred farmer James Brown.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">James Brown was an English immigrant who came to this country in 1842. He was married in Philadelphia in 1845, but quickly made his way to Delaware. He settled in Christiana Hundred, eventually buying a farm on the southwest corner of New Road and Dupont Road, in what would become Elsmere. He and wife Ann would raise seven children, and I think he had those children on his mind when he purchased the Rice farm in 1852, even though the oldest was but six at the time. He certainly was thinking of his sons when he purchased the adjacent Pritchard farm in 1865 (this farm comprised most of what's now the race track property, with the farmhouse standing just south of the track itself).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sometime between 1860 and 1870 the Brown boys moved onto their Stanton farms, and this is the one point I got wrong in the original Farmhouse blog post. To be fair, there are a few points of confusion. The Reynolds/Rice farm was likely rented out by Brown at first, with either Genner Wingate or Joseph Ross as tenant in 1860 (guessing by the census). The 1868 map shows the farm as "Jno. Brown", so it's possible that John (who was 22 at the time) first moved onto this property. Family stories from a descendant of his (where I got some of the information for the original post) also place him in the Reynolds/Rice house. However, John married in 1869 and seems to be listed with his wife and daughter Ella on the Pritchard farm in the 1870 Census. On that same census, James, Jr. is shown, presumably on the northern farm, with his brother Isaac and sister Annie.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdP_l14wVwrZSYQm3NuYDCzJlyo93K_-3fHZNBB3d6gMXX6EIbMCXTg_IZSrvR7zcCRvbN4UPlrtPRr3Vyp96yOfd3R8uIQYtMozCwOwAjsZuiANNF18-fuX5hTBPIK6QNYM5A1rIqYl3hcosr67T6LcNwpVqL9faL5TCCIulkhaMSh7d3n3njYrT1VrK/s644/1882-5-2%20Tenth%20anniv.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="352" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdP_l14wVwrZSYQm3NuYDCzJlyo93K_-3fHZNBB3d6gMXX6EIbMCXTg_IZSrvR7zcCRvbN4UPlrtPRr3Vyp96yOfd3R8uIQYtMozCwOwAjsZuiANNF18-fuX5hTBPIK6QNYM5A1rIqYl3hcosr67T6LcNwpVqL9faL5TCCIulkhaMSh7d3n3njYrT1VrK/w219-h400/1882-5-2%20Tenth%20anniv.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10th Anniv. party for James and Mary Brown<br />in May 1882, held at their home. Sounds like <br />a great place to hold a celebration, huh?</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What is clear and undeniable is that after the death of James Brown, Sr. in 1884, the two farms were officially sold by the other children in 1886 to James and John -- James bought the 155 acre former Rice farm and John purchased the 177 acre former Pritchard farm. There's no reason to think that they didn't live on the farms they bought. John's farm was sold at a sheriff's sale in 1891, eventually purchased by William F. Smalley. John Brown and family moved to a home in Stanton. After changing hands several times, the farm was purchased in the early 1920's by Wladyslaw and Aniela Samluk, and sold by them in 1936 to the Delaware Steeplechase and Race Association. The racetrack was built on their land, and the house seems to have been razed in the 1950's.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOax56IhWZ0WAuHRpoftlbeTdheTg3_u1f1atTNaT6LIt1MajEGsz20dw4UJ2ih_ckPUDAoFIphS9pvRbBTVizj90-iObqS2ErDPunJst1yF3JQtBmXHdhEaO1aVPvQ0y4fuNYckACWunkeaOKOTd2hnri99MVu_zhgYoGkeZAHMU_x4Z8HMz45cjpm71/s442/1908-10-19%20brown's%20track.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="442" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOax56IhWZ0WAuHRpoftlbeTdheTg3_u1f1atTNaT6LIt1MajEGsz20dw4UJ2ih_ckPUDAoFIphS9pvRbBTVizj90-iObqS2ErDPunJst1yF3JQtBmXHdhEaO1aVPvQ0y4fuNYckACWunkeaOKOTd2hnri99MVu_zhgYoGkeZAHMU_x4Z8HMz45cjpm71/s320/1908-10-19%20brown's%20track.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Races at James Brown' track, Oct. 19, 1908</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Meanwhile, back on the James Brown, Jr. farm, he and wife Mary were busy raising five children of their own. He farmed his land and lived there until selling it in 1909. During that period, there was one subject that I came across <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2012/12/browns-track-forerunner-to-delaware-park.html" target="_blank">and wrote about</a> years ago, and that I'd still love to know more about. As early as 1901 and running through 1909 there are mentions in the newspaper about events at "Brown's track at Stanton". Horse racing was very popular at the time (not surprisingly, since everyone outside of, and many inside of, the cities dealt with horses regularly) and there were races held often. It seems that there was such a track on James Brown's farm, possibly maintained by the "Stanton Driving Club" or "Stanton Association". Although in the old post about the track I mistakenly thought James lived on the southern (Pritchard/John Brown) farm exactly were Delaware park would be built, I now know his farm was directly north. Still pretty close though, which still makes me wonder if that legacy had anything to do with why William du Pont, Jr. and Donald P. Ross chose the site for their endeavor in the 1930's.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZGoss7W6Fvw60XjipxmUE1XqmqZSd0-IbYzCmYkpViKS6sDO9-Cw6qEwrUX4XmInD1Zc7nUkmiITly3QQ1p4F5zv4LafrGXaBIXdtHkDGpETFca_hNH8TMxuxlD53C52K_XZdnWMHYN47stFMfn1FK7kM-n25v6r4QqAYLG9ueI8qqrEi79hF-cgtU0x/s664/1897-5-8%2025%20anniv%20party.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="293" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZGoss7W6Fvw60XjipxmUE1XqmqZSd0-IbYzCmYkpViKS6sDO9-Cw6qEwrUX4XmInD1Zc7nUkmiITly3QQ1p4F5zv4LafrGXaBIXdtHkDGpETFca_hNH8TMxuxlD53C52K_XZdnWMHYN47stFMfn1FK7kM-n25v6r4QqAYLG9ueI8qqrEi79hF-cgtU0x/w282-h640/1897-5-8%2025%20anniv%20party.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On May 5, 1897, the Browns held a<br />25th Anniversary party at their home.<br />Were any of <i>your</i> relatives there?</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although the racing continued at Brown's Track through the 1909 season, Brown himself had moved away. In March of that year, James Brown had sold the farm to Helen Ruth McCallister, wife of James Leslie McCallister (that's how she was referred to in the deed). James and Mary Brown, incidentally, moved in with daughter Lizzie and her second husband, Chandler Mendenhall. Interestingly, in the 1910 Census they're listed only six families away from that of then 16-year-old LaPenne Guenveur, who 22 years later would buy <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-denney-morrison-farm-part-ii.html" target="_blank">the house almost across the road</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">J. Leslie McCallister was originally from St. George's Hundred, then moving with his family to New Castle Hundred. He married Elizabeth Helen Ruth in 1907, and is listed as a farmer in 1910. The McCallisters only resided on the farm for about eight years, before selling and moving not far away, just south of White Clay Creek. Eventually they moved to Wilmington and Leslie worked as a carpenter for McCallister Brothers builders, a firm owned by his nephews. The new owners of the old Reynolds-Rice farm were Levi and Kate Murray, descendants of whom still own The Farmhouse and, until recently, the rest of the farm. They and their family have their own fascinating stories, which we'll dive into in the next post.</div><p></p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-88968394977374852162024-01-04T12:05:00.001-05:002024-01-04T12:05:19.328-05:00The Fanning Houses of Marshallton<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-b63RbVF84FIM8V2aHKDg6Gk5ScCMYebMkXMHwY8oeZR7V6qRYP2NG6KLokSCNBBoEFUkvsXsyhEhrTuRoLnRB_IiggoG0wwRhvS6esVFLfo6MjZkp28CQSjBIhewojZ-toShYUyRC9a_XEp7os6k-qQkRcgi6uG8QBAO4CmV6Cq2genos5772n7eRd4/s1135/DSC_7564%20cropped.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1135" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-b63RbVF84FIM8V2aHKDg6Gk5ScCMYebMkXMHwY8oeZR7V6qRYP2NG6KLokSCNBBoEFUkvsXsyhEhrTuRoLnRB_IiggoG0wwRhvS6esVFLfo6MjZkp28CQSjBIhewojZ-toShYUyRC9a_XEp7os6k-qQkRcgi6uG8QBAO4CmV6Cq2genos5772n7eRd4/s320/DSC_7564%20cropped.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Walter Fanning House in 2012,<br />one day before its demise</td></tr></tbody></table>One of the over-arching themes I've stumbled into after years of writing this blog is the idea that just about every place, no matter how unassuming it might seem, has a story to tell. This has been borne out again in the history of the Fanning Houses of Marshallton. I initially didn't know there was this much of a story when a commenter recently asked if I knew anything about the house that used to stand at 3419 Old Capitol Trail, in what's now an empty lot fronted by a beautiful stone retaining wall. I knew of it but not about it, but I did recall something from right near its end.<p></p><p>Back in March 2012, when he was still writing his<a href="https://lrcv.blogspot.com/2012/03/here-today-and-gone-tomorrow.html" target="_blank"> Lower Red Clay Valley</a> blog, Denis Hehman noticed activity at the property and talked to the owner. He learned that the house was about to be torn down (which it was, two days later!), but was able to get some information as well as a few before and after pictures. I thank Denis greatly for that, because that was the starting point for this investigation. The owner (an older woman) told him that her family moved there when her father was four, and that she herself was born in the house. He didn't mention her name, but this was Miss Eleanor B. Fanning, who sadly passed away in February 2022, on her 88th birthday. The Fannings' story, though, starts long before that.</p><p>It begins with Henry Fanning, who brought his family to America from Ireland, probably in the 1850's. I can't find them in the 1850 Census, but by 1860 Henry is working as a weaver in the cotton factory on Red Clay Creek, just below Marshallton. It was operated at the time by fellow Irishman John Wright, but in 1864 would be purchased by the Dean Woolen Company, converted from cotton manufacturing to wool, and renamed as the Kiamensi Woolen Company. Henry died in October 1861 at the age of about 50 of "consumption of the lungs" (tuberculosis), but his son George carried on working in the cotton-then-woolen mill.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>George W. Fanning was born in Ireland in about 1843, and followed his father into the textile industry. In 1869 he married Sarah Torbert, who was originally from the Frederica area, south of Dover. I don't know how they met (or why she was up here), but I might have solved a different (but related, literally) mystery. Turns out that Sarah Torbert Fanning's first cousin was George Washington Spicer, Jr., who also moved to the Kiamensi area (undoubtedly after, and presumably because of, her, as he was 15 years younger) to work in the woolen mill. Later, Spicer would build and operate the <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2023/04/george-w-spicer-and-marshallton-silk.html" target="_blank">Marshallton Silk Mill</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZL5xznH4ut3dvOd4od94_UNHdftiaAQW39zvCfE159XrsszsSq8YQu2D-oXllESVKXKkO5X2Hv_eaG0QtdP8_9iROhWvNXYOZkJmWCJZLzDft2T-tcNjNxX5QZu90AvARvL_qLgALhpubd5PHF8oWBneiUz3AJGJYbO01FWyJV859F394QGd-5E4m0VoP/s1120/Marshallton%20School%201934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1120" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZL5xznH4ut3dvOd4od94_UNHdftiaAQW39zvCfE159XrsszsSq8YQu2D-oXllESVKXKkO5X2Hv_eaG0QtdP8_9iROhWvNXYOZkJmWCJZLzDft2T-tcNjNxX5QZu90AvARvL_qLgALhpubd5PHF8oWBneiUz3AJGJYbO01FWyJV859F394QGd-5E4m0VoP/w640-h426/Marshallton%20School%201934.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1934 photo of the newly-constructed Marshallton Consolidated School<br />I believe the buildings to the left are on the Fanning property</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In 1879, Fanning purchased a little more than four acres of land from James Cranston, located between Old Capitol Trail (then referred to as "the Centre Public Road") and the Wilmington & Western tracks (then, the Delaware Western Rail Road). This is the lot sold about 40 years ago to State Farm Insurance, now home to Wayman Fire Protection, next to the Marshallton Post Office. George and Sarah Fanning raised six children here, but George only got to enjoy his new home for about a decade. On December 19, 1888, the newspaper noted that "George Fanning, a weaver at Kiamensi woolen mills, has had a paralytic stroke that renders him unable to work." It must have been a serious stroke, because George Fanning died about three weeks later, on January 8, 1889.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr4EZOwAE3SPaBOTJF8hBdxhBa8r38UVooH4NgONsK4RuNLhszUaF7rts4QJUa5q_skB59DsHQAORQ5I0GsUm_TIkO57ZZMY4D6BBDXmSy4WPVTu6PbvCMdhY1odIu5tB6_7btyOKlRizzJhVRL3dQMShDvamV3PVsGnnwT0t6-xNO-omC4-Nkk3tfChLB/s408/1888-12-19%20George%20stroke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="408" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr4EZOwAE3SPaBOTJF8hBdxhBa8r38UVooH4NgONsK4RuNLhszUaF7rts4QJUa5q_skB59DsHQAORQ5I0GsUm_TIkO57ZZMY4D6BBDXmSy4WPVTu6PbvCMdhY1odIu5tB6_7btyOKlRizzJhVRL3dQMShDvamV3PVsGnnwT0t6-xNO-omC4-Nkk3tfChLB/w400-h175/1888-12-19%20George%20stroke.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brief note on George Fanning's stroke (12/19/1888)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Sarah and the children continued to reside in their Marshallton home, and the Fanning family would own the home until 1963, that year selling it to Earl and Mary Lloyd. Mary would later sell the property to State Farm in 1981. Meanwhile, back in 1904, George and Sarah's oldest child, Walter, had moved out of the family home. However, he didn't go far.</p><p>Walter Fanning was born in June 1869, and like his father and grandfather before him worked in the Kiamensi Woolen Mill. However, Walter seems to have been an active and outgoing man, and I think he probably always had his eye on something more than the woolen mill. In 1891 he was one of nine incorporators of the Marshallton Building and Loan Association (almost every other one has been mentioned in a blog post over the years). And like many men of the time, he was involved in multiple fraternal organizations, including the Freemasons, the Order of the Golden Eagle, and the Knights of Pythias.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHONGEivXew0RSU3h0_2zyWfgL99ypmCo8avr7OoGIEB6viat3ENV0Hgj02W__XltOy9zQsm_JK_gIFeO7mUgY0fYDV4Drxq49eJbC4S6jyiVSvCmlzMv9RYWAlvz967NOtF4nAVP9hBua2PotMJt_B2WFbN1gmfgPRI4WHWIdf2G37ip6mL2eQ3mtDmRC/s1047/Marshallton%201893.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1047" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHONGEivXew0RSU3h0_2zyWfgL99ypmCo8avr7OoGIEB6viat3ENV0Hgj02W__XltOy9zQsm_JK_gIFeO7mUgY0fYDV4Drxq49eJbC4S6jyiVSvCmlzMv9RYWAlvz967NOtF4nAVP9hBua2PotMJt_B2WFbN1gmfgPRI4WHWIdf2G37ip6mL2eQ3mtDmRC/w640-h434/Marshallton%201893.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1893 map of the Marshallton area</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>In 1896 Walter ran and was elected as an Inspector (I think for elections) for the Marshallton Election District and was involved in Republican Party politics on the state and local level. In 1899 he was elected as a trustee of the Marshallton School District, a position he would hold for almost 60 years. The point is, he was deeply involved in the community, and would be for his entire life. On a personal level, in March 1901 Walter Fanning married Martha Webb, also from Marshallton. The couple would raise three children together -- Warren, Sarah Elizabeth, and Anna. <i>Where</i> they raised their family finally brings us back to the subject of this post.</p><p>On May 2, 1904, Walter Fanning purchased just over two acres of land from John A. Cranston, fronting along the north side of Old Capitol Trail. This was part of the estate known as Roselawn, formerly owned by John's father, James Cranston. It was purchased from their father's estate by Samuel Cranston, who then sold it to John. However, I believe Samuel and wife Ella continued to live there, as John was a businessman who lived in Newport. In 1916, John would officially sell it back to Ella, who would then parcel it out, creating Cranston Heights.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXzPYtEMMMU4tidbI8JVpzVyga4Hr_-b9RoPZk04Uhqder9dpVAqNyvECgbdN0f-EuZxhp8pgxjcf8Ig7kMt45DkCf0mfrwEilcJLBUfC9GT4CfgfVjwtd7dYM4OmiqztWKKb6kJz1vvXp_tHWZN-_GkGiaCE0-2rwAqb0qypVg4KTw6_Bo3rfi3u495jx/s5315/1904%20Cranston%20to%20Fanning%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3942" data-original-width="5315" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXzPYtEMMMU4tidbI8JVpzVyga4Hr_-b9RoPZk04Uhqder9dpVAqNyvECgbdN0f-EuZxhp8pgxjcf8Ig7kMt45DkCf0mfrwEilcJLBUfC9GT4CfgfVjwtd7dYM4OmiqztWKKb6kJz1vvXp_tHWZN-_GkGiaCE0-2rwAqb0qypVg4KTw6_Bo3rfi3u495jx/w640-h474/1904%20Cranston%20to%20Fanning%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1904 indenture recording the sale of just over two acres of land,<br />from John A. Cranston to Walter Fanning</td></tr></tbody></table><p>From what I can tell, the first lot sold by John A. Cranston was in 1891 to Ada (aka Addie, aka Alexina) Thomas. This was the lot to the right (east) of Fanning's, a house that was torn down around 1990 (or possibly the one beside that, razed in the 1960's, where the small shopping center is now). I believe that the house shown on the 1893 map above (below the "o" and "n" in Cranston) is the Thomas house, and that Fanning had his built after his 1904 purchase of his lot. John A. Cranston sold other lots along the road, all the way down to the railroad tracks. And in a "Small World" coincidence, when Ada Thomas moved from her Marshallton home in 1908, she bought a lot in Bellefonte and built a house that's now owned by a friend of mine.</p><p>Meanwhile, Walter Fanning had moved himself from the blue collar world of the woolen mill to the white collar world as a clerk in the office of the Recorder of Deeds, in Wilmington. He would work there until 1930, when he was forced to retire due to failing eyesight. He was lucky to even make it that far though, because in 1907 he and another man had a run-in with a train -- literally. Early on the morning of October 19, Fanning and Harry Welch were on their way to Wilmington when their wagon was struck by a train while crossing the tracks in Elsmere. The wagon was demolished and both men injured, but both would recover. However, six months later Welch would <i>again</i> be struck by a train, this time at Kiamensi, and this time fatally. The story was recounted in the post about the <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-malcom-burris-weinstock-store.html" target="_blank">Malcom-Burris-Weinstock Store</a> in the Cedars, which I think Welch might have built. Fanning is the "and another man" mentioned in the train story in that post.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0z2n8wYWzGFOKiQ8gYtqOg7YV3ZSjrDUbaYWAcI8qhPfo8Nt3Aca5XIKS1ih4EkWGspTVbmmGiri5p_rXSN5fEhCAWZsDTovHv7JwGDqddNheKT8O-cJINxIKHF9Rysk6AC4Mv1fN3GroE7WcnqGgLpHk-zNJMpCdrQQELnJPukDX4R41WJFVzufBw5G/s500/1912-9-13%20cat%20walter%20fanning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="325" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0z2n8wYWzGFOKiQ8gYtqOg7YV3ZSjrDUbaYWAcI8qhPfo8Nt3Aca5XIKS1ih4EkWGspTVbmmGiri5p_rXSN5fEhCAWZsDTovHv7JwGDqddNheKT8O-cJINxIKHF9Rysk6AC4Mv1fN3GroE7WcnqGgLpHk-zNJMpCdrQQELnJPukDX4R41WJFVzufBw5G/w260-h400/1912-9-13%20cat%20walter%20fanning.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This nothing to do with anything, but<br />apparently in 1912, Walter Fanning's<br />coworkers named a stray cat after him</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Walter Fanning's son, Warren G. Fanning, carried on the family tradition of community engagement and service. Warren served as the tax collector for Christiana Hundred in the 1930's, and as a State Senator in the late 40's. He was a carpenter by trade and also served as the head custodian for the Marshallton School District for 15 years. Warren was about four years old when the family moved into their house, and he lived there his entire life. His mother, Martha, passed away in 1949. Walter Fanning died a decade later, in 1959.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyK6DG-7Y_mm7CjSmJsry7B1w5hOFKXWI7SD78_bzdtQz0Gapif8LsFnvLLozov0DiyvQ3hC0-gyPEUtEFjxLCsQ1jTTlNeXzxNIO0IFJdlWPvNmg2affznbrDSyWWCH3oNW9yotmhu_gyPvrpd5yAqB3XC0mBboHnt_GuNO4Bk6jYHEAgOtUBmuVZKqEK/s866/1964-4-13%20barn%20burning.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="866" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyK6DG-7Y_mm7CjSmJsry7B1w5hOFKXWI7SD78_bzdtQz0Gapif8LsFnvLLozov0DiyvQ3hC0-gyPEUtEFjxLCsQ1jTTlNeXzxNIO0IFJdlWPvNmg2affznbrDSyWWCH3oNW9yotmhu_gyPvrpd5yAqB3XC0mBboHnt_GuNO4Bk6jYHEAgOtUBmuVZKqEK/w400-h345/1964-4-13%20barn%20burning.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Account of the April 1964 barn burning and<br />accidental damage to the Fanning house</td></tr></tbody></table><p>There was one "embarrassing accident" that took place at the house in April 1964 -- embarrassing not to the Fannings, but to some local firefighters. That day, Cranston Heights Fire Company was burning down an old barn behind the house two doors to the east from the Fannings (where the commercial building is now) when the winds picked up and carried sparks towards the neighboring houses. These sorts of burnings were common at the time as a "public service" to owners as well as training for the firefighters (the article states that the same day, Elsmere Fire Company burned a house to make way for Serpe's Bakery to move there from Wilmington). As a result of the barn burning, the roof and top floor of the Fanning house were extensively damaged. They obviously made repairs, as the house stood for another 48 years.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgobWXDtoIDMpbuIC6_SAJeL9UyD7WuUYL2EJdLZk0cRNbPa0SYgvx5JEM8KnMFRRwecsCiPLKmk2QQTVPLZdxt9nP9FujEoh1kg-qSuOhG5Ap_G7_3iECNl9H_55VmN3UPeWOpN-FecRUyn82YQkIZSAiPbDnPuVveZZIOplKsU8CzFb43-7BseNPsok/s1600/DSC_7581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgobWXDtoIDMpbuIC6_SAJeL9UyD7WuUYL2EJdLZk0cRNbPa0SYgvx5JEM8KnMFRRwecsCiPLKmk2QQTVPLZdxt9nP9FujEoh1kg-qSuOhG5Ap_G7_3iECNl9H_55VmN3UPeWOpN-FecRUyn82YQkIZSAiPbDnPuVveZZIOplKsU8CzFb43-7BseNPsok/w640-h428/DSC_7581.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The razed remains of the Walter Fanning House, March 2012</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Warren G. Fanning passed away in 1974, but his daughters Eleanor and Martha held on to the family home. They bought the newer house next door in the mid-1980's and I believe they lived there. Martha, a longtime teacher in the area, passed in 2007. I assume the old house was unoccupied for a while and that the upkeep and maintenance became too much for Miss Fanning. The house and large garage were finally torn down in early March 2012, but Miss Fanning kept ownership of the property. She passed away in February 2022, and since the lots were just sold in August 2023 to a home building company, I assume there will be new homes going up there at some point. I do hope, though, that they don't erase the memory of the family that was an active part of the Marshallton community for over 160 years.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-52482248195528898432023-12-15T10:29:00.000-05:002023-12-15T10:29:43.694-05:00The Springer-Chandler Farm<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyby5wdeJ6dRaUi42RhwnUPZIMxnMdMj5c2s3t4EuFSE-_87Y6Dcc4gmGeXo2ZF6O5kGQ3_-9pOjhv4ANs5SbwpG7UG6g5lJwMBQ0Y2FWrQEr84kXzpuc8oCtmP7XjhUSgOM7ecAggRR1HKgpg9sU11W5JTi4EjeK-_e7XczhmLknsG1pQft52LwJrkPL/s3980/Chandler%20farm%20aerial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3122" data-original-width="3980" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyby5wdeJ6dRaUi42RhwnUPZIMxnMdMj5c2s3t4EuFSE-_87Y6Dcc4gmGeXo2ZF6O5kGQ3_-9pOjhv4ANs5SbwpG7UG6g5lJwMBQ0Y2FWrQEr84kXzpuc8oCtmP7XjhUSgOM7ecAggRR1HKgpg9sU11W5JTi4EjeK-_e7XczhmLknsG1pQft52LwJrkPL/s320/Chandler%20farm%20aerial.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Springer-Chandler farms, 1927</td></tr></tbody></table>For this story we venture again outside the confines of Mill Creek Hundred, but not by much. In fact, <br /> the land in question was originally part of a tract that extended into MCH, and ultimately ended up as part of one which was featured in a post not long ago. It's a story that is, on the one hand, fairly simple. Over the course of more than 300 years, it was really only owned by members of four (although, really three) different families. But on the other hand, there are a few details and actions that make the chain of ownership a lot more complicated and confusing when viewed on a closer level. Also, there are actually several tracts in question, which multiple times are split up, only to be later reunited in ownership. Also also, I don't have a strong understanding of the exact boundaries of most of the tracts. </p><p>"Originally", the land in question (which is along Lancaster Pike between Centerville Road and Red Clay Creek) seems to have been on the eastern end of the holdings of the Barker family, who began acquiring much of the area around what would become Wooddale from the Penns as early as the 1680's. There were several members of several generations of Barkers who bought a number of tracts over the years, from Wooddale up to Mt. Cuba. For our purposes here, suffice it to say that in 1764, several grandchildren of Samuel Barker (who had purchased the land in 1685 from William Penn) sold a 200 acre tract in western Christiana Hundred to Charles Springer, son of Jacob Springer. While the exact boundaries are unclear to me (lots of white oaks and hickories and other property lines I don't know), it seems to generally sit now between Lancaster Pike and Barley Mill Road, mostly (or entirely) west of Centerville Road.</p><p>Charles presumably settled on the land and lived there for almost 40 years. In his 1802 will, he divided his land between sons Reese (who got the westerly part) and Thomas (who got the rest). Apart from being severed from the other Barker holdings, this is the first of several instances of the property being split up, only to be later reunited. Thomas Springer died in 1824, and in his will gave most of his land to his son Charles, except for about 40 acres that he says he bought from Joseph Robinson in 1809. This portion went to son William Foulk Springer. I was frustrated at first because I could not find any record of that 1809 sale, but I think I finally have a theory as to what happened. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>In Reese Springer's 1808 will, he stated that he wanted his property sold and the proceeds to go to his three kids (all of whom were young, I think). His brother Thomas was executor of the will, so legally he was forced to sell the land at public auction. I believe he sold it to Robinson, with the understanding that Robinson would then sell it back to him. I've seen maneuvers like that before, done to fulfill the terms of a will. Since it was a "friends and family" type sale, it may not have been filed, which is why I couldn't find it.</p><p>This is all relevant because in 1834, William Foulk Springer sold those westerly 40 acres (plus land on the south side of Lancaster Pike, which he also got from father Thomas) to Samuel Gregg Chandler. This was far from a random person to sell to -- Chandler was his brother-in-law, married to William's sister Hannah. Samuel G. Chandler was born in 1803 to Swithin and Ann Gregg Chandler (one of about 11 children), I believe at their home on the SE corner of Lancaster Pike and Brackenville Road. Among his notable relatives were his brother Abram (owner of the the grist mill at Milltown) and nephew <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2010/08/dr-swithin-chandler.html" target="_blank">Dr. Swithin Chandler</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfSUe0VQqhruxCSGkx31cE-4NTBio5ukKyLgrI_KOw6ehsQlmbIJlNhAJ-SkTagdVBr3MuNtQg4OZ3DomrLF0FE6PLBGV9pnpso-FXfwQ2Ft_ZGAPkUeRGEkRislAiUWf5uzTTfyYpzLiza0nE_aC0ioXujVo4LYm0FiSwZYM2GTFeY_MNes8BCnAhM4m/s954/1849%20farm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="954" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfSUe0VQqhruxCSGkx31cE-4NTBio5ukKyLgrI_KOw6ehsQlmbIJlNhAJ-SkTagdVBr3MuNtQg4OZ3DomrLF0FE6PLBGV9pnpso-FXfwQ2Ft_ZGAPkUeRGEkRislAiUWf5uzTTfyYpzLiza0nE_aC0ioXujVo4LYm0FiSwZYM2GTFeY_MNes8BCnAhM4m/w640-h406/1849%20farm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A portion of the 1849 map showing the two Chandler houses, and a very<br />generalized indication of the extent of the property to the best of my understanding</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As of the 1849 map, there were two different houses indicated -- one on the north side of the turnpike and one along Centerville Road south of the turnpike. Presumably both were there much earlier, and I think the southern one was part of Charles Springer's land, while the northern one was Chandler's. They can be seen on the 1927 aerial photo of Breidablik Farm (at the top of the page), which was across the road. And so to recap to this point (because this is where can be confusing) -- Charles Springer split the land between sons Reese and Thomas, Thomas reunited Reese's part, Thomas split the land between sons Charles and William, William sold his portion to brother-in-law Samuel G. Chandler. So the original land is now split between Chandler and Charles Springer.</p><p>Samuel G. Chandler was quite an active and energetic man. He was active in Democratic politics in the the mid-1800's, several times running for office. From 1850-1852 he served as New Castle County Sheriff, and all the while farmed his land along the turnpike. He and wife Hannah (remember -- Thomas Springer's daughter, and Charles' and William's sister), raised three children on their farm -- Thomas, Ann, and Mary. Ann married William Reese, owner of the<a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-mount-pleasant-inn.html" target="_blank"> Mt. Pleasant Inn</a>, while Mary married only very late in life. Neither had any children.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVb84lO7TAahRlvfuHKAsxa2fj6zIEUJZsKCNHGnLx_FcgQga63T0s_4AvM6ZWa5vjWBE3q4wGa2n9Q8mENjrWy0QSghx58gjR-oj5MLyA4QNJaXsoxOBKvJONXEdIH9s5YrgIpcW64sD_v13Y3xhM3n8RinqswP_6DjgU1yccdNfloMRy7viUWGEua7bI/s556/1875-12-30%20Thomas%20Chandler%20death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="556" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVb84lO7TAahRlvfuHKAsxa2fj6zIEUJZsKCNHGnLx_FcgQga63T0s_4AvM6ZWa5vjWBE3q4wGa2n9Q8mENjrWy0QSghx58gjR-oj5MLyA4QNJaXsoxOBKvJONXEdIH9s5YrgIpcW64sD_v13Y3xhM3n8RinqswP_6DjgU1yccdNfloMRy7viUWGEua7bI/w400-h209/1875-12-30%20Thomas%20Chandler%20death.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A December 1875 notice of Thomas Chandler's death</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Samuel's son Thomas Springer Chandler and wife Hannah (Woodward) did raise one child, but Thomas died in late 1875 from cancer. Samuel Gregg Chandler died in February 1886, and in his will he (surprise!) divided his land into two. Technically, he first devised everything to his widow Hannah, but upon her death (which occurred in 1890) most of the land would go to his grandson (Thomas' son), Samuel G. Chandler. The excepted land was described as "about fifty acres which I bought of Amor Frame", and it was to go to his daughter Mary. And like that earlier "land from Joseph Robinson" in Thomas Springer's will, at first I struggled to figure out what that was. Also like that earlier tract, I eventually found the answer.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkbnr7AIbz-Ld645cX_tFIfc4ov5WSUnrrCxcbt9s7JaFUTMbjo2ZRmY-6IelvDFn8kVAdnX1WiHyKzzjhD75iPAeUEDDw9uG5qZx2WOoVKnQtmxvQD4DtKmgss5dP5raBfvFx1XrL5ItX_NfKAeWkXBvl8xssRwlY4zQJANutJxOJ63Smb6VMUgq-6U9/s728/1886-2-6%20Samuel%20G%20Chandler%20death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="479" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkbnr7AIbz-Ld645cX_tFIfc4ov5WSUnrrCxcbt9s7JaFUTMbjo2ZRmY-6IelvDFn8kVAdnX1WiHyKzzjhD75iPAeUEDDw9uG5qZx2WOoVKnQtmxvQD4DtKmgss5dP5raBfvFx1XrL5ItX_NfKAeWkXBvl8xssRwlY4zQJANutJxOJ63Smb6VMUgq-6U9/w264-h400/1886-2-6%20Samuel%20G%20Chandler%20death.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Report of Samuel G. Chandler's death, 1886</td></tr></tbody></table><p>If you'll recall from earlier, back in 1824 Thomas Springer had split his land between sons William and Charles. It was William's portion that Chandler bought in 1834. Charles, meanwhile, held on to his land (about 60 acres, I believe along the west side of Centerville Road) until his death in 1843, at which time it passed to his daughters Sarah Elizabeth and Mary Ann. In 1852, Mary Ann sold her moiety (or half share of the land) to Eli Logan, husband of her sister Sarah Elizabeth. The Logans sold the full property in 1854 to Jonathan Hoopes and William Lemon. (Don't worry, we're almost there -- I told you all this got confusing.) Hoopes and Lemon sold the farm two years later to Amor Frame, who in 1858 sold to Samuel G. Chandler. So at that point (1858), the land that had been split apart 34 years earlier was reunited under Chandler's ownership, only to be divided again 28 years later.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVU7eKkIB2YF6nZd_-zGFpWRakXsA_KUZWEElUJJYyhzpua-drZMyaVLBNjaIsfv0ZyZZ5rV67zMNnLU8S4tav4psts4Di0KaO7F8KJroxIFv0eewhiFwPa1XVpP3ED8b0_pyjRxUbXjZuIIjtRqQi7EVFpAx9RV9lIItBxoWA5xtJstexeVm-g5biKb-/s477/1909-3-12%20Lawson%20Chandler%20wedding.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVU7eKkIB2YF6nZd_-zGFpWRakXsA_KUZWEElUJJYyhzpua-drZMyaVLBNjaIsfv0ZyZZ5rV67zMNnLU8S4tav4psts4Di0KaO7F8KJroxIFv0eewhiFwPa1XVpP3ED8b0_pyjRxUbXjZuIIjtRqQi7EVFpAx9RV9lIItBxoWA5xtJstexeVm-g5biKb-/w279-h400/1909-3-12%20Lawson%20Chandler%20wedding.jpg" width="279" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The March 1909 marriage of Mary Chandler<br />and George H. Lawson</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Most of the rest of the confusion came years later, from sorting out the terms of Samuel G. Chandler's will. After widow Hannah's death in 1890, part of the old property belonged to Mary and part to the younger Samuel Chandler. Mary's 60 acres were the first to leave the family. Remember how I mentioned that she had married "very late in life"? Well, in 1909, at the age of 70, she wed 43 year old George Lawson, who had been released only two weeks earlier from a one year stint at the County Workhouse for practicing medicine without a license. Mary Chandler Lawson died less than a year later, and her 60 acres were sold to William Moore in 1911.</p><p>Also passing in 1910 was the younger Samuel G. Chandler, whose death set off some scrambling due to stipulations in the elder Samuel G. Chandler's 1882 will. In it, he stated that if his grandson died without children, or with children "who do not attain the age of twenty one years", then the property would revert to daughters Ann and Mary. When the younger Samuel died, he and wife Leona had one child, Elva, who was about nine at the time. Ann Chandler Reese wanted to transfer the property to Elva, but there was one more hurdle to overcome.</p><p>Another stipulation in the 1882 will was that there were to be payments made to Ann and Mary, of $2000 and $1000 respectively, two years after Hannah's death. As of 1914 (24 years after that death), Ann claimed that the bequests had never been paid. She actually took Leona Chandler (the younger Samuel G.'s widow) to court. Leona claimed that the farm had been turned over to Ann in 1895 to manage and collect rents from, and that this satisfied the debt. The judge disagreed, and in July 1914 ruled that the payments be made. All must have been ironed out with no hard feelings, because shortly after Ann sold both her share and Mary's share (she was executrix of Mary's will) to Elva for almost nothing ($100 to Mary's estate and $5 to Ann). It's interesting to me that the sale was directly to Elva, who would have been only about 13 at the time.</p><p>In the ruling over the will, it was stipulated that the property (which was comprised of 40 acres on the north side of Lancaster Pike and 20 acres on the south) could not be sold out of the family for two years, so two years later Leona (acting for herself and as guardian for Elva) did sell the farm. It was sold at public auction, with the highest bidder being Danish chemical company owner Henrik J. Krebs, who also owned <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2021/03/oak-hill-farm-aka-breidablik.html" target="_blank">Breidablik Farm</a> on the other side of the turnpike. Krebs had purchased Mary's old land from William Moore in 1914. He and son Sonnin would eventually own much of the land in the area.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWE-VK5CB9r6TUVywYFmXySslFgCvBy5NGDH4P36ciVrH8efMc6-ssrPczj5Vfhy2P7amVl_vWws4X5i3r0cFiHhVIsFIDQx0E1zN9w-F90FPzD7tgVpR6QEP_msUQuKq1KqBCuj2yEin6Ei2XIC2rUA9urmwy_3OUlGD6NuvScqHWWJj7bYw-4XsGRsSA/s609/1990-5-10%20Elva%20M%20Chander%20death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="609" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWE-VK5CB9r6TUVywYFmXySslFgCvBy5NGDH4P36ciVrH8efMc6-ssrPczj5Vfhy2P7amVl_vWws4X5i3r0cFiHhVIsFIDQx0E1zN9w-F90FPzD7tgVpR6QEP_msUQuKq1KqBCuj2yEin6Ei2XIC2rUA9urmwy_3OUlGD6NuvScqHWWJj7bYw-4XsGRsSA/w400-h324/1990-5-10%20Elva%20M%20Chander%20death.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elva Chandler never married, but spent her life active in<br />charities and as a businesswoman. She passed in May 1990<br />at the age of 89</td></tr></tbody></table><p>After Breidablik Farm closed in 1946, most of the Krebs land was sold to the Hercules Company, and I believe that all of the former Springer-Chandler land was included in the sale. Although Hercules initially had big plans for the land, ultimately they did very little with it. Most of the land south of Lancaster Pike was left untouched, until some of it was incorporated into the Hercules golf course in the late 1960's. About 25 years ago some of it began to be developed residentially, then about 15 years ago the Little Falls Corporate Center was built along Centerville Road (where the southern house was). In 1998, the development of Stonewold was begun on the old Chandler land north of the turnpike. The southern house (which I believe was part of the Charles Springer/Mary Chandler 60 acres) was torn down probably sometime in the 1970's. The northern house was incorporated into the community of Stonewold. </p><p>So as we've seen, the history of this area, which you may only think of as part of "that stretch on the hill between Centerville Road and Red Clay Creek" is both simple and complicated. For a span of about 260 years, most of it (with only a few minor exceptions) had only been in the Barker, Springer, Chandler (which was really an extension of the Springers), and Krebs families. But understood at a closer level it was split apart and reunited several times, with some legal issues thrown in for good measure. This is another great example of a seemingly quiet, non-descript area having a fascinating story to tell.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-5742438254394902572023-11-13T09:58:00.001-05:002023-11-13T13:11:41.860-05:00The Travelling Newport-Gap Pike and Mt. Cuba Bridge<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9t0IYutHp8B3YGDMVer45UIZVAtZ6MGGDxJjr2telCRkD3S5lWyNnhZ0tFnwyF-UMHKuzsoz6yGgVD5LfsXOQ85dyC9_F3J6rQl5oDSRdDFRsq6jDWpR8v4rXVp58do6_Km9v8i4WxHqAVkbBb7IT-z7hEMLMpC7aZgQA-GxKEjzhTE89Pg3XlVSwap8/s1045/CM149%20Newport-Gap%20over%20Red%20Clay.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="1045" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9t0IYutHp8B3YGDMVer45UIZVAtZ6MGGDxJjr2telCRkD3S5lWyNnhZ0tFnwyF-UMHKuzsoz6yGgVD5LfsXOQ85dyC9_F3J6rQl5oDSRdDFRsq6jDWpR8v4rXVp58do6_Km9v8i4WxHqAVkbBb7IT-z7hEMLMpC7aZgQA-GxKEjzhTE89Pg3XlVSwap8/s320/CM149%20Newport-Gap%20over%20Red%20Clay.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Newport-Gap Pike bridge<br />in its original location, 1921</td></tr></tbody></table>I have to admit that this post is a follow-up that took way, way too long to come about. Like, kids are in middle school now who weren't even born when I wrote the original part of this story. Back in September 2010, I did a post entitled "<a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2010/09/marshalltons-travelling-bridge.html" target="_blank">Marshallton's Travelling Bridge</a>", which I later realized was not completely accurate. In that post I stated that the bridge installed over Red Clay Creek in Marshallton (Newport/Duncan Road) in about 1900 was moved in 1925 to another location across Red Clay Creek. Then, 45 years later, it was moved yet again to the site where it remains to this day.<p></p><p>To be fair, much of that post is correct, with two glaring exceptions -- I had the wrong bridge and an incorrect first move date. I think I realized that fairly early on, but I never got around to actually giving the correct information. However, very recently a commenter (thank you, Larry Davis!) asked about a story he had heard in his younger days, about how the Newport-Gap Pike bridge over Red Clay Creek at Greenbank had been repurposed somewhere else. That immediately rang a bell with me, and here we are. Yes, Larry, you were right.</p><p>It turns out that it was not the Marshallton bridge that has travelled around -- it's the Newport-Gap Pike bridge. They are very similar bridges, both being Pratt Pony Truss bridges. The Pratt Truss design was invented in 1844 and was one of the more common designs in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, both for railroad and roadway bridges. The "Pony" designation indicates that the trusses are not connected at the top. I haven't been able to determine when this particular bridge was built, but I did find an 1884 newspaper article about New Castle County bridges that did indicate that there was an iron truss bridge in place at that time. It's quite possible that this is the same bridge.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBTG9GNoIdZ1b8_VCYK5E5sNDUv_vptBpt7Vo7qYsFgNcFJ8-4lG5PSyFFO956mj0-msCNEQBMomh1dckHwZCeelV8KhexvGy_4hGQTJGDxPv9TGe9SIAZeBvr8BJ5Bg5BfPWY9SIwN_uwcxBhN704PJ8_-jXxFPJBLGxuNJkRORlThibAosLn1hN8J7J/s2476/1930-5-14%20new%20bridge%20at%20greenbank%20partial.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2476" data-original-width="855" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBTG9GNoIdZ1b8_VCYK5E5sNDUv_vptBpt7Vo7qYsFgNcFJ8-4lG5PSyFFO956mj0-msCNEQBMomh1dckHwZCeelV8KhexvGy_4hGQTJGDxPv9TGe9SIAZeBvr8BJ5Bg5BfPWY9SIwN_uwcxBhN704PJ8_-jXxFPJBLGxuNJkRORlThibAosLn1hN8J7J/w222-h640/1930-5-14%20new%20bridge%20at%20greenbank%20partial.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Article detailing the plan to move<br />and replace bridges, May 1930<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>We do have, however, a lot more details about the later moves for this bridge. Although the Pratt Truss bridge was a substantial structure for the horse-drawn traffic of the late 19th Century, the automobile traffic of the 20th Century required a stronger and wider bridge. In 1930 it was announced that the Levy Court would be accepting bids for a new, concrete bridge to be built, carrying the turnpike across Red Clay Creek. But since the old bridge was still in good shape, it would not be wasted. It would itself be an upgrade, a few miles upstream at Mt. Cuba.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyuawfhIzw6hWi73wkw8ELbbWgPFj5lkZMUIWePgqjc2L-VLeePI1f5mDnE7u2JgFHlhiSlwineYJEtWNpxs06kX-1riJsnqaJTRlvvwA1c0U6YRjGktUNcVcA-LAOn_20k9JZ40UGZkGHxhMYEk9NMAWLGh6ubV-6M_ZVftaeHeXroPQkudAnwqWYypB/s1034/CM130%20Mt%20Cuba%20Covered%20Bridge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="1034" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyuawfhIzw6hWi73wkw8ELbbWgPFj5lkZMUIWePgqjc2L-VLeePI1f5mDnE7u2JgFHlhiSlwineYJEtWNpxs06kX-1riJsnqaJTRlvvwA1c0U6YRjGktUNcVcA-LAOn_20k9JZ40UGZkGHxhMYEk9NMAWLGh6ubV-6M_ZVftaeHeXroPQkudAnwqWYypB/w400-h281/CM130%20Mt%20Cuba%20Covered%20Bridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The c.1856 Mt. Cuba Covered Bridge, 1921</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The winning bid for the work came from the Luten Bridge Company of Clarksburg, WV. The new bridge at Greenbank would be constructed for $11,393.75, and the old bridge would be moved and re-erected at Mt. Cuba for $1622.80. It would be replacing the old Mt. Cuba Covered Bridge, said to have been built around 1856. And like the iron truss bridge at Greenbank, the old covered bridge was no longer sufficient for the needs of the road. Even in 1930, people were bemoaning the loss of covered bridges. A contemporary article states that after the removal of the Mt. Cuba Covered Bridge, there would be only eight more remaining in New Caste County. (I know you're wondering -- Smith's, Thompson's, Rockland, two at Ashland, Wooddale, Paper Mill, and Red Mill.)</p><p>By early August 1930, the bridge had been moved and was open to traffic at Mt. Cuba. There it would stay, for the next forty years. Then, in 1970, the bridge was again on the move. Instead of being disassembled and reassembled as it was in 1930, this move was done in one piece, by helicopter. It was airlifted about 4,00 feet from its span of Red Clay Creek to its new home, spanning Barley Mill Road. And this time there was no concern for its load-bearing abilities, because it was no longer being used by vehicular traffic.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTNeDyJMgCTiRLxLbU7EgCZUrbhZ2dCCzvy5riRYBmK7EwtAle-eqo6oSYH_q8o-1ljhyphenhyphenxaXXzchaaG1dyOwDigdyMcYcudDbohHrNbCDp7ra-sQE0nm4R8EXuie_Hr4HJyxj7bTalipe3AA_MNTK9VUQMICetcPyommUO01W88W5Hq4p180ghtQjcTRb/s4529/1970-4-22%20Mt%20Cuba%20bridge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4529" data-original-width="1689" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTNeDyJMgCTiRLxLbU7EgCZUrbhZ2dCCzvy5riRYBmK7EwtAle-eqo6oSYH_q8o-1ljhyphenhyphenxaXXzchaaG1dyOwDigdyMcYcudDbohHrNbCDp7ra-sQE0nm4R8EXuie_Hr4HJyxj7bTalipe3AA_MNTK9VUQMICetcPyommUO01W88W5Hq4p180ghtQjcTRb/w239-h640/1970-4-22%20Mt%20Cuba%20bridge.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">News of the bridge move, April 1970</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Instead, the bridge (which by this point may have already been almost a century old) was to be used for pedestrian traffic. The new owner of the bridge was Lammot du Pont Copeland, owner of the Mt. Cuba estate. Although it wouldn't happen for many years, Copeland was already looking ahead to a day when Mt. Cuba would be open to the public, and he wanted a safe link between it and the Delaware Nature Center (also in its formative years) on the other side. Over a half century later, now with both sides part of the Mt. Cuba Center, the bridge still sits atop Barley Mill Road. So next time you ride down the road there and pass under it, know that the bridge over your head once carried horse-drawn wagons and carriages over the creek at Greenbank, and motor vehicles at Mt. Cuba. And now we finally have the correct story.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAeEwKlcKQp41YTQcJsfv5Y5UufCL7kU0mgXmMPOONVYgwDe6VALKVzFR5RTTZaaTkTNKtxQR7bpplwBDm9_Vzi2KwiDzn16E8RBnaaX6ELzSifGVDz8qpTrehjvCsXP6uJl-f7yG4hQ0drBmdvpV5mbLtsfpRIxlsvzWYlj1sivO5ozWdHAaN0DY0OPm/s1120/bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="1120" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAeEwKlcKQp41YTQcJsfv5Y5UufCL7kU0mgXmMPOONVYgwDe6VALKVzFR5RTTZaaTkTNKtxQR7bpplwBDm9_Vzi2KwiDzn16E8RBnaaX6ELzSifGVDz8qpTrehjvCsXP6uJl-f7yG4hQ0drBmdvpV5mbLtsfpRIxlsvzWYlj1sivO5ozWdHAaN0DY0OPm/w640-h296/bridge.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bridge as it looks today, spanning Barley Mill Road</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-73648839078272294672023-10-09T12:00:00.000-04:002023-10-09T12:00:15.396-04:00The Abners Woodward House<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvu26kp4qSulPWn15-fLsPHqZi1PuhfgWRUS8EaOoSG0LSHfwFp66mGF1BJKvyfUAJKvF6T7DbmFB-C36s1WZmp-RRWgWShKs9YmNLGRTIYkbXFNu1xvvGSLgOeQ_DBGQyKJbCDq5AN_HJcz4rrA-A11pzZQgy3SVT2obIf-4WV_3ob4uYSmP34qQCi6u-/s1279/Abner%20Woodward%20House%20today.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="1279" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvu26kp4qSulPWn15-fLsPHqZi1PuhfgWRUS8EaOoSG0LSHfwFp66mGF1BJKvyfUAJKvF6T7DbmFB-C36s1WZmp-RRWgWShKs9YmNLGRTIYkbXFNu1xvvGSLgOeQ_DBGQyKJbCDq5AN_HJcz4rrA-A11pzZQgy3SVT2obIf-4WV_3ob4uYSmP34qQCi6u-/s320/Abner%20Woodward%20House%20today.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Abner Woodward House </td></tr></tbody></table>A little while back there was <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-stephen-mitchell-house-aka-north.html" target="_blank">a post about the Stephen Mitchell House</a>, located on North Star Road, in the community of the same name. Toward the end of that post, we learned that the farm associated with the house was sold as part of a larger tract by Ellen du Pont Wheelwright in 1952. She sold it to a group of Dupont Company employees working at the new, nearby Louviers site, who were providing convenient housing opportunities for themselves and their co-workers. However, while the Mitchell, or North Star, Farm was the largest portion of the newly-created community of North Star, it was not the only part.</p><p>On the west side of North Star Road, Mrs. Wheelwright had another property she called Barnstable Farm. Its farmhouse is located along North Star Road, and for 121 years it was owned by three generations of the Woodward family. The house itself may have been built by the first Woodward there, or it may have already been standing when he arrived in 1808 -- that's yet to be determined. However, the history of the farm definitely goes back further than that.</p><p>Unfortunately though, much of that earlier history has thus far eluded me. I know that in April 1798, James Short sold a 129 acre plantation to John Heron, "late from the County of Donagall in old Ireland". Frustratingly, the only document I can find is actually the mortgage from Short to Heron, not the actual sale. This means it's written as if Heron is transferring the land to Short (which he would if he doesn't pay the debt), so while it does have a detailed description of the metes and bounds (which are too confusing for me to map out), it does not have any information on how or when Short came into possession of the land (only that Short, "of Mill Creek Hundred", sold to Heron dated the same day).<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>I have every reason to think that Short did in fact reside on the farm, and the mortgage refers to a messuage, or dwelling house. It's very possible that this messuage is the house that still stands along the road today, although it's also possible that it was an older (maybe log) house that was soon replaced. Whatever the case, Heron was not on the farm along Pike Creek for very long. By 1802 he found himself indebted to a James Watt, and the following year his property (now listed as 120 acres) was seized by the sheriff and sold to John Robinson of Brandywine Hundred. Robinson would own the farm until April 1808.</p><p>In the 1808 sale, Robinson is described as being a cordwainer (a shoemaker) in Mill Creek Hundred. It's quite possible that he moved onto the property, worked as a cordwainer, and had someone else farm the land. He, again, was only there for a few years, but the quick turnovers were about to come to an end. The new owner was Abner Woodward, and the farm would not be sold out of his family again until 1929.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUmlGHAmI6-NYkse3KE26uhjff7peCrDLSq-M3yi-b-GDUBwGM4Jkk6MIVTczX5l3xyKGdCmkfQ9CGNBVFzOlXBYZGGrYQlMbR0ao13ISr_FyQxRqGbvR81MPbkUY4ZI22U2jXdUyzfKywMYqCIShI3e9w-r80tWMSe17F_Ds8kLNajZ8uUgE8doAn7VD/s1096/1849%20Woodward%20area%20map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="1096" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUmlGHAmI6-NYkse3KE26uhjff7peCrDLSq-M3yi-b-GDUBwGM4Jkk6MIVTczX5l3xyKGdCmkfQ9CGNBVFzOlXBYZGGrYQlMbR0ao13ISr_FyQxRqGbvR81MPbkUY4ZI22U2jXdUyzfKywMYqCIShI3e9w-r80tWMSe17F_Ds8kLNajZ8uUgE8doAn7VD/w640-h382/1849%20Woodward%20area%20map.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A portion of the 1849 map showing Abner Woodward along North Star Road</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Abner Woodward was born in 1765 in West Bradford Township, Chester County, to Quakers Joseph and Rebecca Woodward. In 1798 he married Elizabeth Clark Harlan, widow of Stephen Harlan. She had two children with Harlan (William and Sarah) and four more (Joseph, John, Rebecca, and Abner) with Woodward, by the time the family moved to their new MCH farm in 1808. Son William married, lived for a time in Delaware, then moved to Cecil County. Sarah married in 1810 to a local, and we'll get back to her shortly.</p><p>Rebecca married late in life and had no children. John remained in the area, but never married. Joseph did marry, in 1828 to Mary Klair. In 1834, Joseph Woodward purchased a farm just east of Price's Corner, in what would eventually be the western edge of Elsmere. Unlike that more famous pairing of a Joseph and Mary, these Woodwards would have 14 children together. Many of the Woodwards who have resided in MCH and surrounding areas to this day are descendants of this family. I don't know why anyone would be crazy enough to write <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-family-of-david-and-elizabeth.html" target="_blank">a post detailing 14 children</a>, but we don't have the time to do that here. However, a few of these Woodward kids have popped up in previous posts.</p><p>Aaron Klair Woodward lived on a farm along Faulkland Road (where the development of Oak Hill is today), and <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2017/07/a-shooting-in-19th-century-christiana.html" target="_blank">in 1874 inadvertently killed a young man</a>. Elizabeth married Benjamin Gregg, who owned <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-wells-gregg-farm-aka-delcastle-farm.html" target="_blank">the farm where Delcastle Golf Course is today</a>. Eldest son Abner owned a farm along Barley Mill Road east of Wooddale, which would later be purchased by <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2021/03/oak-hill-farm-aka-breidablik.html" target="_blank">Breidablik Farm</a> owner A. Sonnin Krebs. Eldest daughter Hannah would marry <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2018/02/armstrong-family-homestead-tracts-at-mt.html" target="_blank">John Armstrong and live on their farm</a> near Mt. Cuba. George's son John Paul would sell his farm in 1923 to the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-state-industrial-school-for-colored.html" target="_blank">State Industrial School for Colored Girls</a>, now the site of Delcastle High School. The point is, there were a lot of them.</p><p>But back to North Star, the youngest of Abner and Elizabeth's children was their son Abner, born in 1805. He would have been three when they moved, so he probably only really remembered his MCH home, and he would live there the rest of his life. When the elder Abner died in 1846, his will stipulated that the farm should go to the younger Abner. It also had some interesting and specific bequests for his wife Elizabeth. She was to be allowed to select any household goods and furniture she needed -- and one cow. She was to be given the use of two rooms on the first floor, and two rooms on the second floor of the west end of the house. She was also to be given, yearly, 250 lbs. of pork, one hind quarter of beef, 10 bushels of wheat, five bushels of corn, sufficient firewood for the stove (delivered to the door in suitable condition), and twenty dollars. Unfortunately, Elizabeth passed in 1844, so none of that was necessary. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBjwgCK_IV5_BOXvbibqM33WUutienWWTkXgwE9wXuRZjzStPgxApU4SXClSZVPhxfyuv7RuoWzV_YeLVN0nGiEv-N5rtvomSCVkGI8M1VF2b8DRBwbR7PrYz6H-wERYMo5X8yr9af61YcUdcah5-hvDDamWM3lHdMEZQHjm3b5pTRUfUaO7aJUKQWL9E/s977/will%20clip%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="977" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBjwgCK_IV5_BOXvbibqM33WUutienWWTkXgwE9wXuRZjzStPgxApU4SXClSZVPhxfyuv7RuoWzV_YeLVN0nGiEv-N5rtvomSCVkGI8M1VF2b8DRBwbR7PrYz6H-wERYMo5X8yr9af61YcUdcah5-hvDDamWM3lHdMEZQHjm3b5pTRUfUaO7aJUKQWL9E/w640-h510/will%20clip%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1twbR2MIBmg8LveU99UlXIf4NFpFnmQJ3Am9mqLaEjJnv6Iao2nJBA8GnUrjZglwEPp4MvWe6baTejBqk2xZrHzim2LRcHz6VyYd-gkPRdPE9AQT1o7BpyUcgJV3ReyLLH6ueAI7O3t-BL8XYbbNpFQpicwokdeOazH2bhUhlHMfcljMCJbxtdOCdZop/s920/will%20clip%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="892" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1twbR2MIBmg8LveU99UlXIf4NFpFnmQJ3Am9mqLaEjJnv6Iao2nJBA8GnUrjZglwEPp4MvWe6baTejBqk2xZrHzim2LRcHz6VyYd-gkPRdPE9AQT1o7BpyUcgJV3ReyLLH6ueAI7O3t-BL8XYbbNpFQpicwokdeOazH2bhUhlHMfcljMCJbxtdOCdZop/w620-h640/will%20clip%202.jpg" width="620" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portions of Abner Woodward's 1840 will (if you can read it) devising very specific<br />items to his widow Elizabeth. Abner went to great lengths to make sure she would be <br />provided for, but unfortunately she passed away in 1844, two years before Abner</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The farm, though, did go to the younger Abner, who in 1839 had married Julia Ann Hoopes, with whom he'd raise six children (Sarah, Abner, Ellwood, Elizabeth, Mary, and James). Oldest child Sarah married George Foote (who grew up in <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-william-foote-house.html" target="_blank">his family's home</a> along Mill Creek) and moved to Colorado. Next child, Abner (yes, another Abner), moved for a short time to Colorado with his sister and brother-in-law, then moved back to MCH. He never married. Elizabeth married Benjamin Few and moved back to East Bradford, PA, near where her grandfather was born. Mary never married, and James died of an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1875.</p><p>The next Woodward move in the area came in 1865, courtesy of one of Joseph Woodward's 14 children not mentioned earlier. Frederick Klair Woodward purchased an 80 acre farm along North Star Road, just north of his Uncle Abner's homestead. The property was purchased from Thomas Mitchell, the son of Joseph Mitchell, owner of the Woodside Farm on the east side of North Star Road. Remember Sarah Harlan Woodward, who moved to MCH with her family in 1808 and I said married a local in 1810? That local was none other than Joseph Mitchell. Although Sarah had died back in 1834, it was from her son Thomas (and Frederick's cousin) that Frederick K. Woodward bought his farm.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacm2tR9DB42uKEd62xdZh2J3y3vj9c3Kg5wDHsWLZh2E8R8E2n-2Eew8Z6MTe9fcIFwonsPZIl2h80y10cvs2euMld5CW3kB2hJkZGQELX1y_PNqJYl64dC5at90fkwInlNiUWFs9S1Os8nMujrU2wx7Kcta6z7nQVRy2y2fMxCLCn44wfnMDYKBrbS1G/s1114/1881%20Woodward%20area%20map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="1114" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacm2tR9DB42uKEd62xdZh2J3y3vj9c3Kg5wDHsWLZh2E8R8E2n-2Eew8Z6MTe9fcIFwonsPZIl2h80y10cvs2euMld5CW3kB2hJkZGQELX1y_PNqJYl64dC5at90fkwInlNiUWFs9S1Os8nMujrU2wx7Kcta6z7nQVRy2y2fMxCLCn44wfnMDYKBrbS1G/w640-h500/1881%20Woodward%20area%20map.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A portion of the 1881 map showing the Woodwards, both Abner's house (with the<br /> estate still being sorted out) and Frederick K. up the road.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>But as for the original Woodward farm, it remained with Abner and Julia Ann until his death in 1879. Abner's 1878 will was pretty straightforward, with two items of note. First (and this was just of interest to me), he stated that Julia Ann could have "household goods to the value of two hundred dollars, which she may select at her discretion at the valuation of the appraisers." I'm picturing her walking around the house selecting things, like the shopping showcase on an '80s episode of Wheel of Fortune.</p><p>More pertinently for us, though, Abner bequeathed the farm to sons Elwood (often spelled Ellwood) and Abner, as tenants in common (meaning they both owned a half share of the whole thing, as opposed to dividing the farm). Elwood had lived on the farm his whole life, and Abner had moved back not long after returning from Colorado. Things seem to have been relatively quiet on the North Star farm, except for the fact that their barn burned down twice in six years (1887 and 1893). It was rebuilt each time, and in fact, the barn (probably the one rebuilt after the 1893 fire) was recently converted into a beautiful residence. Notably, Elwood was also active in local politics, running for local office several times and serving as a road commissioner. He had no children, but the 46 year old Elwood did marry (to Margaret Maree) in 1891.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcv6QUoFf5iqqzO-_GuIvNL8SN8Zr89Ji7qp40ZkxkA0MezOg0uCkHnibHzaZi-4zzaOLxV71wdr22hehaZmikB8kF9DplTgKUjHmgK7oNCnDW35wbckBf61311zLTC0MKQ9OscJVLjuhPKUouI9Hh7M81gQtbRYfcCT8WIAFhTHB-KFyEaTjq-Irotrn/s1217/Barns%20burning.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="1217" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcv6QUoFf5iqqzO-_GuIvNL8SN8Zr89Ji7qp40ZkxkA0MezOg0uCkHnibHzaZi-4zzaOLxV71wdr22hehaZmikB8kF9DplTgKUjHmgK7oNCnDW35wbckBf61311zLTC0MKQ9OscJVLjuhPKUouI9Hh7M81gQtbRYfcCT8WIAFhTHB-KFyEaTjq-Irotrn/w640-h364/Barns%20burning.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19th Century barns were pretty much just fires waiting to happen,<br /> and for Ellwood it did happen, in 1887 and again in 1893</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In addition to farming, his brother Abner was in business in the 1870's with Marshall A. J. Springer, and the firm racked up some debts -- enough in fact that in 1896 Abner's half share of the farm was sold at public auction by the sheriff. I admit that I don't fully understand how that whole process always worked, because to pay off almost $1000 in debt, Abner's share was sold for $100...to Maggie S. Woodward -- Elwood's wife. The upshot is, the farm remained in the Woodward family. It would remain even after Abner's death in 1905 and Margaret's in 1911. (Technically, Margaret's will gave her share to her niece Anna May Garrison and husband William, of Chadds Ford. They sold it back to Elwood the following year.)</p><p>However, in February 1912, Elwood sold all his farming equipment, supplies, and livestock (as well as many household items), and retired from farming. He rented the farm to the recently widowed Martha Snitcher, and her adult children Samuel and Florence. It seems, though, that Elwood continued to live with them in the house, as he's listed immediately before them in the 1920 Census. He probably did so almost all the way through the Roaring Twenties (although I can't see them as being all that "Roaring" in North Star).</p><p>But finally, after 121 years of Woodward ownership (and three full generations of Abners), the farm was finally sold out of the family. Two months after they began Crashing down, and two weeks before the Twenties would end, Elwood sold the property on December 18, 1929 to the Wilmington Trust Company. A year later Wilmington Trust sold it to the Nemours Corporation, but in reality the sale all along was to Junius Simpson Dean, husband of Paulina du Pont. Paulina was the daughter of William Kemble du Pont, and her brother Samuel Hallock du Pont was at the time busy buying up much of the farmland just west of North Star. As an aside, J. Simpson Dean was also a high-level golfer.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTXC_Q3EDOXvst1NUN530GsWLbSlpoNyRFbuz62VtCxtjElt5y6917bfKyL7wJPDqtAZ25q5X9Z5HlVyMW7J_Fx65Z32N7cyj5lwq1Qbd6GZGwyO1H6bt0BbnDEBFuxaGsVCGruhhFcKxwQWngZ9xmzEbD9cQ3a_5ADrIfdk3V1baBNMUWWhS4zkA3VhW/s372/Dean,%20J%20Simpson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="335" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTXC_Q3EDOXvst1NUN530GsWLbSlpoNyRFbuz62VtCxtjElt5y6917bfKyL7wJPDqtAZ25q5X9Z5HlVyMW7J_Fx65Z32N7cyj5lwq1Qbd6GZGwyO1H6bt0BbnDEBFuxaGsVCGruhhFcKxwQWngZ9xmzEbD9cQ3a_5ADrIfdk3V1baBNMUWWhS4zkA3VhW/w360-h400/Dean,%20J%20Simpson.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">J. Simpson Dean, 1929 (See, I told you he was a golfer)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Dean held the farm for ten years, then in 1940 sold it and the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-stephen-mitchell-house-aka-north.html" target="_blank">Mitchell's North Star Farm</a> to Ellen du Pont Wheelwright. She was the daughter of T. Coleman du Pont, and second cousin to Paulina. Wheelwright gave the property the name of Barnstable Farm, which she used as a country home and for entertaining, foxhunts, and horseback riding. (Her main residence was the estate of Goodstay, located on Pennsylvania Avenue across from the Tower Hill School.) However, the area changed in the early 1950's with the opening of the Dupont Company's Louviers site, nearby at Milford Crossroads. To make a long story short, a bunch of Dupont Louviers employees (most of whom lived either in Wilmington or north of it) decided they wanted to find a more conveniently-located site to build homes for their families. After conducting a thorough search (what else would you expect from Dupont engineers?), they purchased five contiguous properties, including the old Woodward Farm, in 1952.</p><p>There were three existing homes already on the North Star properties (the Stephen Mitchell House, the Woodward House, and another frame house), and it was decided to sell them separately with larger lots. In 1952, the Abner Woodward House and about seven surrounding acres were sold to Godfrey Taylor, another Duponter. The Taylors were very involved in the community, hosting meetings at their home as well as at least one Easter Egg Hunt in 1957. They lived there for ten years before selling to builder and businessman Alton Neal. The house remained in the Neal family until the late 1990's, and through the years the original 7 acre lot has been subdivided and developed. Now there are now five homes on those 7 acres, including the old carriage house and barn, both of which have been converted into beautiful residences.</p><p>The North Star area today is not quite as quiet and remote as it was in 1952 (or 1852 or 1752), but it's still a wonderful, tree-filled residential area that so far has avoided the ever-encroaching commercially-developed suburbs (excluding, of course, the amazing Woodside Creamery up the road, which is still in the hands of descendants of Sarah Harlan Woodward). I can happily say that the Abner Woodward House is in the hands of new owners who are very aware and appreciative of the history of their home, and who are fervently working to piece together its story -- a story that draws a direct line from the earliest days of settlement in the area all the way into our modern world.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-64020169607125104202023-09-08T08:45:00.000-04:002023-09-08T08:45:21.716-04:00Weedon's Foray Historical Marker<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGrC6jxnlg1S2WI6Lb68aAnIwaigfd8RAJpc8d9F1_VODfkcZenwIMGTxvbXCDh8f1x0gU_0vEPwjpNmnv0PBqphZnEgMExyvA63HFZOuaCxrRpdWyvNk_g9UFDx1w_wWcq6vBxTyU_SkINWJebBVgwSPeUPgTWPfEmkhYg4hiBGnjZFmsrxWZB4c0w1cG/s590/Screenshot%202023-09-05%20163721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="590" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGrC6jxnlg1S2WI6Lb68aAnIwaigfd8RAJpc8d9F1_VODfkcZenwIMGTxvbXCDh8f1x0gU_0vEPwjpNmnv0PBqphZnEgMExyvA63HFZOuaCxrRpdWyvNk_g9UFDx1w_wWcq6vBxTyU_SkINWJebBVgwSPeUPgTWPfEmkhYg4hiBGnjZFmsrxWZB4c0w1cG/s320/Screenshot%202023-09-05%20163721.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Weedon's Foray Historical Marker</td></tr></tbody></table>This past July (2023), an exciting historical event took place in Mill Creek Hundred. Nestled down in the Mill Creek valley, off of Stoney Batter Road down at the bottom of the hill, a brand new historical sign was unveiled! It memorializes an event from the days of our country's founding, and the marker was largely the result of one man's tireless work (no, not me). The event is known as Weedon's Foray, and it was (until recently) a largely forgotten event that really does deserve more recognition.</p><p>Weedon's Foray was a small skirmish that took place between two other, more well-known engagements, but which did end up having an importance of its own. The date was September 8, 1777, and just 5 days earlier British and American forces had clashed at the Battle of Cooch's Bridge, south of Newark. The Redcoats had disembarked a few days earlier at the Head of Elk in Maryland, and everyone knew their ultimate destination was Philadelphia -- the only questions was, by what route would they go?</p><p>After the engagement at Cooch's Bridge, convinced British General Howe would take the most direct route through Wilmington, Gen. Washington moved his army back to take up positions where the road crossed Red Clay Creek, at Stanton. They camped between Marshallton and Newport, <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2011/05/biggest-thing-that-almost-happened-in.html" target="_blank">waiting for the enemy to arrive</a>. Howe, however, had other plans. He intended to take a slightly more circuitous, northerly route. The Americans, though, had not yet figured this out.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>The British Army marched out of Pencader Hundred on September 8, and set up camp along Limestone Road, stretching from around the state line all the way down to Milltown (much more information about these events can be found <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2017/08/finding-nichols-house-part-i-british.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2017/08/finding-nichols-house-part-ii-where.html" target="_blank">here</a>). The American forces mostly stayed put west of Newport, except for a brigade led by Gen. George Weedon, which was tasked with checking on and engaging with the enemy. The Continentals marched that day to "an eminence near Mr. McCannon's meeting house". Mr. McCannon's meeting house is, of course, Red Clay Creek Presbyterian Church, and Weedon's brigade would have marched out of their encampment up what we know as <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2014/02/duncan-road-colonial-highway.html" target="_blank">Duncan Road (it was, at the time, the main route between Newport and the Hockessin area)</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxPVCMWWmonGoGr-mpRUY2stTQAynol8s1p-Cxq2zeKX_cQwvpQzw1X4QZa1NTdCnHbusu3dmgecHBiBPvSe863_jaiDEZf5efUWB3kdocYWS2GmI5nBdkHQVRjl-LDVfeq64cFSApJ_X_LbTi-CLyj4AxzKgxLxwlqncRrs6wNGExBxX8YdQ16LbCASa/s760/George_Weedon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxPVCMWWmonGoGr-mpRUY2stTQAynol8s1p-Cxq2zeKX_cQwvpQzw1X4QZa1NTdCnHbusu3dmgecHBiBPvSe863_jaiDEZf5efUWB3kdocYWS2GmI5nBdkHQVRjl-LDVfeq64cFSApJ_X_LbTi-CLyj4AxzKgxLxwlqncRrs6wNGExBxX8YdQ16LbCASa/w264-h400/George_Weedon.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gen. George Weedon</td></tr></tbody></table><p>They would have come up to McKennan's Church Road (if that name never made sense to you before, I hope it does now) and crossed over, ending up on high ground now part of Delcastle golf course, just below the bend in Mill Creek Road (across from the driving range and softball fields). The British saw them coming, and Gen. Howe's Aide de Camp, Captain Friedrich von Muenchhausen, was ordered to move a group of Hessian Jaegers to cut them off. The Jaegers, sort like the Army Rangers of their time, were camped just north of today's Stoney Batter Road, in what's now Limestone Hills. They moved across to what's now the development of North Pointe.</p><p>The two opposing forces viewed each other from across the steep, wooded valley, which would later be the site of the mill and home known as Spring Grove. In reality, neither side would have been eager to attack across such terrain, but the Jaegers did take a few shots at the Continentals with their amusettes -- small field guns that shot about one pound balls. No one was injured, and the Americans soon retreated out of range. What they took with them was intelligence.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzdJ5EL-IFHBvh2Tw8gAgeVQ0BxeHbRkiSRdYfwY-FNFoYLjQwT6DZ85RK2N1sz4wRkbDdrLJn9ZoPsZImlGRPHcJnfDy-4JR6DD3zG3Wf4HUSc2-llrry9J_jQ3_A-3slPMF9msgGv4mZQDUUEC_EZKGEB1phkDuOQznnVXfexof-cedEFAGwMDPkocD/s855/weedon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="855" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzdJ5EL-IFHBvh2Tw8gAgeVQ0BxeHbRkiSRdYfwY-FNFoYLjQwT6DZ85RK2N1sz4wRkbDdrLJn9ZoPsZImlGRPHcJnfDy-4JR6DD3zG3Wf4HUSc2-llrry9J_jQ3_A-3slPMF9msgGv4mZQDUUEC_EZKGEB1phkDuOQznnVXfexof-cedEFAGwMDPkocD/w400-h294/weedon.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Location of the British and American forces, and the<br />site of Weedon's Foray on Sept. 8, 1777</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The knowledge that the enemy forces were encamped in the area may have finally convinced Washington that there really was going to be no attack against them here, in Delaware. The next morning the Continental Army broke camp and marched north to Chadds Ford. Two days after that, on September 11, 1777, Howe's army would defeat the Americans at the Battle of Brandywine. Washington was able to get his army safely away however, and they would eventually end up spending that winter at Valley Forge. The British would move on and march unopposed into Philadelphia on September 26. </p><p>Although Weedon's Foray was not completely unknown, its significance was underplayed until recent research by local 18th Century researcher Walt Chiquoine and Spring Grove owner David Deputy gave it its full due. I know that David spent several years working to make this marker a reality, and I'm happy for him and for our local history that he finally succeeded. Below is the text of the marker:</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><i>“On September 8, 1777, General George Washington and his Continentals were pursuing British forces headed north along Limestone Road to seize Philadelphia following the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge. General George Weedon advanced his Continental brigade to a hillside east of Mill Creek at what is now known as Spring Grove. British forces advanced to the hillside west of Mill Creek where a skirmish broke out and gunfire was exchanged. The foray aided General Washington in making strategical adjustments that enabled his forces to reach Chadds Ford in time to create defensive positions in preparation for the Battle of Brandywine on September 11.”</i></blockquote><p></p><div><br /></div>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-6775193820944113672023-08-31T14:25:00.002-04:002023-08-31T15:33:24.310-04:00The Convoluted History of the Roseville Farm -- Part II<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwyWX9TdfVG0tdwkOcaHZmPp2a9vaRqUQI3fICJyRPCs62lvSyY_K0YZqN7z6X5W3bRI36Aa114ekxiIKR43gDeVrUTCmz7Dm7Ckmxjldhh9gCf92cim33E4Z9SAmlVakiquDvB0xfsXUTKQAca0vbP7WsxwhdLgHzqPsWG01OhQ4jhTQg8jfkCoggFfm/s2777/barn%20house%20zoom.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1901" data-original-width="2777" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwyWX9TdfVG0tdwkOcaHZmPp2a9vaRqUQI3fICJyRPCs62lvSyY_K0YZqN7z6X5W3bRI36Aa114ekxiIKR43gDeVrUTCmz7Dm7Ckmxjldhh9gCf92cim33E4Z9SAmlVakiquDvB0xfsXUTKQAca0vbP7WsxwhdLgHzqPsWG01OhQ4jhTQg8jfkCoggFfm/s320/barn%20house%20zoom.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eastward-looking view of the old stone farm<br />house (right) and 20th Century barns (left)</td></tr></tbody></table>In <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-convoluted-history-of-roseville.html" target="_blank">the first post about the history of the Roseville Farm</a> property, we followed the chain of ownership all the way from Brewer Sinexon in the 1680's, through the McMechans, the Blacks, the Newbolds, Connelly, and even a Cooch (and a few others thrown in along the way). We saw that the farm had a grist and saw mill erected on it sometime prior to 1765, and a cotton factory built about 1815. It was likely about that time that the original (possibly 1735) brick farmhouse close to the main road (and mills) was complimented by a new, fieldstone house set closer to the middle of the tract. In 1843 the property was purchased by Arthur Chillas, who immediately attempted to (but ultimately did not) sell it.<p></p><p>I won't go too deeply into the Chillas family here, as they've already been mentioned <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2013/12/chillas-familyroseville-follow-up.html" target="_blank">in a previous post</a> (you can also find good information <a href="https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/digitool%3A78990" target="_blank">here as well</a>). The short version is that the Chillases were Scottish immigrants (Arthur by way of Liverpool, England) based out of Philadelphia, and Arthur was, at the time, president of the North American Coal Company. He probably bought Roseville as a business proposition, although the 1843 ad does seem to imply he was living there, at least for a short time. By 1850 Arthur was living in a boarding house in Philadelphia. He was a widower, but his second wife (who he would marry in 1851) was listed 11 lines above him in the same boarding house.</p><p>As best as I can guess by looking at the 1850 Census, the operator of the Roseville Factory might have been a man named Edward Garrigues. He's listed as a Manufacturer, and the next 15 or so families are all in the textile industry (weaver, spinner, carder, etc.). Immediately after the them is Uriah Drake, the next farmer over, who lived in the Meeteer House (now the Yasik Funeral Home). As best as I can tell, Garrigues was a pharmacist in Philadelphia, so he may have known Chillas from there and been brought in to supervise the factory.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6C3fu2q6diHY9eyPdiUUw_NiCbptEsrLU_dXRJUSdq1TuhoKuoB9a0uOMFz74sAiFFlbFpH8D4kin62WsLE--97d9Lxo7j1SWkHPZC29cOVxtY_GECzOShuGrx0PA7dkmr0BNf-2F_KCRyAT-zkHeHSQmHvSjlyuRxpU_x5eKDFj-VflfpFxYlDKkymE-/s2515/Chillas,%20Arthur%20headstone.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1704" data-original-width="2515" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6C3fu2q6diHY9eyPdiUUw_NiCbptEsrLU_dXRJUSdq1TuhoKuoB9a0uOMFz74sAiFFlbFpH8D4kin62WsLE--97d9Lxo7j1SWkHPZC29cOVxtY_GECzOShuGrx0PA7dkmr0BNf-2F_KCRyAT-zkHeHSQmHvSjlyuRxpU_x5eKDFj-VflfpFxYlDKkymE-/w400-h271/Chillas,%20Arthur%20headstone.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The funeral monument of Arthur Chillas, <br />at White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The next big shake-up came in 1856, with the death of Arthur Chillas. He must have felt a connection to the area and/or moved back here, because he was interred at nearby White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church. Although Arthur was married twice, he doesn't seem to have had any children. In his will, he placed his property in a trust for the benefit of his widow Cordelia and his brother, David Chillas. David had worked with his brother for North American Coal Company from 1842 to 1852, acting as their agent in Pottsville, PA. In 1852 he removed to Philadelphia, where he worked for about six years as a lithographer. And remember Edward Garrigues? I found little more about him except for the fact that he died in 1858 -- in Pottsville. I can't prove it, but I feel like maybe he took over David Chillas' job there in 1852.</p><p>In about 1858, David Chillas and family (which at the time included wife Mary and four children, with two more soon to come) moved to Roseville. In the 1860 Census David is listed as a farmer, while Hamilton Maxwell, who was running the cotton factory, is listed immediately before him. I think it's safe to say that the Chillases were living in the stone farmhouse, while Maxwell resided in the stucco brick house closer to the mill.</p><p>While Arthur Chillas' will had created a trust to equally benefit Cordelia and David, the widow had apparently also received part of the property as a dower. In March 1857 she and David signed a 10 year lease, at $500 per year, for him to use and farm the entire tract (not bad considering she had only been married to Arthur for five years). Cordelia at first remained in Philadelphia, then later moved to Staten Island. David remained on the farm until his death in early 1880. And depending on how deeply you want to dive into it, the story of the Chillas' ownership of the property during this era is either very simple...or fairly complex.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgYYweNF606gEhDo292pS37wwLxwmJlaVUzLzgFQ0q6mUEAgnku2BuBojJbVJhidgSNC-ZEgQMggsaX21yso1LYpAhzB8efw4K844LXpv3l_KCCz-RzF53mDoTyhetEu9PxGP6JVifpcliA3eK8--ZBw_uJ2lnk1qJdMz-Zn4z_uYLK3w7pjvcMVOcZmT/s1070/chillas%20will%20composite.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1070" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgYYweNF606gEhDo292pS37wwLxwmJlaVUzLzgFQ0q6mUEAgnku2BuBojJbVJhidgSNC-ZEgQMggsaX21yso1LYpAhzB8efw4K844LXpv3l_KCCz-RzF53mDoTyhetEu9PxGP6JVifpcliA3eK8--ZBw_uJ2lnk1qJdMz-Zn4z_uYLK3w7pjvcMVOcZmT/w640-h502/chillas%20will%20composite.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1855 will of Arthur Chillas, which created a trust for his widow and brother, and which made<br />the next 60 years of deeds much more confusing. There are two more pages, but you get the drift</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The simple version is that the Chillas family owned the Roseville farm until 1916. However, with the property still in the trust set up by Arthur in his 1856 will, it ended up being more complex than that. For one thing, in addition to the Roseville farm (which was almost completely in Mill Creek Hundred), Arthur had also purchased a 130 acre farm in White Clay Creek Hundred from Christopher Brooks, just on the other side of the creek. David sold that farm in 1860 to Thomas Lumb. The property now encompasses most of Windy Hills, and the old farmhouse is (and has been for many years) the home of Kirk's Flowers.</p><p>David Chillas also appears to have taken out a mortgage in 1862 from Frederick and Solomon Curtis (they being the owners of the nearby Curtis Paper Mill), which, like his predecessors at Roseville, he would later have difficulties repaying. Making everything more confusing is the fact that the property was still in a trust, so every indenture has more people involved (trustees). Also, after David Chillas' 1880 passing, every deed involves all six of his heirs.</p><p>One of those was son Arthur de la Roche Chillas (Arthur D. or A. D.), to whom David sold a piece of land in 1878.That land was in White Clay Creek Hundred (the acreage is never specified), along the south side of the creek. This lot, along with more land on the MCH side of the creek, was sold to the <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-white-clay-creek-supply-company-and.html" target="_blank">White Clay Creek Supply Company</a> in 1903, where they constructed an electric power plant. It was not Arthur D. Chillas who sold the land, however, but Adam E. Wiegand. Wiegand was a brother-in-law, married to David's daughter Frances.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhia08TT9IlFk7hKJ_KAHsgaQj8HCQEfcC-wvBH_PQnNs9KC33TgVskeR1U4o2dQVC0uNRbIUPPrvYsMOYXk29tXFHOc19CoetdbcoICTW7A9auFvzt7uDY4t-Xi_1c_jc9YANmWT5zVH_N2tt7oYankmI0-5WrYQ43ips3xPOOim3-M_ryXyjsMl4xKC0d/s624/1890-10-28%20sheriff's%20sale%20ad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="457" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhia08TT9IlFk7hKJ_KAHsgaQj8HCQEfcC-wvBH_PQnNs9KC33TgVskeR1U4o2dQVC0uNRbIUPPrvYsMOYXk29tXFHOc19CoetdbcoICTW7A9auFvzt7uDY4t-Xi_1c_jc9YANmWT5zVH_N2tt7oYankmI0-5WrYQ43ips3xPOOim3-M_ryXyjsMl4xKC0d/w293-h400/1890-10-28%20sheriff's%20sale%20ad.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice of the 1890 Sheriff's Sale of the<br />Chillas property</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Back in 1886, Arthur D. had sold to Wiegand the White Clay Creek Hundred tract, along with his interest in the Roseville lands in MCH. A few years later there were several transactions that I think I mostly understand, but maybe not completely. It seems that the 1862 mortgage to the Curtises finally came due, and although I thought Arthur D. Chillas was out of the picture the properties were seized and sold at a Sheriff's sale in November 1890. The purchaser was Richard McMurtrie, who was actually the Curtis' assignee. McMurtie turned around and almost immediately sold everything to Wiegand.</p><p>So by the time the White Clay Creek Supply Company came along in 1903, Wiegand was (more or less) the sole owner of the property -- at least the portions sold off. I think there was a bunch of legal wrangling and clean-up done at that time to make everything legal. For one, that 1886 sale from Arthur D. to Wiegand was not filed and recorded until 1903. Also, there were about 20 pages of sales from Wiegand to WCCSC, which might have had to to with the Chillas trust, which was still around and complicating matters.</p><p>All this came to an end in January 1916, possibly instigated by the 1915 passing of Adam E. Wiegand, and possibly by a fire at the old, stone farmhouse. After 73 years of Chillas family ownership, the Roseville property was sold to Thomas R. Claringbold of Newark, in one of the more long and drawn-out indentures I've seen. With the trust and the heirs to Arthur D. Chillas and Adam E. Wiegand, there were 13 parties-of-the-first-part, and seven full pages of background explanation as to the previous ownership of the property (and you thought<i> I</i> dragged this out). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrT5XcyObbQxZZVOmN0ktHz9VHtjuc0vIV2C9-DSkGiJrbn4e9z06SGejIX96K3dTquMF8Xk5dYt2Ih5046KurwxeMRGyzYnjBovQZTR9GC5msuXJdU4TpsA89Ct0SED3jAGCNQ80sWZDvAwC0LRIarnIIjafBxJxju1Xc9wVWD2jvCU-Mq0TD6LdQvTN/s565/1914-12-29%20fire.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="341" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrT5XcyObbQxZZVOmN0ktHz9VHtjuc0vIV2C9-DSkGiJrbn4e9z06SGejIX96K3dTquMF8Xk5dYt2Ih5046KurwxeMRGyzYnjBovQZTR9GC5msuXJdU4TpsA89Ct0SED3jAGCNQ80sWZDvAwC0LRIarnIIjafBxJxju1Xc9wVWD2jvCU-Mq0TD6LdQvTN/w386-h640/1914-12-29%20fire.jpg" width="386" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Report of the December 1914 fire at the stone farmhouse<br />in Roseville. It may have never been occupied again.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The mill and factory had been out of operation for several decades by this point (the electric plant was in its place), and even back in the 1880's the remains of the factory's worker housing was dilapidated and used by squatters (and for a time by <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-italian-community-at-roseville-and.html" target="_blank">Italians building the railroad</a>). As the newspaper article above states, there had been a fire in the "old stone dwelling house" in December 1914 that did a good bit of damage, including to the roof. This was the stone farmhouse, and though it stood for another 75 years or so, it was probably never occupied again. The Claringbolds took up residency in the older brick house by the highway, and though the article below says he planned to raze the stone house, he didn't. In addition to farming, Thomas Claringbold owned a liquor store on Main Street in Newark as well as running a construction firm, mostly building roads for the state (he also did some excavation work for the Women's College buildings in Newark). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2OJwWbIa1jaUF0GeKZiTk-G_4TCpzyYvU95ABpRxuCARN4VNkcUVXgKCfx15MsBgxRuLv00U37uwxLg1O2MoligMafQ6oc5OaGtuHIm6kyRDoswYHSCpxB3nwWnBOF2WCJa-dG4tuOZIywnAEfGNp6iVDwHnPuTYjINYSNWbhLkRvcIBNijMzrDFjjSOz/s612/1916-5-17%20Chillas%20farm%20sold.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="473" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2OJwWbIa1jaUF0GeKZiTk-G_4TCpzyYvU95ABpRxuCARN4VNkcUVXgKCfx15MsBgxRuLv00U37uwxLg1O2MoligMafQ6oc5OaGtuHIm6kyRDoswYHSCpxB3nwWnBOF2WCJa-dG4tuOZIywnAEfGNp6iVDwHnPuTYjINYSNWbhLkRvcIBNijMzrDFjjSOz/w309-h400/1916-5-17%20Chillas%20farm%20sold.jpg" width="309" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1916 notice of Thomas Claringbold's<br />purchase of the Chillas farm</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In December 1945, Claringbold (perhaps entering the retirement phase of his life) sold off almost all the old Roseville property. He and wife Ada retained "All that certain lot or parcel of land, with a two and one-half story stucco house and a two car garage thereon erected", totaling 0.81 acres. This was the house along the highway in which they had been living, and which was damaged in a fire earlier this year (2023). They only had a few years with their pared-down property, though, as Ada Claringbold was killed in a car accident in 1949, and Thomas passed away two years later.</p><p>The new owners of the Roseville property were August and Agnes Stopyra, Polish immigrants who had lived in New Jersey from the mid-teens until 1929. That year they purchased what had been the old Denny farm on the north bank of White Clay Creek, west of Stanton. They resided there until 1945, when they sold it to the Delaware Steeplechase and Racing Association, and it became the western end of the Delaware Park property. Still looking to farm, though, the Stopyras moved their family to Roseville.</p><p>They worked their Roseville farm for several decades, even as the Kirkwood Highway corridor continued to be developed around them. August Stopyra passed away in 1965, but the family remained. One of the first signs of things to come came in 1974, when a King of Prussia-based developer proposed to build "The Newark Mall" on the site. The proposal was fiercely opposed by many in the area, and ultimately shot down in court. </p><p>The Stopyra Farm stood even then as one of the last working farms along the Kirkwood Highway corridor, when the family finally sold to developer Frank Acierno in the mid-1980's. Acierno attempted to get approval for a shopping center on the site, but various issues with water, sewer service, traffic flow, and his attempt to get the City of Newark to annex the property hindered the project and eventually kept it from coming to fruition. About ten years ago there was another push by Acierno to develop the property, but that attempt failed as well.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxYIe9z_VsBJ-O8hSiEMbg0ZUrn7HPDmXg3s1titJjY5NEYLJHvKuYVRdyvhurtwiQWv-jgPTIvzUzZr7G1VK6HLHBFdwdkXFWwOEhd_H_lGWwfpFJw-xu3CMCnZ3b6oEN_Tfq4Ifedv3nsfYheHymyK4XeteDSbUgk84nnvYegadoYmHxG1pXwacBs7u/s1333/2023-3-19%20fire.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1333" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxYIe9z_VsBJ-O8hSiEMbg0ZUrn7HPDmXg3s1titJjY5NEYLJHvKuYVRdyvhurtwiQWv-jgPTIvzUzZr7G1VK6HLHBFdwdkXFWwOEhd_H_lGWwfpFJw-xu3CMCnZ3b6oEN_Tfq4Ifedv3nsfYheHymyK4XeteDSbUgk84nnvYegadoYmHxG1pXwacBs7u/w640-h360/2023-3-19%20fire.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The March 2023 fire that damaged the old house along the highway</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Now the Roseville-Chillas-Stopyra property sits as one of the last large, undeveloped and agricultural sites along the Rt. 2/Kirkwood Highway corridor. Sadly, a<span style="text-align: center;"> fire in March 2023 damaged the possibly almost 300 year old house </span><span style="text-align: center;">on Capitol Trail. It still stands as the only remaining historic structure on the property, a property which once hosted dozens of structures. Nowadays if anyone knows the name "Roseville", it's likely for the nearby development of Roseville Park, which <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-beginnings-of-roseville-park.html" target="_blank">has it's own notable history</a>, but was not even on the historic Roseville property. That property, as we've seen, has a rich history dating back almost 350 years, with farmers, millers, textile workers, migrant immigrant workers, a long line of families, and a whole lot of financial and legal dealings. Now (for the moment), it sits as a quiet oasis between the bustling town of Newark and the encroaching suburbs of Wilmington.</span></p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-13812694271275040172023-08-29T11:52:00.001-04:002023-08-31T15:53:26.101-04:00The Convoluted History of the Roseville Farm -- Part I<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMp16HngAUhzUBszlx4ug9u6wBYJ48McL9q3CenWFYbLZnx9mjT291HoyweGa20efRD1BHkrYROrmdRAh3KNAReuQiHDbTp-cRET4Cdjq99Ka9ok9u5fLkEtRhjXoTlG0DUwhluort2J7T7L2ptqIuskxvaBYi5O4Ztj2PXbZhOFAOnuuKJCwX6n7oR5b/s962/Screen%20Shot%202014-07-16%20at%2010.43.59%20AM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="962" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMp16HngAUhzUBszlx4ug9u6wBYJ48McL9q3CenWFYbLZnx9mjT291HoyweGa20efRD1BHkrYROrmdRAh3KNAReuQiHDbTp-cRET4Cdjq99Ka9ok9u5fLkEtRhjXoTlG0DUwhluort2J7T7L2ptqIuskxvaBYi5O4Ztj2PXbZhOFAOnuuKJCwX6n7oR5b/s320/Screen%20Shot%202014-07-16%20at%2010.43.59%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>There are certainly many properties in Mill Creek Hundred that have had multiple phases or lives <br /> through the course of their history, but there's one in particular that through much of the 19th Century had a bit of a split personality. The property in question has been known as Roseville for at least about 200 years, and sits (mostly) on the north side of White Clay Creek and west of Possum Park Road. Roseville has been featured in blog posts quite a few times: about the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2011/02/roseville-cotton-factory.html" target="_blank">Roseville Cotton Factory</a>, the nearby development of <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-beginnings-of-roseville-park.html" target="_blank">Roseville Park</a>, the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-roseville-covered-bridge.html" target="_blank">Roseville Covered Bridge</a>, the <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-white-clay-creek-supply-company-and.html" target="_blank">Roseville Electric Plant</a>, and about the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-italian-community-at-roseville-and.html" target="_blank">Italian community at Roseville</a>. There were also two posts about the Chillas family -- one about <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2013/11/david-chillas-lithographer.html" target="_blank">David Chillas</a> and another follow-up about the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2013/12/chillas-familyroseville-follow-up.html" target="_blank">Chillas family and their connection to the cotton factory</a>.<p></p><p>Pretty much all of the posts and discussion about the Roseville property have focused on the very southwestern edge of it, along White Clay Creek. This is where the Roseville Cotton Factory was, and where the other various buildings stood that were related to it. However, this was not just a small mill lot -- the land it occupied was actually part of a larger 174 acre (and other amounts over the years) tract with a history that both predated and outlasted the industrial activity. That history got more than a bit convoluted at times, with multiple sales and lots of mortgages placed on it covering almost every owner, but I'll do my best to give a cohesive overview.</p><p>The history of the first 100 years or so of European occupation of the land is laid out very nicely in a deed from 1778. That deed, which records the sale from John Evans to James Black, shows that the first transfer (at least under English control) was back in 1683. In that year, William Penn warranted land (surveyed the next year at 300 acres) to Brewer Sinnexon, although I have a feeling that Sinnexon was probably already here. That tract lay on both sides of White Clay Creek, but in 1698 Sinnexon sold 100 acres on the north side of the creek (meaning, in MCH) to John Gardner. In 1701, Gardner sold the 100 acres to Cornelius "Neals" Cook, who also owned other land in the area.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>In 1714, Neals Cook sold off his land in the area (some or all, I don't know), specifically two adjoining tracts. One was our 100 acres, which he sold to William Parsons. Directly to the north was another, 206 acre tract, which he sold to his son John Cook. However, 50 acres on the south end of that northern tract was separated off and sold to Parsons. Five years later, Parsons sold the 100 and the 50 acres to William McMechan. McMechan, in turn, sold them to his son James in 1734. What's interesting is that the two and a half story stucco house along Capitol Trail (Kirkwood Highway), which was damaged in a fire earlier this year (2023), is listed by the county as being built in 1735. If that date is accurate (and I don't know if it is, or even where the date came from), then it seems logical that it was James McMechan who built it.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZF_MH822FbCtfTcerPdC3tuBWdH1LNmaXm1dIHzJi1_UwMjD8qbdTGj_ohvdBCRZVbcyBUu-2Pi_iiwQWybQolUpsbeJqXDp74Z2yql-t1dnRkGzrJ8IdmQVvmUSCo4y127f_2-UnID0YDQkzNgSvNZmGYV_4GZ6EXisozdM8jMsxWxxcD6O4LWTAxaP/s746/house.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="746" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZF_MH822FbCtfTcerPdC3tuBWdH1LNmaXm1dIHzJi1_UwMjD8qbdTGj_ohvdBCRZVbcyBUu-2Pi_iiwQWybQolUpsbeJqXDp74Z2yql-t1dnRkGzrJ8IdmQVvmUSCo4y127f_2-UnID0YDQkzNgSvNZmGYV_4GZ6EXisozdM8jMsxWxxcD6O4LWTAxaP/w400-h373/house.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A recent view of the purportedly 1735 house<br />near the highway, possibly built by James McMechan</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The last piece of information included in the 1778 deed is that in 1760, the land was resurveyed. The 50 acre portion was found to be just a little more than that, but the "100 acre" tract was found to actually contain just over 181 acres. It says who <i>did</i> the survey (Thomas Woodward), but not who <i>commissioned </i>it, or who owned the land at the time. The next deed I've found is from 1765, when John and Mary Evans are selling the 231 acre (181 + 50) tract, along with four other various properties in White Clay Creek Hundred, to Samuel Platt. At least, I think they're selling them. The cost is only five shillings and there is language I don't fully understand about the use of it by the Evanses, so it may have been a legal or financial maneuver of some sort.</p><p>One notable thing about the 1765 deed is that it seems to be the first to indicate the existence of a grist mill and a saw mill on the property. They're mentioned at the very end, right after the 231 acre tract, which is listed last. And though the 1778 deed documents the previous sales, I've not been able to find any of them myself, so I don't know if the mills are referred to any earlier. All I can say with confidence is that the first mills were erected prior to 1765, but I don't know by whom -- and that sometime between 1734 and 1765, John Evans obtained ownership of the property.</p><p>Whatever that 1765 indenture was, it seems to have been reversed shortly thereafter, because in 1778 it was still John and Mary Evans who sold the farm to the new owner, <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2011/01/james-black-forgotten-early-leader-of.html" target="_blank">Capt. James Black</a>. Black was a leader of the community at the time, as well as a Revolutionary War veteran (well, participant in 1778). He owned multiple tracts of land in the area, including the property that would become the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-eastburn-homestead-part-1.html" target="_blank">Eastburn-Jeanes complex</a>. He also owned a number of properties between Roseville the Corner Ketch, including the one immediately north, which had the 50 acres sold out of it back in 1714. James Black bought that one in 1777 from Charles Black, who had gotten it from his father John. I have not been able to verify that James is related to those Blacks, but I assume that he was.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KOFUlGDdkul36w_JlUXd8eQaCgmvBFWE2ux2PK8YY6CqBD0ycZ_mtfKlcxEal6c5Q_gt-6XBercW6VS31_uDGNEXTVmgDTc_W7utigjmjSjd2Ge3I1uRcZz8QFcWx3Tkdmn6RVCzIXbIog39ozU6m0i1cg9a2dUAaxmldbFq__1nEvdccZTzSiVCGljV/s220/Black,%20James%20Rice.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="220" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KOFUlGDdkul36w_JlUXd8eQaCgmvBFWE2ux2PK8YY6CqBD0ycZ_mtfKlcxEal6c5Q_gt-6XBercW6VS31_uDGNEXTVmgDTc_W7utigjmjSjd2Ge3I1uRcZz8QFcWx3Tkdmn6RVCzIXbIog39ozU6m0i1cg9a2dUAaxmldbFq__1nEvdccZTzSiVCGljV/w400-h400/Black,%20James%20Rice.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Rice Black, son of Capt, James Black</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Capt. Black did not leave a will for his real estate, so after his death in 1796 the family ended up having commissioners appointed to oversee and dispense of his many holdings. Long story short -- the Roseville property ended up with his son, James R. Black (seen above). However, he was a lawyer, not a farmer or miller, so the younger Black looked to lease and/or sell his inherited lands. There were several ads over the years, but the most informative for us is the one below, from October 1810. The second half of the ad is referring to the tracts to the north, closer to Corner Ketch, part of which would become the Eastburn-Jeanes properties.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwaQqZZaVXI67SvpX4XiVeMKh41Qb-_v4W9I0kRJETfaPzSCsxJmuoHguJ9hekZMgxsD-7Dn-1iX7mGUbnP8vWNIGewo5W0uX0rRbuATdp8tqzH5OMaUMn7C3fsBfvLxvMRN66E0L_UkcK1Qy93CUaEZlyAnZFC97JfBMKpL3Caz9I5e_Lj65wAl8EZ0v/s691/1810-10-8%20sale%20ad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="441" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwaQqZZaVXI67SvpX4XiVeMKh41Qb-_v4W9I0kRJETfaPzSCsxJmuoHguJ9hekZMgxsD-7Dn-1iX7mGUbnP8vWNIGewo5W0uX0rRbuATdp8tqzH5OMaUMn7C3fsBfvLxvMRN66E0L_UkcK1Qy93CUaEZlyAnZFC97JfBMKpL3Caz9I5e_Lj65wAl8EZ0v/w408-h640/1810-10-8%20sale%20ad.jpg" width="408" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sale ad from 1810. The first farm is Roseville. Half of<br />the second will become the Eastburn-Jeanes farms<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The top half of the ad describes what would soon be known as Roseville, and mentions the "commodious" mill, "furnished with the modern improvements in the machinery". (The second property is the one near Corner Ketch, half of which would soon become Eastburn and Jeanes land.) The ad says it's in the vicinity of "the navigable waters of the Chesapeake and Delaware", which was true because the Christina River/White Clay Creek was indeed navigable all the way to Stanton. It also mentions a "large Brick Dwelling house and Kitchen", which is likely the house mentioned earlier, possibly built by James McMechan in 1735. It was mentioned in another ad as being "formerly the residence of James Black, esq. deceased". The other house on the property (seen at the top of the post), was a fieldstone farmhouse that I think came along soon after, and was related to the next major change at the site.</p><p>James R. Black did finally sell the property in 1811 to Isaac Price, but he only owned it for two years. It changed hands again in 1813, and this is probably where the history of this property diverged from that of other farms with grist mills. The new owner was William Newbold, a New Jersey-born merchant then living and working in Philadelphia. Although I don't have any concrete proof, it does seem like it was William Newbold, perhaps along with his brother John, who built the new stone cotton mill to compliment the old grist mill. Several clues point to the new factory being operational by at least 1816, and it seems that the Roseville name may have come from the Newbolds as well.</p><p>In 1815 there was an indenture between William and John Newbold which I first thought was a sale of the property, but which turned out to be a mortgage. There were seven adult Newbold children, and a number of transactions and business deals between them. Many of the deals concerned their property of Newbold's Landing in Red Lion Hundred, on which they laid out the plans for what would become Delaware City in the 1820's (with its position at the eastern terminus of the new C&D Canal, they hoped it would become a major port city). What's interesting about the 1815 mortgage is that John enters it as "guardian of John B. Bispham and William N. Bispham, minor children of Stacy B. Bispham." Stacy, who had died earlier that year, was the Newbolds' brother-in-law, married to their sister Ann. The mortgage was put in trust for the Newbolds' nephews.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlCjixwtLyxa4S5v4vOJlprdH8ZN3gVNdmQ76jyZO57T8LzyoMesV98hjnBI1H7Fmm4nMrbxwjnGyIjH6nyQJ6ucT8PSUpvHRWqyx_KkYM1ch0dnAJspIEe9pyMuhLdxgNn8zOWPBPX_oEQTV9Khx-9gY5ih19C-7M0iqd0DOlpDR_JVV2qkvufSIGAiz/s1161/Roseville%20Farm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="1161" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlCjixwtLyxa4S5v4vOJlprdH8ZN3gVNdmQ76jyZO57T8LzyoMesV98hjnBI1H7Fmm4nMrbxwjnGyIjH6nyQJ6ucT8PSUpvHRWqyx_KkYM1ch0dnAJspIEe9pyMuhLdxgNn8zOWPBPX_oEQTV9Khx-9gY5ih19C-7M0iqd0DOlpDR_JVV2qkvufSIGAiz/w640-h400/Roseville%20Farm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approximate outline of the Roseville Farm property. It changed<br />a bit over time, but this is a general idea of what it encompassed.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Unfortunately the Roseville property does not seem to have been particularly profitable (William took out another mortgage with a bank in 1819), and in 1828 John Newbold foreclosed the mortgage on his brother. The property was sold then by the sheriff to Harry Connelly, who was discussed a bit in the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2011/02/roseville-cotton-factory.html" target="_blank">original Roseville post</a>, and who we know was running the factory by then (he's named as the "terre tenant" in the 1828 sale). Since Connelly was running the cotton mill, and the mill was still part of the larger 174 acre farm property, there would presumably have been a tenant operating the farm. Since the 1830 Census doesn't give much personal information, we can only guess as to who it might have been then (Thomas Williams? Samuel Glasgow? Peter Fitzsimmons?). </p><p>The property was foreclosed on again in 1834 on a judgment against Connelly for George Thomas, now the guardian of the Bispham boys. I think this still all goes back to that original 1815 mortgage that had never been paid off. The new owner of the Roseville property was William Greiner, although he would not be for long. In 1836 Greiner sold the 174 acres to a man with a name well-known in the area -- Thomas Cooch. This Thomas was the great-grandson of the original Thomas Cooch, who settled in the area that would come to be known as Cooch's Bridge. Our Thomas paid for the tract with a $46,000 mortgage to John Pearson of Philadelphia, which would ultimately be his downfall here. He took another $6,000 mortgage the following year from his father, Francis L. Cooch.</p><p>It seems that the Roseville property was either consistently underperforming or regularly over-optimistically valued, because almost every owner defaulted on their mortgages at some point. There were a few things that happened during and just after the Cooch era that I don't quite understand. In an 1843 deed we'll get back to momentarily, it seems to indicate that Cooch defaulted on his mortgage back in 1838, and that the property was granted to John Pearson. However it states that it was determined that the property would not generate enough revenue in seven years to pay back the debt. However, in 1841 the <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=L3VKAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA380&dq=%22maxwell%22%20roseville%20delaware&pg=PA380#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">Roseville Manufacturing Company was incorporated</a>, and the property was described as being that of Thomas Cooch. It's possible that he was trying to transfer it to the company. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcQv-Qm53C_v9OzFFX6DL5Cx1MC2kzAfQ30P_4LH6Y5fN2wjR1RW2Yh4Dsj4RIXJ9Je45skrtmQ0Fpx9UquzPMXZpTuRveZ9JQdSGCgxrKTFDr9OhbFrJ83Q5aL2BH6t0t_ijEcO8zg-nqyV5-5rmt9MMsHMQdKgz4Hg3JP2SpGTKCtn6aWu-nq5eE6jA/s864/1843%20sale%20ad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="504" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcQv-Qm53C_v9OzFFX6DL5Cx1MC2kzAfQ30P_4LH6Y5fN2wjR1RW2Yh4Dsj4RIXJ9Je45skrtmQ0Fpx9UquzPMXZpTuRveZ9JQdSGCgxrKTFDr9OhbFrJ83Q5aL2BH6t0t_ijEcO8zg-nqyV5-5rmt9MMsHMQdKgz4Hg3JP2SpGTKCtn6aWu-nq5eE6jA/w374-h640/1843%20sale%20ad.jpg" width="374" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In 1843 Arthur Chillas appears to try to sell Roseville<br />right after he bought it. He ended up not selling.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>However, in May 1843 the sheriff sold the now over 200 acres (23 acres on the south side of the creek had been since added) to Arthur Chillas, I believe to pay off Pearson. However, the price paid by Chillas at the public auction was 50 cents. Either the factory and property were in very bad shape and in need of great repairs, or there was something else going on. Chillas perhaps was never planning on keeping Roseville, as the ad above from June 1843 shows him putting it up for sale (with a great description of what was there). He must not have gotten any good offers, because Arthur Chillas did not sell the property in 1843. In fact, the family would end up holding it another 73 years.</p><p>In <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-convoluted-history-of-roseville_31.html" target="_blank">the next post</a> we'll follow the history of the Roseville farm through the Chillas era and beyond, and bring us up to the present day.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-22280652993816065992023-06-15T09:01:00.000-04:002023-06-15T09:01:08.076-04:00The Rescuing of the Harmon Talley House<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-QTZCu-1FSOK19i8ca5_ToN3ahlDsFvwCRyfMBu0hTpx94Zz7Xs7GgM01kp6g7u-CIbxEsng4Kb0ti8adBrCgvFXnwh3pLTsSC3hX4un0cWo6qtavYQAFf4dmibF17T1KJ3rtsQkti-nS0w9JOgSZVG0snV8SO6o41rZUPPuhGqmWvXN5tsNp_nN9w/s1255/2023%20front%20elevated.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="1255" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-QTZCu-1FSOK19i8ca5_ToN3ahlDsFvwCRyfMBu0hTpx94Zz7Xs7GgM01kp6g7u-CIbxEsng4Kb0ti8adBrCgvFXnwh3pLTsSC3hX4un0cWo6qtavYQAFf4dmibF17T1KJ3rtsQkti-nS0w9JOgSZVG0snV8SO6o41rZUPPuhGqmWvXN5tsNp_nN9w/s320/2023%20front%20elevated.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Harmon Talley House</td></tr></tbody></table>In the last post we took a deep dive into <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-history-of-harmon-eli-b-talley-house.html" target="_blank">the history of the Harmon Talley House</a> on Mt. Lebanon Road <br /> in Talleyville, and looked at some of the people who lived there over the past 200 years. In this post I want to bring the story up to the present day, and show you some of what's been going with the house over the past few years. At the time of my original post in 2015, the state of the house was, to put it mildly, poor. It had been all but abandoned for seven or eight years, there was a large hole in the roof, and the interior was in bad shape because of it. I really expected at that point that it would fall down or be torn down sometime in the very near future.<p></p><p>This was all set in motion where we left the house in the last post, when in the late 1960's Woodlawn Trustees decided to sell off most of what had been Tippecanoe Grove Farm. If you recall, Woodlawn was (and still very much is) a trust formed by William P. Bancroft in 1901 to oversee his acquisitions and disposition of land in Wilmington and in Brandywine Hundred. At one point Woodlawn owned over 2000 acres in Brandywine Hundred -- most of the land between Brandywine Creek and Concord Pike, from Sharpley Road up to the PA state line. In a contentious point that still comes up today, Woodlawn Trustees has always had a dual mandate to both preserve land and to occasionally sell off some of the land to help fund the rest of its work.</p><p>In the late 60's they decided to sell the old Talley farm, and the neighborhood of Tavistock was born. A lot of about an acre was carved out for the old house, and in 1975 it was finally sold. Woodlawn regularly placed deed restrictions on properties it sold (I've heard stories of residents in Tavistock, even recently, having to go to court to fight some of these), but in this case some of those restrictions probably ended up saving the house. It was resold in 1982, and when we picked up the story in 2015 those owners had allowed it to deteriorate so badly that a developer at first wanted to tear it down, claiming it could not reasonably be restored. At that point, it seems that only the Woodlawn deed restrictions against it prevented the house's demolition, and those plans were rebuffed.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEcrr6GwzGVrQNcXP85RmmHnDYXHWr_qxh8gEVQt899PEKWo98Ps-slUZzqTEKcfkG2IWQTaq7Ea2_nUm_yW7Eyfdpdlje-RhTJXFxgViQhEma0Unn5o6G7XhcvgNrU-sEy9q-LXsGxcsbMOxDt4lNVIIlSa_FH20YwH_eHP7HvbJ2C5wEwVRkHFsRQ/s1177/plan%20drawing.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="1177" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEcrr6GwzGVrQNcXP85RmmHnDYXHWr_qxh8gEVQt899PEKWo98Ps-slUZzqTEKcfkG2IWQTaq7Ea2_nUm_yW7Eyfdpdlje-RhTJXFxgViQhEma0Unn5o6G7XhcvgNrU-sEy9q-LXsGxcsbMOxDt4lNVIIlSa_FH20YwH_eHP7HvbJ2C5wEwVRkHFsRQ/w640-h270/plan%20drawing.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawing of the adaptive reuse office center, proposed in 2019</td></tr></tbody></table><p>A few years later in 2019 a new developer came along (I'm pretty sure it was a different one) with a different idea -- adaptive reuse. Instead of tearing down everything and starting over with new housing, this plan would have seen the preservation of the stone portion of the house and the removal of the frame ell in the rear. There then would have been a new, two-story office structure of 5,651 sq. ft. built behind the house, along with a parking lot on the west side. I have very mixed feelings about this idea.</p><p>On the one hand, it's certainly better than nothing. At least the original stone house would have been saved and restored, which is more than I expected eight years ago. And in theory I don't have a problem with adaptive reuse, if that's the only viable option available. There are other places where an old house has been converted to commercial use (like the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2011/01/dixon-jackson-house.html" target="_blank">Dixon-Jackson House</a>) or has been saved and incorporated into a larger redevelopment of the property (like the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2013/10/status-update-on-samuel-dennison-house.html" target="_blank">Samuel Dennison House</a> or the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/joseph-ball-house-part-2.html" target="_blank">Joseph Ball House</a>). If the options are to raze the house or turn it into an office, I'll take saving it just about every time. Often this is the only choice when a house has deteriorated so much, and restoration of it is so costly, that only a commercial entity would have the money to do so. It takes a special eye to look at a 200 year old house in very poor condition, and say "I can make this nice again." Fortunately, that was the case here.</p><p>To fully appreciate the work done by <a href="https://www.jstevens.construction/" target="_blank">J Stevens Construction</a> after they purchased the property in 2021, we need to go back and see what the house looked like then. Luckily for us, when the University of Delaware's Center for Historic Architecture and Design (CHAD) compiled their report on the house in 2019, they took extensive photographs of the exterior and interior of the home (<a href="https://www3.newcastlede.gov/PDFDocument/default.aspx?DocumentID=80:FC40FF5826FBF7107D10260598B6C0724428DD1196872F86C5E68CE881F951C2B261FA1473C92DE9976C76E5B3911B1A&x=temp.pdf" target="_blank">the entire report can be found here</a>). Below are views of the exterior of the house at that time.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn05czKbz8Rgs5R4nt7ePOZ6uQy1_cqckY4yl9Z6txnQbLcCBWgpAafrElmEwdFzpWH5fCCiAHRrxwqoz4H2j3dtqskuWF6LDfFr5mBf0BX-vZVUJQzIz2lwG7s2qQr3TB45caswvrvdZu_UzTXxByILkyPELqPAFcXoMFV1BVR5Hl8vp2fV2IUfsn9g/s997/2019%20exterior%20front.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="997" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn05czKbz8Rgs5R4nt7ePOZ6uQy1_cqckY4yl9Z6txnQbLcCBWgpAafrElmEwdFzpWH5fCCiAHRrxwqoz4H2j3dtqskuWF6LDfFr5mBf0BX-vZVUJQzIz2lwG7s2qQr3TB45caswvrvdZu_UzTXxByILkyPELqPAFcXoMFV1BVR5Hl8vp2fV2IUfsn9g/w640-h426/2019%20exterior%20front.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sorry state of the front of the Harmon Talley House in 2019</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcrQuA6TacgbxXCK0jmHBeG_FJcCd3F1Ump-jRl0WDJBrycEYwS7UC5q1tnQyDFqXt8KVnuPymhtmPzkJJkG8dgSPUFwaI6zthc1KXb2Z7z2EfanXpb2VcKZ8Dq_JiUcthRSfWH8BMZcX152wgmN3GH7ssRoBF0ZBkQGGZYUxY6MdpDZahacj1LtzOQ/s995/2019%20exterior%20east.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="995" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcrQuA6TacgbxXCK0jmHBeG_FJcCd3F1Ump-jRl0WDJBrycEYwS7UC5q1tnQyDFqXt8KVnuPymhtmPzkJJkG8dgSPUFwaI6zthc1KXb2Z7z2EfanXpb2VcKZ8Dq_JiUcthRSfWH8BMZcX152wgmN3GH7ssRoBF0ZBkQGGZYUxY6MdpDZahacj1LtzOQ/w640-h430/2019%20exterior%20east.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The east end of the house, 2019</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8608AbQFhLuOTGlgGdtvnaiF-hM1bRsMJbpKRHPbQrYnga6vijnR01HpyfiuWZne8NBUUzhpREnglrXvnhrtcZ0NFC-aEmH_OqbxOdfLhEGfVt-xryjAGsgcAAJp6rv3yZjzlhWgjhkN3NiM22BGJLMWkAVv5W5rrUqlmBD4N-vwZwhshJxbzk2UjGg/s999/2019%20rear%20ell.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="999" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8608AbQFhLuOTGlgGdtvnaiF-hM1bRsMJbpKRHPbQrYnga6vijnR01HpyfiuWZne8NBUUzhpREnglrXvnhrtcZ0NFC-aEmH_OqbxOdfLhEGfVt-xryjAGsgcAAJp6rv3yZjzlhWgjhkN3NiM22BGJLMWkAVv5W5rrUqlmBD4N-vwZwhshJxbzk2UjGg/w640-h426/2019%20rear%20ell.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rear ell in 2019. The small shed was ultimately removed, but the rest remains</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As you can see, it was in pretty rough shape, and that was actually a slight improvement -- I believe the roof had already been replaced by then. And of the two, the outside actually looked better than the inside. There had been reports of mold inside, not at all surprising considering that there had been a hole in the roof. This likely explains why all the interior walls had been torn out, exposing the studs and stone walls. There was definitely a lot of work to do, but apparently the core structure was still in good enough shape to be saved. Below are some shots of the interior of the house in 2019, to give you an idea of the starting point for restoration.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQGzdOj0fkiUs5rg7o5Y8H0zQTzOb8ZQBniqgSIyyNlGpACcW8J7YeJdVHQ8eesmAU59t-Mb7DJnXp5785CCOB4kbg_EOS2gSaSE2aiooEWZIR-QyTqXuCBuEq7DpExEAVCjOTFo90BZhhZCMtFzqZcwyN7CcvVddu_CTlK0i5wUsPZ8u_2uE3TbyFw/s1001/2019%20front%20room%20looking%20west.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1001" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQGzdOj0fkiUs5rg7o5Y8H0zQTzOb8ZQBniqgSIyyNlGpACcW8J7YeJdVHQ8eesmAU59t-Mb7DJnXp5785CCOB4kbg_EOS2gSaSE2aiooEWZIR-QyTqXuCBuEq7DpExEAVCjOTFo90BZhhZCMtFzqZcwyN7CcvVddu_CTlK0i5wUsPZ8u_2uE3TbyFw/w640-h428/2019%20front%20room%20looking%20west.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front room, first floor, looking west, showing original fireplace</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcafGNiwII0dWrNdr0M5KWhXwdkLUzC97ZBrhL-bl2xJClmV-Wu2YtGiWSOj8guVlX3JoZxFF5IYeyuYHPc2a5QNDZ-FHwpdV5LubcKl9oGm-um2qJVw9lSLNWpVuGDnHnQfP2LLBVC_96tI9oWThSr1TncDcuMOGqTA8-8uK1ik-3H0w4Wkq_wpLPw/s997/2019%20south%20room%20looking%20east.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="997" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcafGNiwII0dWrNdr0M5KWhXwdkLUzC97ZBrhL-bl2xJClmV-Wu2YtGiWSOj8guVlX3JoZxFF5IYeyuYHPc2a5QNDZ-FHwpdV5LubcKl9oGm-um2qJVw9lSLNWpVuGDnHnQfP2LLBVC_96tI9oWThSr1TncDcuMOGqTA8-8uK1ik-3H0w4Wkq_wpLPw/w640-h430/2019%20south%20room%20looking%20east.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front room, first floor, looking east</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNPu54vwSkS71JWwyPyLyKdWEFYKPpGZ2s9k8Y29Sfi1B98qq4xt5uEotdodo-w37uTfVVG0hy-JSGVDUKB9xh9DHqxiy2PLhKF0OpsGxSFXotDiimObbgtw157Mjzz88ArnsB9QD0oggsKDZPWStUJiRAmx9dO9niXLKDFBird1o1C0vbiSUSLsEsw/s995/2019%20looking%20northwest.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="995" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNPu54vwSkS71JWwyPyLyKdWEFYKPpGZ2s9k8Y29Sfi1B98qq4xt5uEotdodo-w37uTfVVG0hy-JSGVDUKB9xh9DHqxiy2PLhKF0OpsGxSFXotDiimObbgtw157Mjzz88ArnsB9QD0oggsKDZPWStUJiRAmx9dO9niXLKDFBird1o1C0vbiSUSLsEsw/w640-h430/2019%20looking%20northwest.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rear of first floor, looking northwest. In the restoration,<br />the stairs were repositioned to the northeast corner</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZrS9saABra4CXNd_fJ-e0jJWRlShPmc5fqhtFpfXaaHBiLjQVFhMKyM77mYoPzHatxH2e5FZCpI1G2hL3QYCMk5KK6XGP-l4jOJqSz5rPOiaOV435hJs4o85lGzO_VJt_oF2LivWqiCX3r37QLEopbX9ogfo4-5mIIbi4_sZK8E6vaieO5MbZfQIaQ/s995/2019%20second%20story%20looking%20northeast.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="995" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZrS9saABra4CXNd_fJ-e0jJWRlShPmc5fqhtFpfXaaHBiLjQVFhMKyM77mYoPzHatxH2e5FZCpI1G2hL3QYCMk5KK6XGP-l4jOJqSz5rPOiaOV435hJs4o85lGzO_VJt_oF2LivWqiCX3r37QLEopbX9ogfo4-5mIIbi4_sZK8E6vaieO5MbZfQIaQ/w640-h426/2019%20second%20story%20looking%20northeast.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second floor, looking northeast</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As these photos attest, there wasn't a whole lot left in the interior of the home, but new owner John Stevens was determined to preserve as much of the structure as he could. Yes, the first and second floor layouts were modified and updated, and modern windows, doors, appliances, etc. were installed. Even the stairways were repositioned. There is a legitimate and honest debate to be had about the different ways to restore historic homes, but in this case Stevens was looking for a middle ground between preserving a historic house and creating a modern home for a 21st Century family. But in reality, these types of homes have always been updated as time goes on, whether it be the addition of new sections, or the installation of things like plumbing, electricity, or just updating furniture, walls, and home décor. The photos below show what the house looks like today (and incidentally, this post is done with the knowledge and consent of the owner). You can find these photos and more on <a href="https://mottolagroup.com/exclusive-listings/?show=DENC2044026" target="_blank">the property's listing</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIkCzzOyFkiMDhC70-v77WRI1Q5wActaq1-yu-AwwBL2jONZMuBciNj5632ZwphcVOqvMJD10-dbN2WCL3_e0RDuOUH1CjOtKbvGPXJUU5qBbAJAKVevLm_Ov59VDFOfgj2wKXFdeT5TEq33MVrNnXdN7KBLJ1LKqlUaEPDHeyC4168EqjY8CRp-JKQ/s1440/2023%20front%20room%20looking%20northwest.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1440" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIkCzzOyFkiMDhC70-v77WRI1Q5wActaq1-yu-AwwBL2jONZMuBciNj5632ZwphcVOqvMJD10-dbN2WCL3_e0RDuOUH1CjOtKbvGPXJUU5qBbAJAKVevLm_Ov59VDFOfgj2wKXFdeT5TEq33MVrNnXdN7KBLJ1LKqlUaEPDHeyC4168EqjY8CRp-JKQ/w640-h426/2023%20front%20room%20looking%20northwest.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First floor today, looking northwest. For orientation, note the fireplace</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoh4KTs7aHvolgrbfrcjM_Qs5rQwRtfo-ys1H3SGfmGuCKMt0_ffI3kMQvpMiNYOaQGBv1QLlmuvh4iRYAkbxAUNAa4Om2mgDXL0NoT2xyEP2CTxD1StLTz1Kkw0clyyG-D9njoRSCvzlpWp3-5U0kYD23vMLnSg_duOwwJdEUGxC5jFhydrFzM5rHnA/s1085/2023%20south%20room%20looking%20east.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="1085" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoh4KTs7aHvolgrbfrcjM_Qs5rQwRtfo-ys1H3SGfmGuCKMt0_ffI3kMQvpMiNYOaQGBv1QLlmuvh4iRYAkbxAUNAa4Om2mgDXL0NoT2xyEP2CTxD1StLTz1Kkw0clyyG-D9njoRSCvzlpWp3-5U0kYD23vMLnSg_duOwwJdEUGxC5jFhydrFzM5rHnA/w640-h386/2023%20south%20room%20looking%20east.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First floor today, looking northwest, with door to the side porch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-lHBNEGJb5RdDYhCHxTnSD_fjbuKJnYqGdI4skW_LhSpHn8qDjBSQS0SK8WXbScYgrj_WwD7Yz5iwVQIScNFKoP0uCS6qW7RTGiw6_nK4ExQt0Az3NqCWtABepAfTjITJHObUxvFOPpPk56lwDZlRig6mKoyC1-EuhaT6kpT9WXZshblK_EUxLZWOQ/s1440/2023%20kitchen%20to%20family%20room.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1440" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-lHBNEGJb5RdDYhCHxTnSD_fjbuKJnYqGdI4skW_LhSpHn8qDjBSQS0SK8WXbScYgrj_WwD7Yz5iwVQIScNFKoP0uCS6qW7RTGiw6_nK4ExQt0Az3NqCWtABepAfTjITJHObUxvFOPpPk56lwDZlRig6mKoyC1-EuhaT6kpT9WXZshblK_EUxLZWOQ/w640-h426/2023%20kitchen%20to%20family%20room.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the kitchen, looking west to the family room in the new (replacement) addition</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjlywF8nC2gDsL6j7K22qwDcnouK94mV1Qb2QCXukteuFTCk6uHcjlaD3EHA7BndJsvHdvgCJF6JQAdeTr57Pcbjal-MHwrVXmbJ1E3Nmq8J48pWFE66umY-q11CereZIBPR_lkM4p3dqPGD5YHflZAVoVJ3QTR8EQBfmiu88No17QC-ZI6xMfSLcbw/s1440/2023%20master%20bedroom.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1440" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjlywF8nC2gDsL6j7K22qwDcnouK94mV1Qb2QCXukteuFTCk6uHcjlaD3EHA7BndJsvHdvgCJF6JQAdeTr57Pcbjal-MHwrVXmbJ1E3Nmq8J48pWFE66umY-q11CereZIBPR_lkM4p3dqPGD5YHflZAVoVJ3QTR8EQBfmiu88No17QC-ZI6xMfSLcbw/w640-h426/2023%20master%20bedroom.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Master bedroom in the north end of the rear ell</td></tr></tbody></table><p>But as beautiful as the interior of the house is, the most stunning, and most noticeable to the most people, transformation was with the exterior of the house. The pictures higher up the page show what the outside of the home looked like before Stevens Construction came along. They cleaned up the landscaping, removed the stucco to expose the beautiful fieldstone construction, and installed beautiful new siding on the rear ell. Throw in some great exterior lighting (you have to drive by there at night to appreciate it) and the home is almost unrecognizable, in the best way, from what it was only a couple years ago. The only parts of the house that were removed were a small shed on the back and a later 20th Century one story addition on the west side, which was replaced by a new, two story section containing the family room and a bedroom above.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8X8e8XuZsrqNGBWEsoPqWCwqiojz9Kl_oMKnwxb4tr15oGxveZne8bGLDNKutcCIo6JDkQecLfjic_Qtv5NX90QdJ6yRB3tDBWbZDOYn6eFAEjh5iGIVylSndYTS7xx04FzpfWwOXcXQdbC0hUbhcQoB69Rwv0KRv1Wb6wyoY_E6rdbtHk5CbJNKjDQ/s1022/Talley,%20Harmon%20House%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="1022" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8X8e8XuZsrqNGBWEsoPqWCwqiojz9Kl_oMKnwxb4tr15oGxveZne8bGLDNKutcCIo6JDkQecLfjic_Qtv5NX90QdJ6yRB3tDBWbZDOYn6eFAEjh5iGIVylSndYTS7xx04FzpfWwOXcXQdbC0hUbhcQoB69Rwv0KRv1Wb6wyoY_E6rdbtHk5CbJNKjDQ/w640-h416/Talley,%20Harmon%20House%202023.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front façade of the house as it looks from Mt. Lebanon Road today.<br /> Compare it to the 2019 photo seen earlier</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKaG88-gbKDpozBir-1F-uFVkWOyEa3_8mMMNAaXTbebuGHCIYoq_t2jVke9cnQNVXvMMpl19B0Mwtp3O18k2h_KUJ6mv5U3tj1fu8TrEDPR5EMDrB4H6ttiM4iEGyvizS4dE8JDtRpSwwfpvArCItjmRQpMPljvEfC-Uoes9gB_h6YygrpHuP-Iq8Q/s1440/2023%20rear%20ell.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1440" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKaG88-gbKDpozBir-1F-uFVkWOyEa3_8mMMNAaXTbebuGHCIYoq_t2jVke9cnQNVXvMMpl19B0Mwtp3O18k2h_KUJ6mv5U3tj1fu8TrEDPR5EMDrB4H6ttiM4iEGyvizS4dE8JDtRpSwwfpvArCItjmRQpMPljvEfC-Uoes9gB_h6YygrpHuP-Iq8Q/w640-h426/2023%20rear%20ell.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East end of the house, porch, and rear ell with garage</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLqP9tsXSFdA3jQfnI5YVh6i2GoE1ZHUQ1FHryLVOJ9OWqBw5AQl6NkLvheP_Rpj4C-wM1YMAPqXZjH2wcyr9eP2q7RzuHtIM7EqE4eg7nz3DPDuA-BYg4DK9_vlIcBstka1dhBiK8fAfrCQfc788OL4CvoTRCJTwBq15msIL51fI8O_aKpICDYAy4Q/s1440/2023%20aerial.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLqP9tsXSFdA3jQfnI5YVh6i2GoE1ZHUQ1FHryLVOJ9OWqBw5AQl6NkLvheP_Rpj4C-wM1YMAPqXZjH2wcyr9eP2q7RzuHtIM7EqE4eg7nz3DPDuA-BYg4DK9_vlIcBstka1dhBiK8fAfrCQfc788OL4CvoTRCJTwBq15msIL51fI8O_aKpICDYAy4Q/w640-h480/2023%20aerial.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial view of the Harmon Talley House in 2023. I like drones</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Harmon Talley House has been standing for almost 220 years now, and thanks to the recent intervention and hard work of John Stevens and Stevens Construction, it's set to be here for many years more. The interior would no longer be recognizable to Harmon Talley, Samuel McCaulley, Eli B. Talley, John Talley, or or any of the other farmer-owners of Tippecanoe Grove Farm -- but then again, neither would Talleyville or the rest of Brandywine Hundred. Times change, and homes have always changed with them. In the last few years, this house has been transformed from a rotted-out wreck in danger of being torn down to a beautiful, modern home awaiting a family to enjoy it and, hopefully, appreciate its rich history.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-14616350650174912652023-06-08T14:52:00.002-04:002023-06-14T13:58:24.820-04:00The History of the Harmon (Eli B.) Talley House<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMR4aHQEhwSftMsiNl4lhNuRG15ShLWIr1Uk2e-Oxo5OcnJX8rAkkIS54_kPpILXQx5g1-6B7s8CXaD8YwDMVvKVgvH-yOqxrCctje9P2z1B9RmkRC-lejkDdBr1y8w8BI5A7Pi2PW4jjJ8nxZZwBzJ_yePbdSlj1bdgQaFsCg48PTYklQ7VdKAMXFA/s1022/Talley,%20Harmon%20House%202023.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="1022" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMR4aHQEhwSftMsiNl4lhNuRG15ShLWIr1Uk2e-Oxo5OcnJX8rAkkIS54_kPpILXQx5g1-6B7s8CXaD8YwDMVvKVgvH-yOqxrCctje9P2z1B9RmkRC-lejkDdBr1y8w8BI5A7Pi2PW4jjJ8nxZZwBzJ_yePbdSlj1bdgQaFsCg48PTYklQ7VdKAMXFA/w400-h260/Talley,%20Harmon%20House%202023.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The (now, again) beautiful Harmon Talley House</td></tr></tbody></table>Back in early 2015 I felt compelled to write <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2015/02/save-eli-b-talley-house.html" target="_blank">a post about the Eli B. Talley House</a> (now more correctly referred to as the Harmon Talley House), and about the intrigue surrounding it, involving the then-owners, the prospective buyer/developer, the Historic Review Board, local civic organizations, and area residents. There was quite a bit of frustration and bad blood at the time, and it really seemed (to me, at least) that it was just a matter of time before the beautiful stone house on Mt. Lebanon Road in Talleyville, Brandywine Hundred, was either torn down or allowed to collapse on its own. I'm happy to say now that I was wrong, and though there were some intermediate proposals for it that I'd describe as "Better than nothing", its current condition is absolutely amazing, and far better than I could have hoped for just a few short years ago.<p></p><p>But before we get into the recent and current states of the house (in the next post), I wanted to go back and take a better look at the history of this handsome home. My original post was focused more on what was going on with the house at the time, but luckily for us, since then, the wonderful people at the University of Delaware's <a href="https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/chad" target="_blank">Center for Historic Architecture and Design (CHAD)</a> did some great research on the history of the property. They were contracted by the then-owner to produce a Determination of Eligibility report, as he was planning to ask the county for a Historic Zoning Overlay for the property. The following history is drawn primarily from that report, and I am indebted to them for their informative and thorough work. The <a href="https://www3.newcastlede.gov/PDFDocument/default.aspx?DocumentID=80:FC40FF5826FBF7107D10260598B6C0724428DD1196872F86C5E68CE881F951C2B261FA1473C92DE9976C76E5B3911B1A&x=temp.pdf" target="_blank">entire report can be found here</a>.</p><p>Since the CHAD report was more interested in the physical state and architecture of the house, the history they included was accurate, but not detailed in parts. Using their framework, I was able to flesh out the story a bit (ok, more than a bit). While the history of the land around it goes back much further, we'll enter the story in 1803 when Harmon Talley (already in the fifth generation of Talleys in Brandywine Hundred) purchased 105 acres from William Wood, which Wood had acquired from the McBride family.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqDRux6gIgeqdR63ujFnho-FrOTfg8S8tmQ7K7Wk0moX1MFpxvs1cu-BO_0YCn4TR23dqDyaqP8FCMifJXstM6WgVZnnNw4szIlU00tkvRL3jrf_QQJpLryQWqLtaPXGAj2hLGPfVTCl_meUzbfjE6_cuGTdaO5AP-oLyzn46KO3w-S-FiJf5P2zq-Q/s800/Talley,%20William%20House.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqDRux6gIgeqdR63ujFnho-FrOTfg8S8tmQ7K7Wk0moX1MFpxvs1cu-BO_0YCn4TR23dqDyaqP8FCMifJXstM6WgVZnnNw4szIlU00tkvRL3jrf_QQJpLryQWqLtaPXGAj2hLGPfVTCl_meUzbfjE6_cuGTdaO5AP-oLyzn46KO3w-S-FiJf5P2zq-Q/w400-h300/Talley,%20William%20House.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Talley House on Foulk Rd, childhood home of Harmon Talley</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Talley was listed on the deed as being from Birmingham Township, Chester County, but he had grown up in Brandywine Hundred. He was born in April 1775 (9 days after the Battles of Lexington and Concord) on his father's farm on the northwest corner of what was known as Talley's Corner -- the intersection of Foulk and Silverside Roads. The house still stands (seen above), now hidden behind a small office complex. In 1797 he married Priscilla Foulk, sister of William Foulk, who about the same time was consolidating ownership of the former <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-fell-historic-district.html" target="_blank">Evans (later Fell) Mill</a> on Red Clay Creek. She also happens to have been Harmon's first cousin.</p><p>The couple quickly had two children (Julia Ann (or Julean Ann) b.1798 and John b.1799), but then tragedy seems to have struck with the third. In March 1802, Priscilla gave birth to another daughter, also named Priscilla. The records show that both mother and daughter died right about the same time, presumably in childbirth. Adding to the heartbreak, Priscilla the mother died on her 27th birthday. Given this situation, it's no wonder that Harmon Talley would have been looking for a new place to restart his life.</p><p>He did that in 1803, buying his new farm and quickly remarrying (remember, he had a 2 year old and a three year old, in a time when no farmer had the time to be a single father). His new wife was Rebecca Grubb, a woman he probably knew all his life. She grew up very close by -- the Grubbs were centered around the Marsh Road/Grubb Road intersection. It also wouldn't be the last Talley/Grubb match. Harmon and Rebecca would go on to have six children together.</p><p>But getting back to the farm on Mt. Lebanon Road, there's no evidence to suggest a house existed on the property when Talley acquired it in 1803, and it seems logical to assume he had it built soon after his arrival. This was in the era when fieldstone construction was in vogue in the area, and while we had a fair number of such homes in MCH they were even more common in Brandywine Hundred, given the ready availability of the building material. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfGhw0XXCkSqJjf7DHPHva8RLk8oojcYSo3p71cC21voJvHBRv59_6l_OM5t2vPMkEo3OtOCdH3g0YDIIxZP5MdssJQ8DdSpwILF1y6CX9-lQUJi79tXGli4ee1wEx5_nRuD4rSSyKMYJ6z-IkbC_hU2371WMBF52OH162xzHnK0K1M7VyGOGhMoJ6g/s2124/1881-1-21%20Harmon%20Talley.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2124" data-original-width="559" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfGhw0XXCkSqJjf7DHPHva8RLk8oojcYSo3p71cC21voJvHBRv59_6l_OM5t2vPMkEo3OtOCdH3g0YDIIxZP5MdssJQ8DdSpwILF1y6CX9-lQUJi79tXGli4ee1wEx5_nRuD4rSSyKMYJ6z-IkbC_hU2371WMBF52OH162xzHnK0K1M7VyGOGhMoJ6g/w168-h640/1881-1-21%20Harmon%20Talley.jpg" width="168" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1881 article with stories<br />of Harmon and Isaac Talley</td></tr></tbody></table><p>During his years in Brandywine Hundred, Harmon Talley made numerous contributions to the community. He served in the state legislature during the 1828/29 term. A later (1881) newspaper article relates several interesting stories about him. For instance, he was credited as being the first person to haul manure from Wilmington to Brandywine, and the first to build a large barn in Brandywine Hundred (from what I can tell, I think the barn was directly behind the house). Also, as a teenager in the 1790's, Harmon took part in something that seems amazing to me, but was apparently commonplace at the time. He helped haul flour from Wilmington's Brandywine Mills all the way to Pittsburgh, then brought wheat back east to be ground.</p><p>Harmon and his family lived in his beautiful stone house for 33 years, but in 1836 Rebecca Grubb Talley passed away, and Harmon was again looking for a change of scenery. This time, instead to moving across the Hundred, he moved across what was most of the country at the time. This kind of makes sense, knowing that he took long journeys earlier in life, too. First he moved with most of his family to eastern Ohio, then later ended up in western Illinois, not far north of St. Louis. Of his children who remained in the First State, two were the eldest from each wife. Julia Ann was by then settled in with her husband of 21 years, Adam Grubb. Yes, Adam was the younger brother of her step-mother Rebecca. Her step-uncle/husband was (only?) 12 years her senior. </p><p>Another child who remained here was Isaac Grubb Talley, a blacksmith and wheelwright by trade, to whom Harmon sold the house and farm in April 1836. I believe that Isaac was already settled into a home by then, and probably rented out his father's farm. This was only for a few years though, as Isaac G. Talley sold the property in 1839 to Alexander McCaulley, "late of St. Georges Hundred". Actually, there were four properties sold to McCaulley at that time. Besides the farm with the stone house, there was a ten acre parcel with a tavern house (which Harmon had acquired), adjoining it on Concord Pike. However, from it, Isaac held on to two lots, one on each side of Mt. Lebanon Road (then known as the public road to Young's Mills). There were also tracts of 86 and 58 acres, acquired from the heirs of William Young, owner of the mills at the foot of Mt. Lebanon and Rockland Roads (later Jessup & Moore, and Doeskin).</p><p>Although it looks like McCaulley did move into the house (he seems to be listed here in the 1840 Census), his motives for the purchase may have been more forward-looking. Alexander McCaulley died in February 1841 at the age of 73, and in his will he set up trusts for his three sons to split the proceeds from the rents and profits from his Brandywine Hundred properties. So it seems all the properties, including the Harmon Talley House, were rented out by the family during this era. In 1855, one of those sons, Samuel McCaulley (a brick manufacturer in Wilmington), consolidated ownership of all four properties. To abide by the original will, the heirs actually first sold it all at auction to Jacob Rice, Samuel's business partner and brother-in-law, then Rice immediately sold it back to McCaulley.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbDQW753TtsG30Ws4lHDxfE1YuK2u2OWSXsFpEmRtJumGQ7cNtSfX5IxikTifdGPN_oIIqrCw8plI6NIqtK7XCitQN1mHESvTkmQZzjGBEJ_rh5QUuIWS5NZ3WAHj2qwf7Zf-pPoAe62QRUDYhhh9B2bTJ3ZFEivLZpnrR0_v5Ax0P5ihq4wz_SggJw/s896/1860%20inventory%20Tippecanoe%20Grove%20Farm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="896" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbDQW753TtsG30Ws4lHDxfE1YuK2u2OWSXsFpEmRtJumGQ7cNtSfX5IxikTifdGPN_oIIqrCw8plI6NIqtK7XCitQN1mHESvTkmQZzjGBEJ_rh5QUuIWS5NZ3WAHj2qwf7Zf-pPoAe62QRUDYhhh9B2bTJ3ZFEivLZpnrR0_v5Ax0P5ihq4wz_SggJw/w640-h394/1860%20inventory%20Tippecanoe%20Grove%20Farm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portion of the 1860 inventory of Samuel McCaulley's estate.<br />Earliest mention I've seen of the name Tippecanoe Grove Farm</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Samuel McCaulley presumably continued to rent out the farms until his own passing in 1860. It's in the probate records and inventory of his properties that we first see the name Tippecanoe Grove Farm for the old Talley house (when it seems to have been leased to Joseph B. Langley). It's not clear whether it was Samuel or his father who gave it the name, but one of them must have been a William Henry Harrison supporter back in 1840 (his campaign slogan and song was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tippecanoe_and_Tyler_Too" target="_blank">"Tippecanoe and Tyler, too!"</a>). The name of Tippecanoe seems to have been kept by the next owner of the farm, who purchased all four properties from Samuel McCaulley's estate in 1861.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4ybGSY_YIWe9Wob8SX71mQDwxckrwjTM9EY8Kl08ZFrJbhLLDWh4kSxIjirqNO5O_JlUDJmkl8DbC1-5LKEpUUnFcLz1wt2WQWzOpJaazVFXzlMlYnMJi7GovjXovijaZakuaSTvGF2TAKFncgO52BGGq3iIK6rzb2rWHL2NlsLIGc3ucKKrdquYww/s881/Talley,%20Eli%20Baldwin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="565" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4ybGSY_YIWe9Wob8SX71mQDwxckrwjTM9EY8Kl08ZFrJbhLLDWh4kSxIjirqNO5O_JlUDJmkl8DbC1-5LKEpUUnFcLz1wt2WQWzOpJaazVFXzlMlYnMJi7GovjXovijaZakuaSTvGF2TAKFncgO52BGGq3iIK6rzb2rWHL2NlsLIGc3ucKKrdquYww/w256-h400/Talley,%20Eli%20Baldwin.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eli Baldwin Talley</td></tr></tbody></table><p>That new owner was 60 year old Eli Baldwin Talley, nephew of original builder Harmon Talley. Eli was already well-established on his own farm, located north of Naaman's Road, where the Brandywine Town Center (and before that, Brandywine Raceway) is now. Like Alexander McCaulley, Talley was probably buying the farms for his sons -- except unlike McCaulley, Talley's sons actually occupied the properties. Fairview, the farm just south of Mt. Lebanon Road, was occupied (and later purchased) by Elihu Talley, while Tippecanoe Grove was farmed by William Talley. In 1872, three years prior to Eli B.'s death, William Talley purchased Tippecanoe Grove (along with the old tavern lot between it and Concord Pike) from his father.</p><p>It's hard to determine exactly when William moved in, and even trickier due to one other fact. Remember Joseph B. Langley, who was leasing the farm at the time of Samuel McCaulley's death in 1860? Well, in 1869 his daughter Sarah married William Talley. So it's quite likely that at some point William moved into the house that his father owned and that his father-in-law had most recently occupied. In any case, the couple raised two children -- John Wesley and Mary -- and William lived there until his death in 1896.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheU2dyAHkNLpwsUPZRuK2ccDrujMvbuewednOnhyfLkjtQI1i7_AmQOaF5r5x7wk5q3ilmSJUdzN4iCfd38gM1jLAKkOKLi6oF1hFgQuA9xb7tDqhr7YkIe7bT0g5AFyW7tiXzyY7fZZz4FkSPB3yXDBp_lWi8QOXAtMez_55erNhXpAhtB5lAM_28iA/s881/Talley,%20William.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="534" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheU2dyAHkNLpwsUPZRuK2ccDrujMvbuewednOnhyfLkjtQI1i7_AmQOaF5r5x7wk5q3ilmSJUdzN4iCfd38gM1jLAKkOKLi6oF1hFgQuA9xb7tDqhr7YkIe7bT0g5AFyW7tiXzyY7fZZz4FkSPB3yXDBp_lWi8QOXAtMez_55erNhXpAhtB5lAM_28iA/w242-h400/Talley,%20William.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Talley</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Upon his death the farm went to son John Wesley Talley, who three years earlier had married Caroline Talley (his fourth cousin). The couple raised ten children in the house and John W. farmed the land through the 1920 season. In October of that year, however, a big change came for Harmon Talley's old house. That's when John W. Talley sold about 135 acres, including the house, to Woodlawn Trustees, for $32,500. </p><p>Woodlawn Trustees, still very much in the news today, was incorporated in 1901 by William P. Bancroft, a Wilmington textile mill owner and devout Quaker. Bancroft began buying up land in and around Wilmington in the late 1800's with the intent of preserving it for parkland and for affordable worker housing. He formed Woodlawn to continue and oversee his work, and in the early 20th Century began acquiring land in Brandywine Hundred. Some of his land was donated for park use (forming the basis of the Wilmington and NCC park systems), some preserved as undeveloped tracts, and occasionally, some land sold for residential use to continue to fund the work.</p><p>Woodlawn rented out the house, and as best as I can tell, some of the land was still farmed at least into the 1950's. In the late 1960's, however, big changes would come for Harmon Talley's old farm and home -- changes that set the course for the next 50+ years, leading us to where we are now. In the next post we'll get an uplifting update on the house, and take a look at what could have happened to the house, and what actually has happened. And unlike so many other tales of endangered historic homes, refreshingly, this one has a happy ending.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-67088433732428674942023-05-22T16:49:00.000-04:002023-05-22T16:49:51.969-04:00The Bernhard Family Cemetery<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dcagEH3KZyP0oyRG6xvx_nLG5FrWr36OoAxeCNb3aXJUmaHs1YW74YsxFpam2qQUCnJpBHSH_4K1l3siUrj9cWQk1UqNyHzOC2PIBqXbE7_0eDnWxVC1pLgADaWNEQd42xHQvxnPQfyFGirJKbmAfzI6NZgEq9E2Bwl8cnMceyCI2vxfBERMeDOjww/s765/Bernhard%20house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="765" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dcagEH3KZyP0oyRG6xvx_nLG5FrWr36OoAxeCNb3aXJUmaHs1YW74YsxFpam2qQUCnJpBHSH_4K1l3siUrj9cWQk1UqNyHzOC2PIBqXbE7_0eDnWxVC1pLgADaWNEQd42xHQvxnPQfyFGirJKbmAfzI6NZgEq9E2Bwl8cnMceyCI2vxfBERMeDOjww/s320/Bernhard%20house.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10pt;">Likely the house occupied by Regina Bernhard </span></td></tr></tbody></table>I freely admit that when I first started writing and researching Mill Creek Hundred history, I pretty <br /> much ignored anything after about 1900. I've since changed my ways, and good thing, too, because an adventurous reader recently brought to my attention a very interesting, and very 20th Century, story. Its physical manifestation here is fairly unique for us, and the family's story is both very typical and kind of unusual. </p><p>While Casey was walking one of the White Clay Creek State Park trails near the Judge Morris Estate a while back, she came across some burials in the woods. No this isn't the start of a new Stephen King novel -- it was a small, family cemetery. When she looked closer, she expected to see old, worn headstones dating back a couple hundred years, much like those not all that far away at the old White Clay Creek Presbyterian graveyard. However, though the wrought iron fencing, she was surprised to see newer, mostly mid-20th Century headstones. The story of whose they are and why they're there is one we only mostly understand.</p><p>The cemetery belongs to the Bernhard family, as does (apparently) the 2 acre lot it sits on, located on the south side of Old Coach Road between Polly Drummond Hill Road and Upper Pike Creek Road. And though I actually have very briefly mentioned the Bernhard family once before in a post, the "Bernhard" family did not exist prior to about 1914. However, Bernard Steigelfest was born in 1866 in Rzeszow, in what's now southeastern Poland, but what was then part of the Austrian Empire. Although the town was largely Polish and about half the population was Jewish, as far as I can tell the Steigelfest family was ethnically German.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Bernard Steigelfest emigrated to New York in 1888 and in 1894 married Regina Einhorn. She was from northeastern Romania, but like Bernard's, I believe her family was ethnically German as well. Regina (who also went by Jennie) also came to New York in 1888, and the couple resided in various places around New York City. Bernard was consistently listed in censuses as a grocer or dry goods salesman. Bernard and Jennie had three children -- Arnold (b. 1901), Cecilia (b. 1904), and Harold (b. 1907). The next change for the family came around 1914, and is why we have the Bernhard Family Cemetery and not the Steigelfest Family Cemetery.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqzJzvrJIx_AOMRvhV00bC6eFGiwS9fhfcoNZA2YFMIXomXQnFz_bpaVKaJLyTU6rG1frWAlOUMKHoUdDjA5EvC_CNNTv6w6JkWeRTEhkk1H2OsLWBGzIPccjwp99a4hfwf5E6ipF-m6mT0og2F6Ht5ihphsHGUyl35rascqaR3TdTJvbBuHEf8IokA/s4177/1913-5-29%20manifest%20to%20Leipzig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4177" data-original-width="2361" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqzJzvrJIx_AOMRvhV00bC6eFGiwS9fhfcoNZA2YFMIXomXQnFz_bpaVKaJLyTU6rG1frWAlOUMKHoUdDjA5EvC_CNNTv6w6JkWeRTEhkk1H2OsLWBGzIPccjwp99a4hfwf5E6ipF-m6mT0og2F6Ht5ihphsHGUyl35rascqaR3TdTJvbBuHEf8IokA/w362-h640/1913-5-29%20manifest%20to%20Leipzig.jpg" width="362" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jennie Steigelfest's registration in Germany, where<br />she had gone in May 1913 with the children for their<br />education. They would return the following August</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It actually began in late May 1913, when Regina and the children boarded a ship bound for Europe and settled themselves in Leipzig, Germany. It appears that Bernard may have gone over and back a time or two, and that the family intended to stay for about two years, for the purpose of "education of children" (from Jennie's <i>Certificate of Registration of American Citizen </i>in Germany). However, their stay was cut short, and they returned in August 1914. I think it's safe to say the reason for their return was the outbreak of the Great War (they left only a few weeks after the first declarations of war). </p><p>What's just as interesting is that the Steigelfest family left in 1913, but the Bernhard family returned a year later. From then on the family name would be "Bernhard". I can only assume that the reason for the change was the growing anti-German sentiment in the United States, and Bernard and Jennie's desire to have a less German-sounding name than Steigelfest. They were not the only ones with that thought, and it wasn't just in the US. Three years later the British royal family changed their name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor, for the same reason. They took their new last name from their castle, while Bernard took his from, well, his first name.</p><p>The Bernhards settled back into their New York home (which was in Brooklyn by then), with Bernard being listed in the 1915 NY Census as a manufacturer of infants wear. In 1920 (in Rutherford, New Jersey), he was a salesman for a manufactory. And now, after going from Europe to America to Europe and back to America, we finally get to Mill Creek Hundred. (Thank you for hanging in along the way!) On March 1, 1920, Bernard and Regina (she had been going by that since the 1915 NY Census) purchased three tracts totaling about 59 acres from Arthur and Martha Maclary. The farm was on the southwest corner of Upper Pike Creek Road and Old Coach Road, and had previously been owned by William Little. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglppEuNd9tawU4x2i6wbu5V_8h1yxUWQwOV8fvSenX4xri_PIXXrWCGehZlvQXEUylleWnHHmgLflAvtnexynbgUJ05WMtsf7lyE5phtM-p3IfR7T1wZGRu_NmdOpRfLXzzVlIH45hkHStz_xSH-8zwn8QShvnGtJinSO0GW2NyfB9-CotokjJdMVA-Q/s886/bernhard%20farm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="886" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglppEuNd9tawU4x2i6wbu5V_8h1yxUWQwOV8fvSenX4xri_PIXXrWCGehZlvQXEUylleWnHHmgLflAvtnexynbgUJ05WMtsf7lyE5phtM-p3IfR7T1wZGRu_NmdOpRfLXzzVlIH45hkHStz_xSH-8zwn8QShvnGtJinSO0GW2NyfB9-CotokjJdMVA-Q/w640-h518/bernhard%20farm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 59 acre Springer-Little Farm purchased in 1920 by the Bernhards.<br />Old Coach Rd is to the north, Polly Drummond Hill Rd and the<br />Judge Morris Estate to the west, Kirkwood Hwy to the south</td></tr></tbody></table><p>When I wrote about the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-springer-little-farm.html">Springer-Little Farm</a> a few years ago, I actually did (very briefly) mention the Bernhards. As best as I could determine from my research, there had been an 18th Century log home on the property, replaced perhaps in the 1860's by a frame house. But by the time the Bernhards came along even that "new" house was about 60 years old and from a different era. Since they obviously had <i>some</i> money by then (although not nearly as much as one of them would have later...that's what they call in the business "foreshadowing"), it's no surprise that they would want to build a new house for themselves on their new property. To my admittedly untrained eye, the only remaining house on the property (seen at the top of the post), the one the Bernhards presumably lived in, looks to be of a 1920's style. </p><p>The next question is which Bernhards lived there, and for how long? Although the sale was made in March, the 1920 Census done in June still lists the family in Rutherford, NJ. In fact, youngest son Harold graduated from Rutherford High School in 1924, and the family seems to still living up there then. Perhaps the MCH house was a summer home, or rented out for a few years, or maybe it wasn't built until they were ready to move down here full time. One thing we do know is that Bernard Bernhard, the former Bernard Steigelfest, died in June 1921 (in Rutherford) at the age of 55, "following a lingering illness". That makes it highly unlikely that he ever lived in Delaware.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYhe8C7eP6ntUbQewL8F3hh5G4J1ntJMRskZn5NYCcYr-6BC3FDBuRHOg6uOHkk3O6ADo7wHmgy5xcSn1d5_zm2rD_q0AFrI2_b0vj-bcrrXwUM1ZT_QUDBqdKXpzSWonsUBwdAMOPkwQ1it-gnnqYx3jhVs3TkZFn-aQPFfNBtajou4u8p79jN8mdQ/s606/1921-6-6%20Bernard%20Bernhard%20obit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="572" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYhe8C7eP6ntUbQewL8F3hh5G4J1ntJMRskZn5NYCcYr-6BC3FDBuRHOg6uOHkk3O6ADo7wHmgy5xcSn1d5_zm2rD_q0AFrI2_b0vj-bcrrXwUM1ZT_QUDBqdKXpzSWonsUBwdAMOPkwQ1it-gnnqYx3jhVs3TkZFn-aQPFfNBtajou4u8p79jN8mdQ/w378-h400/1921-6-6%20Bernard%20Bernhard%20obit.jpg" width="378" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June 6, 1921 notice of Bernard Bernhard's death</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In fact, just about the only evidence I could find of the Bernhards residing in the First State in the '20s is a series of classified ads in 1925, '26, and '27. They started with "5-room house, chicken houses, large barn, suitable mushroom raising, two acres or more" for sale. Then it progressed to the house, barn, chicken houses, and 50 acres, to be rented together or separately. Finally they advertised a furnished room for rent in a private house. I still don't actually know whether these were referring to the "new" house or the old farmhouse. All the ads were placed by "R. B. Bernhard, Marshallton, Del.", so at least Regina was living here by then. (I know the "Marshallton" doesn't sound right, but I think it had to do with the post office, and one of the ads does say "Pike Creek Road, Marshallton, Del".)</p><p>The only other evidence I could find was from Cecilia's 1927 Marriage Certificate, when she wed Edward King of Rutherford, NJ, at the First Unitarian Church in Wilmington. On the certificate, Cecilia's address was listed as Marshallton, as was that of her brother Harold, who signed as a witness. If Harold <i>was</i> living on the MCH family farm at the time, he didn't stay long. He would move about several places, working as a union representative and arbitrator. Cecilia also moved back to Northern New Jersey after her wedding.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4Biri6841BIX5xMoSXamBdGH77veXAmip1IKkVAiVZFNtrXMOknFs0wIwHoBfWtKhUUUx52J6DGwASocGb-i4Mt11dGPXQ-oMOmr7mfGEbWMCCUyJ0Zhs2BJvLwlQEZ4olcOAYK6aNV9uIUGcyJ-RaM9zBx5mXygDjXgy6FPMV1I1pm9dC2MVXCfyA/s638/1942-5-4%20fire%20and%20broken%20leg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="638" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4Biri6841BIX5xMoSXamBdGH77veXAmip1IKkVAiVZFNtrXMOknFs0wIwHoBfWtKhUUUx52J6DGwASocGb-i4Mt11dGPXQ-oMOmr7mfGEbWMCCUyJ0Zhs2BJvLwlQEZ4olcOAYK6aNV9uIUGcyJ-RaM9zBx5mXygDjXgy6FPMV1I1pm9dC2MVXCfyA/w400-h380/1942-5-4%20fire%20and%20broken%20leg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Regina Bernhard's May 1942 incident, breaking her leg trying to extinguish a fire</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Their mother Regina, on the other hand, seems to have mostly stayed in Delaware for the rest of her life. She's listed here in the 1930 and 1950 Censuses, and there's a newspaper story (seen above) from 1942 about how she was rescued after breaking her leg trying to extinguish a brush fire near her home. She's listed with Cecilia's family in northern New Jersey in 1940, but that could have been a temporary situation. And in a 1958 article about her granddaughter's (Cecilia's daughter's) wedding, she's described as being "of Polly Drummond Hill, near Newark". Regina died in 1959 in NJ, but still owned the farm here (and I assume lived here). We'll get to the interments in a moment.</p><p>Now we get to the oldest of the three Steigelfest (later, Bernhard) children -- Arnold. He moved around with his family as a boy and eventually graduated from Williams College (MA) in 1925. He first took a job as a newspaper reporter, reviewing nightclubs, movies, and plays. Soon however, he took a job with Moody's Investors Service, but was fired in 1930 after some clients complained that he hadn't protected their investments well enough. Arnold carried on and went into business for himself.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcwFag6yrhQBTiQ8HhcfaLINcEbufrpPH2t0i9YTXTatOY19ERUZ6FCcBYC43E6lr-76jhaKv9p7SaYvu500oc0TcQspVy2UfP9uaQBrohlks1Q1IghtRJssk_sEGx4Dw4qaZf3MtQgMMi50ubE-rL6XRH3oWl_3cZngWwfB9CJcctbxFeqwGUv6uzQ/s802/1926%20Williams%20College%20Arnold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="802" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcwFag6yrhQBTiQ8HhcfaLINcEbufrpPH2t0i9YTXTatOY19ERUZ6FCcBYC43E6lr-76jhaKv9p7SaYvu500oc0TcQspVy2UfP9uaQBrohlks1Q1IghtRJssk_sEGx4Dw4qaZf3MtQgMMi50ubE-rL6XRH3oWl_3cZngWwfB9CJcctbxFeqwGUv6uzQ/w640-h216/1926%20Williams%20College%20Arnold.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arnold Bernhard's entry in the Williams College yearbook</td></tr></tbody></table><p>His great crusade and goal was to find a way to value stocks unemotionally, using data and formulas instead of emotions and gut feelings. This stemmed from personal experience involving his own mother. Apparently after Bernard Bernhard's death, much of his insurance money was placed into shares of Cities Service (now CITGO), held by Regina. In the aftermath of the stock market crash in 1929, the value of those shares began to plummet, ultimately falling from $50 a share to only $2. While it was happening, Arnold begged his mother to sell her holdings and cut her losses, but she was unwilling to let them go.</p><p>He worked on better ways to evaluate stocks, and founded a new company, which he called Value Line. Arnold hand-cranked the first copies of the Value Line Investment Survey on his mimeograph machine in 1936, and the firm took off. Still around today, Value Line is one of the most highly-regarded investment research companies in the world. When he died in 1987, Arnold Bernhard, the son of modest immigrants, had a personal wealth valued at about $230 million (over $600 million today). He was buried, I believe, near his home in Connecticut.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdoYI9ZVNu6eFH7WRiHRtPewTr1j3oPSpkQdrbV39BoLh3hHU9QroezFpoVTALl4rRZtTStVuznrCsJVv2QK596RieN1ZCIwARHuhdAs5A20SXwSIx5ssFWhAYY_1vVR7WaF12M1HWq7oH4oS4_vNt6j5KJBuduH_Hfw8AUJ3g0vL54wEp00VgX0Qbw/s285/Arnold%20Bernhard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="238" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdoYI9ZVNu6eFH7WRiHRtPewTr1j3oPSpkQdrbV39BoLh3hHU9QroezFpoVTALl4rRZtTStVuznrCsJVv2QK596RieN1ZCIwARHuhdAs5A20SXwSIx5ssFWhAYY_1vVR7WaF12M1HWq7oH4oS4_vNt6j5KJBuduH_Hfw8AUJ3g0vL54wEp00VgX0Qbw/w334-h400/Arnold%20Bernhard.jpg" width="334" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arnold Bernhard</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The rest of the immediate Steigelfest/Bernhard family, however, is not interred near any of their homes in NYC or in northern New Jersey -- they're buried in the small cemetery off of Old Coach Road. The area, enclosed by a nice wrought-iron fence, houses the remains of Bernard and Regina Bernhard; Cecilia and Edward King, and their son Edward, Jr.; and Harold and Connie Bernhard. Except for one, all the deaths (and burials) range in date from the late 1950's (Regina) through 2015 (Edward King, Jr.). Bernard Bernhard was originally buried on Long Island in 1921, but his remains may have been moved at a later date.</p><p>There are other questions yet unanswered, too. The biggest is why and how Bernard and Regina came to buy the MCH farm. What was their connection to here? What made them -- decidedly city-dwelling folk -- decide to buy a random farm more than 100 miles away? Was Bernard planning to live here and died before he could, or was it acquired for the family's use after his death? Was the house really built by them in the 1920's? And finally, what made the family feel so connected to this property that they all came from far and wide to be laid to rest here?</p><p>The two acre cemetery lot lies right up against other lands of the state park, but is in private hands -- the listed owner is Arnold Bernhard & Co, Inc, the parent company of Value Line. The most recent burial there would have only been about eight years ago, so the family must still have ties to it. I've reached out to a direct descendant of Bernard and Regina, but due to the nature of the contact I'm not real hopeful of hearing anything back anytime soon. If I am able to get any more information, I'll be sure to pass it along.</p><p>For sure, most MCH residents over the past few hundred years were buried in an organized cemetery or graveyard somewhere, and walks through them are like a stroll through the past. I'm also sure that there must have been more private, family graveyards around over the centuries, probably even some that got lost over time. However, the Bernhard Family Cemetery is unique, I believe, in being completely a 20th Century creation, and by a family that had no previous ties to the area. The fact the the family involved went through immigrations, migrations, name changes, and had a member make it big from Wall Street only makes the story more interesting. Truly one of the more fascinating little corners of Mill Creek Hundred.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-91851948873511786992023-04-19T08:25:00.000-04:002023-04-19T08:25:26.596-04:00George W. Spicer and the Marshallton Silk Mill<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVTF3YaExe2IBP2-BTvsHXkDeNJHgo5itsBFzWeSlin2-vJhoB7OMfWg6Ab-zLkzvy0B_dNKAD6kZtYJMru8vPEwpRutQElxOIGcOR27_ntBgHAdNgscj1U607RkH5T4cAMQMHNc_muww_ZfYj7uYfU1qEhB9Wj0i7VfpfWlpDE9_zAVphvFJcGmz9Q/s614/headline.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="505" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVTF3YaExe2IBP2-BTvsHXkDeNJHgo5itsBFzWeSlin2-vJhoB7OMfWg6Ab-zLkzvy0B_dNKAD6kZtYJMru8vPEwpRutQElxOIGcOR27_ntBgHAdNgscj1U607RkH5T4cAMQMHNc_muww_ZfYj7uYfU1qEhB9Wj0i7VfpfWlpDE9_zAVphvFJcGmz9Q/s320/headline.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">November 15, 1911 headline of<br />the burning of the silk mill</td></tr></tbody></table>From its inception in the 1830's through the remainder of the 19th Century and well into the 20th Century, the Village of Marshallton was always a mill town. The primary employer, of course, was the iron mill (later the fibre mill, later the Haveg and Ametek plant), but the woolen mill just to the south at Kiamensi was also a large Marshallton-area employer. While those two establishments put Marshallton men (and women...and children) to work for generations, for a short while there was actually a third, smaller mill operating in Marshallton.<p></p><p>From 1906 until 1911, and then possibly for a spell in 1914, the Marshallton Silk Mill was a source of employment for several dozen area residents. Although it was never as large or as long-lasting as the other two, for a time it <i>was</i> a significant employer in the area. And while there's not a whole lot that seems to be known about the operation, one thing I do know is that the story of the Marshallton Silk Mill is inextricably linked to that of its founder and owner -- George Washington Spicer, Jr.</p><p>George W. Spicer was born in June 1859, probably in Leipsic, Kent County, and grew up in Little Creek Hundred just north of Dover. His father was a merchant (listed as a Confectioner in 1860, at a feed store in 1870, and a grocer in 1880), so young George was probably never pulled into the farming life that the majority of his peers of that era were. He likely helped out in his father's stores when he was young, soaking up all the talk and gossip that came in with the patrons. And being near Dover, George may have heard a lot of political talk, stoking an interest he'd pursue passionately later in life.</p><p>I'm not sure what his connection was or why he ended up here, but by 1880 George Spicer was residing as a boarder in a home in Marshallton, and working at the Kiamensi Woolen Mill. His situation would change the following year, when in July 1881 he married Laura McGonigal, also of Kent County. The couple settled in Marshallton, and in November 1882 Spicer made a purchase that would set the rest of the story in motion. He bought from Vincent G. Flinn 19.67 acres of land on the southwest side of Newport Road and east of Red Clay Creek, much of which is now Washington Heights. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacWxFavi1TA7M5PuG-hrGsNZWKI781MPhyOv_JWsf7AWx55mhln_3ZHLBVuMsNAL9u_2DYI6NWBiGFFvfY7el97m_ElroH9UIY2HWfLo4EVoUNkb5S8JlsL2e7c1DEiW2Gst_3lGNYH9O_WDUXwg_pQsdIRF-pt8xj0ZvO4aOjpNiJQ4K6gUZAoq8Jg/s1123/spicer%20tract.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="1123" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacWxFavi1TA7M5PuG-hrGsNZWKI781MPhyOv_JWsf7AWx55mhln_3ZHLBVuMsNAL9u_2DYI6NWBiGFFvfY7el97m_ElroH9UIY2HWfLo4EVoUNkb5S8JlsL2e7c1DEiW2Gst_3lGNYH9O_WDUXwg_pQsdIRF-pt8xj0ZvO4aOjpNiJQ4K6gUZAoq8Jg/w640-h414/spicer%20tract.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The approximate bounds of the 19.67 acre tract purchased<br />by George W. Spicer, Jr. in November 1882</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Spicer set about almost immediately in improving his new lot, as a September 1883 note in the newspaper states that he was building three double houses, to be ready in three weeks. Those houses could have been on Washington Street, or more likely along Newport Road. Bear in mind that at this time, Old Capitol Trail did not continue straight through past Newport Road. Coming from Price's Corner, the road dead-ended here, and one turned right to go across the creek (the Old Capitol Trail extension and bridge would not be constructed until the 1930's). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxeekM9THMdCCtOPUru8h2gq8TWzzRiwx3uvokBpgyeDjCO5HItq_3WqF1g4_8iS69OfEf4FGWcQbIAM3aYDWRgtuJF6K3kdFW-67eaxDy19kZRZTwfq31XGLae9uvILA5iM1K2l49wCrVbKXNhcKnY4P8PCtTSkK7TYOlPfCk5PapZtANiK6yhjdXtA/s923/1893%20map%20of%20Marshallton.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="878" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxeekM9THMdCCtOPUru8h2gq8TWzzRiwx3uvokBpgyeDjCO5HItq_3WqF1g4_8iS69OfEf4FGWcQbIAM3aYDWRgtuJF6K3kdFW-67eaxDy19kZRZTwfq31XGLae9uvILA5iM1K2l49wCrVbKXNhcKnY4P8PCtTSkK7TYOlPfCk5PapZtANiK6yhjdXtA/w608-h640/1893%20map%20of%20Marshallton.jpg" width="608" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marshallton as shown on the 1893 map, showing the Spicers'<br />land, as well as the 14 acres sold to Thomas C. Harris</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Although George W. Spicer would have various business and political ventures, I feel like he may never have been quite as financially secure as he would have wanted to let on. In 1883 he mortgaged the property to Eli Nichols, but this was about the time the three houses were going up, so this might have been to finance that construction And there were a number of other transactions over the years, some of which I understand, some of which I can speculate on, and some I just don't understand. For example, in 1884 he sold the full 19.67 acre tract to wife Laura, in what I feel was some sort of financial or legal maneuver. Then, a month later, they sold the property to Laura M. Chaytor of Linwood, Delaware County, PA. Although odd, it became less odd to me when I realized that she was George's sister (so yes, both his sister and his wife (and his first child) were a "Laura M. Spicer").</p><p>The other notable thing about this sale is that the Spicers were described as being "of Camden, Camden County, New Jersey". It seems that in addition to being a storekeeper in Marshallton (and it's unclear exactly when he opened his store there), George W. Spicer was also a merchant involved with other firms -- in Wilmington, Chester, and reaching into New Jersey. It appears that they moved around from time to time, as various deeds show them as being of Marshallton, Wilmington, and Camden. When the Spicers bought back their land from Chaytor in early 1885 (three months later), Laura M. Spicer was "late of Marshallton".</p><p>The next big change came in 1890, when the Spicers sold 14.24 acres of their land to Thomas C. Harris. This comprised about three quarters of their property, being basically everything east of Washington Avenue (this can be seen on the 1893 map above). However, all their "good stuff" was west of Washington Avenue, including their home (at least when they were living in Marshallton) and George's store. I can't find any details as to when the store was built, but it was probably soon after they moved in. The Spicers lived in the house next to the store, seen in the photo below. In about 1902 they turned over the store (renting it out, I believe) <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2013/07/foards-store.html" target="_blank">John H. Foard</a>. The Foards would move into the frame house behind it in 1905, and John would run the store until his death in 1943. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_cycNwctCJVj93pIdH-u3ZOVmBO5-WaeKoKbs_egK-u9oBGVVh_s68xon78WJsA9-1fOc6H70UbET1u20GOMrc9dyTXljrW3TpeE0ud3KvkKr1knVcZ5F28Vnss_vESZbZe6VI6k6Jx4dCGMSBb1jxx1iIrRSsWlOQX8nsse8RS-FGgXceMUIbl6vA/s558/Marshallton%20Post%20Office.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="558" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_cycNwctCJVj93pIdH-u3ZOVmBO5-WaeKoKbs_egK-u9oBGVVh_s68xon78WJsA9-1fOc6H70UbET1u20GOMrc9dyTXljrW3TpeE0ud3KvkKr1knVcZ5F28Vnss_vESZbZe6VI6k6Jx4dCGMSBb1jxx1iIrRSsWlOQX8nsse8RS-FGgXceMUIbl6vA/w640-h435/Marshallton%20Post%20Office.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George W. Spicer, Jr.'s Marshallton store and home, possibly<br />soon after turning the store over to John H. Foard in 1902</td></tr></tbody></table><p>There are a few points about which I'm still unsure. For one, in March 1891 Spicer (along with fellow Marshalltonian(?) George W. Bennett) is listed as receiving a new liquor license. I don't know if this means he had some sort of tavern or if this went along with the store somehow. And in July 1897, there's a newspaper mention of preparations being made for the opening of a store "in the brick building owned by George W. Spicer". A later account and some of the deeds do say that the Spicer/Foard store <i>was</i> a brick and frame structure, so perhaps this is the beginning of this location. However, there are definite mentions much earlier of a Spicer's store in Marshallton, so maybe it was in a different location?</p><p>In any case, many of those mentions of a store were in reference to it being a polling place for Marshallton. This leads us into George W. Spicer, Jr.'s other great passion -- politics. More specifically, Democratic politics. He was a big player in Democratic circles in the area for much of the 1890's, culminating with his serving as the Clerk of the House of Representatives in Dover during the 1897/98 session. There was even a letter to the editor back in 1892 complaining about how small Marshallton had two polling places and districts, and that one of them should be called the Spicer District due to his influence and control over it. </p><p>Spicer seems to have left politics for the most part by the early 1900's, although (not surprisingly) he seems to have ruffled a few feathers along the way. In 1902 he was arrested for allegedly voting illegally in the school district election, because he had failed to pay his school tax (which was a prerequisite for voting). Also, in 1904 Spicer sued the Marshallton School Board for $65, claiming that he was owed $5 per year for the 13 years that children had been walking across the road from the school to drink water out of his pump. The issue divided the village.</p><p>This now finally leads us to one of George Spicer's last, and most unique, business ventures. By the early 1900's the silk industry was booming in the US, and more specifically not far from our area. The epicenter had been in New Jersey, but by the later 1800's was shifting slightly west to the Lehigh Valley. Spicer was no doubt aware of all this, and with his own textile manufacturing experience (recall that he had worked in the Kiamensi Woolen Mill) he decided to build a silk mill on his property in Marshallton.</p><p>In September 1905 he signed a lease (doing business as the Marshallton Silk Weaving Company) with the Crompton-Thayer Loom Company of Worcester, MA for sixteen 42½" looms, for a period of thirteen months. The reason I know these details is because (for some reason) the lease agreement was filed with the state among the real estate deeds. The venture was finally incorporated in 1906 as the Marshallton Silk Manufacturing Company, and was set to go.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIhLpPtNobPvrTL8C_FFOjj_ncXIB7vUIW-BDEuD0ZACifnZHRf4GJG9hsuEsNHefchFyi3zz9D4FGIr2IvO2bcL75y2ZiuzHC-XioquaZoxg0FdfUAx-Vqpj4b1jeE-6eOtJqf2Bw_gvZ2yu4TT_mXsXaBQYWHSHpUIlK_ehuEhQumgeTcVQqixDkQ/s766/silk%20mill%20lot.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="766" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIhLpPtNobPvrTL8C_FFOjj_ncXIB7vUIW-BDEuD0ZACifnZHRf4GJG9hsuEsNHefchFyi3zz9D4FGIr2IvO2bcL75y2ZiuzHC-XioquaZoxg0FdfUAx-Vqpj4b1jeE-6eOtJqf2Bw_gvZ2yu4TT_mXsXaBQYWHSHpUIlK_ehuEhQumgeTcVQqixDkQ/w640-h640/silk%20mill%20lot.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bounds of the lot where George Spicer's silk mill was located. The intersection above<br />it is Old Capitol Trail and Newport Road. Red Clay Creek is to the left</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The mill was located on part of Spicer's remaining property, on the west side of Washington Avenue (in the shaded lot seen above). This was directly behind John Foard's store, home, and stables. As best as I can tell, the mill (steam, not water-powered) was originally fairly small and was later enlarged. A short mention in a national textile trade publication said, "The new building, 38 by 48 feet, to be occupied by the Marshallton Silk Weaving Co,. Geo. W. Spicer, Jr., proprietor, will be equipped with 16 looms, making black taffetas and other silks. There will be no dye house attached to the plant." </p><p>While the 16 loom number is consistent with the original lease, by 1910 a trade magazine lists it as having 39 Broad Looms. This larger number fits with a later description of the building, which we'll get to in a moment. I can find precious little information about Spicer's operation, but a 1909 article about the coming Peoples Trolley line spur to Marshallton states that the silk mill employs "35 or 40 persons". So, while it <i>was</i> smaller than the fibre mill or the Kiamensi mill, three dozen or more people is not insignificant in a village the size of Marshallton.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGpwjrmFaPhlVDOsNLiE9ulHDP_T7DxPRn9rUAhC-7CEvGBENIPw_44DA4q2rg_ovGRvsAQSc56vK41_C3X_GnXMtCZ3FTq_nGjkxbahB1o7SR8AWOeB7-7ZED_8TtgM_BnBPZtMTQGN-hXyrCx_3WH3XfolL0A0hnAmmWGn_-fT_8-c8lRJteqgUkw/s586/new%20bridge%20photo%20zoom.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="586" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGpwjrmFaPhlVDOsNLiE9ulHDP_T7DxPRn9rUAhC-7CEvGBENIPw_44DA4q2rg_ovGRvsAQSc56vK41_C3X_GnXMtCZ3FTq_nGjkxbahB1o7SR8AWOeB7-7ZED_8TtgM_BnBPZtMTQGN-hXyrCx_3WH3XfolL0A0hnAmmWGn_-fT_8-c8lRJteqgUkw/w640-h432/new%20bridge%20photo%20zoom.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of an early Marshallton postcard of the "New Bridge"(Newport/Duncan Road),<br />possibly showing the original silk mill over the right edge of the bridge. I still haven't<br />decided. The three houses on the right are still standing along Washington Ave. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>I don't really have a feel as to whether or not the mill was profitable for Spicer, but I do know that he ended up selling it in October 1910 to the Highland Silk Company. Highland was a newly-incorporated Delaware firm backed by "Jersey City money" and headed by James Ferguson of Plainfield, New Jersey. It's not clear if there were any changes made under Highland and Ferguson, but if there were they didn't last long. Just over a year later, at about 11 PM on the night of November 14, 1911, flames were seen coming from the western end of the building. </p><p>Even though it was a rainy night, the fire quickly overtook the building. A call was put in to the Water Witch Fire Company in Wilmington (there were not yet any rural fire companies), and they made impressive time with their new automobile apparatus. In the meantime, employees from the fibre mill (the old iron mill) ran a hose from there to the silk mill and attempted to get the blaze under control. By the time the city firefighters arrived they all knew the mill was lost, so they turned their efforts to saving the surrounding structures -- the Foard barn, the house and store next door, and the houses across Washington Avenue. Thanks to their efforts, nothing else was damaged. (Click on the article below for an in-depth account)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kEAgKaGwbEK_TdecWoOHAPgGcSb0PplehTFObzr303sBLDdRZ2U1E_j_U-1d4eLBcGc9z1TxH5HtwWtjwjRtMNXW5GgxVlT-E_Qj3gVCYxHSr755Sy8CJmPrYnLCnjTZSSdPURe--Yc5BOguoElCxdz5_a9Q4D2O4ta-l4Gx1AvVHtUcMN-r5QDJSw/s3547/1911-11-15%20mill%20destroyed%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3547" data-original-width="679" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kEAgKaGwbEK_TdecWoOHAPgGcSb0PplehTFObzr303sBLDdRZ2U1E_j_U-1d4eLBcGc9z1TxH5HtwWtjwjRtMNXW5GgxVlT-E_Qj3gVCYxHSr755Sy8CJmPrYnLCnjTZSSdPURe--Yc5BOguoElCxdz5_a9Q4D2O4ta-l4Gx1AvVHtUcMN-r5QDJSw/w122-h640/1911-11-15%20mill%20destroyed%201.jpg" width="122" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5qyhGZsk72mlnLgoB4J7iJXvBqWyFCKfjbIVqV6doUCaHsos5AQ5me9s5T_07N6kZPlS7M-vWsFQmmJsP8DX_zsosp1MUc-xupvEZzpAjoAu1J1JT6hUbu_ZoFa7sDqF7CBm4_or95YZ8yNAK_TnYC9uSB-2WTuHGNxJKEIKmjIMkuPnFT9CmZgUgQ/s2819/1911-11-15%20mill%20destroyed%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2819" data-original-width="658" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5qyhGZsk72mlnLgoB4J7iJXvBqWyFCKfjbIVqV6doUCaHsos5AQ5me9s5T_07N6kZPlS7M-vWsFQmmJsP8DX_zsosp1MUc-xupvEZzpAjoAu1J1JT6hUbu_ZoFa7sDqF7CBm4_or95YZ8yNAK_TnYC9uSB-2WTuHGNxJKEIKmjIMkuPnFT9CmZgUgQ/w150-h640/1911-11-15%20mill%20destroyed%202.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><p>The mill, though, was destroyed. And differing from the 1906 description, the fire article states that the mill was a one story frame structure, 250 feet long and 50 feet wide. That estimation by the reporter is certainly a bit high, as the entire mill lot sold to Highland Silk was only 93 feet wide (measured from the center of Washington Ave.) by 234 feet long. But clearly it was by then much larger than the original 38 x 48. It was stated that at the time of the fire the mill employed 30-35 women and girls, and 10-15 men.</p><p>Highland Silk did not seem to be interested in rebuilding their Marshallton mill (which they may or may not have called the Kiamensi Silk Mill -- articles about the fire refer to it as such, but that might have been reporters conflating it with the woolen mill downstream). Two weeks after the blaze there was a report of company officials looking for a new site in Wilmington, but I don't believe anything ever came from that. On March 30, 1912 they officially sold the property back to Laura M. Spicer, under whose name the family's holdings were listed.</p><p>As somewhat of a side note, it's unclear just how involved Mrs. Spicer was in the businesses. In fact, there was a court case in 1914 over an unpaid promissory note from the Spicers, wherein the plaintiff claimed that she <i>was</i> involved in the business, while Laura claimed that her husband was the manager and she signed the note only "as an accommodation to him". It wasn't totally unusual for property to be partially or totally in a wife's name at the time, but this feels different to me. With all the time George likely spent away from home -- between his political and business activities -- my gut tells me that Laura probably was more involved in things than the typical businessman's wife would have been at the time. Bolstering this idea is the fact (included in her 1954 obituary) that she was a graduate of the Wilmington Conference Academy in Dover, now Wesley College.</p><p>And speaking of the business, it's also unclear whether George Spicer ever had any thoughts of rebuilding the silk mill. Even if he did, he never had time to bring it to fruition, as George W. Spicer, Jr. passed away on July 2, 1912 at his Marshallton home, at the age of 53. His obituary said that he "was one of the men who helped to build up Marshallton". He surely would have been someone that everybody in the area would have known, and about whom many would have undoubtedly had strong opinions -- in both directions.</p><p>While we don't know if George Spicer wanted to rebuild the mill, we do know that his son Frank did. In July 1914, Laura Spicer sold the mill lot to her son Frank, and he did build a replacement silk mill. Not much is known about this second mill, except that it was built in the Summer of 1914 and was a one-story frame structure that sat where his father's first mill did. It was probably smaller, more like the original size of the first mill. All the information about it, including conflicting accounts as to whether or not it actually began operating, comes from articles about....the fire that destroyed it.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVivLBZ1GLrKrqolD64blZx1dZjPW0op-9-mIHjNGizpaqk5eihIt4QhN6p93-3NgmCTP9qcRtwlkWHWcAyOwutxrBnulL4ZNPYpQfSGOXRm_esdDZfOt7OerJ9PM3RUlxhiS3mIQphhM6Yveoh7IZdqrcEfAd_nwUWE7vi_J7o0U4stIGo4G9h32gg/s2477/1915-1-8%20second%20mill%20burns.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2477" data-original-width="919" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVivLBZ1GLrKrqolD64blZx1dZjPW0op-9-mIHjNGizpaqk5eihIt4QhN6p93-3NgmCTP9qcRtwlkWHWcAyOwutxrBnulL4ZNPYpQfSGOXRm_esdDZfOt7OerJ9PM3RUlxhiS3mIQphhM6Yveoh7IZdqrcEfAd_nwUWE7vi_J7o0U4stIGo4G9h32gg/w238-h640/1915-1-8%20second%20mill%20burns.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Account of the destruction of<br />Frank Spicer's silk mill (1/8/1915)</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>The blaze occurred in the early morning hours of January 8, 1915, and is said to have done most of its damage to the machinery and stock inside. This makes me think that the structure itself was not totally destroyed and might have been saved. It was never again used as a silk mill, but there is an oddly-shaped (for the area) one story house right where the mill should have been, and it's almost exactly the 38 x 48 feet dimensions of the original mill. I don't know one way or the other if this is Frank Spicer's silk mill.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1E9uoLdoNm4mgGIYWuwVLQly3Egk1qxfDO7pJmvL7-iDMvThLg55tl5hk-rZRIZep3jJNH4424P1cH8Vdbu6LQBgjRKp3nErMtpNNgNAqZLpeqjDHxnnVD3hk3SfRy3WZUpLTBQ1wQaVV6QAHbDk5Kd4jWTf4rf9V5ED-YmKKnYUcJvA12ssqv5-tQ/s1137/1932%20bridge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1137" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1E9uoLdoNm4mgGIYWuwVLQly3Egk1qxfDO7pJmvL7-iDMvThLg55tl5hk-rZRIZep3jJNH4424P1cH8Vdbu6LQBgjRKp3nErMtpNNgNAqZLpeqjDHxnnVD3hk3SfRy3WZUpLTBQ1wQaVV6QAHbDk5Kd4jWTf4rf9V5ED-YmKKnYUcJvA12ssqv5-tQ/w640-h474/1932%20bridge.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1932 photo of the new OCT bridge, also showing the rear of Washington Street. Foard's Store<br />is behind the far right pylon, and their house behind the store. On the far right is the house, <br />still standing today, that might have been Frank Spicer's silk mill</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>In March 1915 Frank officially sold the lot back to his mother, and over the next few years she sold off all of her Marshallton properties. The family moved on and moved out of the area, but Frank remained in the silk industry. In 1920 he's living in Shamokin, PA (central PA in coal country, ironically right next to Marshallton, PA) working as a loom fixer in a silk mill, and in 1940 he's with his mother in Rehoboth, still in a silk mill. He had lived in Patterson, NJ in 1935, undoubtedly in the same field. </p><p>After the Marshallton Silk Mill's demise and the closing of the Kiamensi Woolen Mill in the early 1920's, textile manufacturing left the Red Clay Valley. The former iron mill carried on as a fibre mill for a time, then for many years under Haveg and Ametek until the flood of 2004 ended its operation. These days it might be hard to imagine something like a silk mill in the heart of Marshallton, but for 5+ years it was a very real part of the community.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-62930435986042675262023-03-23T09:10:00.000-04:002023-03-23T09:10:12.749-04:00The Eastburn-Bell Farm<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhCLWio-SEW99IzCnaqLzIkhRpK9FWTDyaBEHEY-fl1sdQtlmoPAiHxfK_ARlposZp9EPmYQAzxTjTNJ0X-bOpWfBOonP0NIG_lZCLWoRHkn2T_ZNLfFVmhagW0CXxfaG_uK2bpVljWn8ycEtMHs7N0kXQAFezusbtZwXN0vSyg7S5-KzzYAGYrovsQ/s780/Eastburn%20Joseph%20barn.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="780" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhCLWio-SEW99IzCnaqLzIkhRpK9FWTDyaBEHEY-fl1sdQtlmoPAiHxfK_ARlposZp9EPmYQAzxTjTNJ0X-bOpWfBOonP0NIG_lZCLWoRHkn2T_ZNLfFVmhagW0CXxfaG_uK2bpVljWn8ycEtMHs7N0kXQAFezusbtZwXN0vSyg7S5-KzzYAGYrovsQ/w400-h266/Eastburn%20Joseph%20barn.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The c.1830 Joseph Eastburn Barn</td></tr></tbody></table>When the original land grants and patents were given out for Mill Creek Hundred in the late 17th and early 18th Centuries, the tracts were often fairly large -- more likely to be in the 1000 acre range than the 100 or smaller that would be more common by the 19th Century. Over time, through divisions within families and sales outside of them, these large farms were broken up. Only very occasionally were these smaller farms later remerged to form larger ones, and only in a few rare instances were very large estates formed in MCH. Usually they were done by du Pont-related people, and one of those large estates is now largely state-owned parkland.<p></p><p>In the late 1920's the Equitable Trust Company began buying up farms in northwest MCH, around the Corner Ketch/Milford Crossroads area, for an anonymous client. In February 1930, it sold all the properties in bulk to the now not-so-anonymous Samuel Hallock du Pont in an extensive 15 page deed that included 36 separate properties (and one other deed involving a farm partially in DE and partially in PA). S. Hallock du Pont was creating an estate he called Whiteley Farm for use for himself and his family for recreation and hunting. Some of the farms that comprised it dated back to the earliest days of English habitation in the area, while others were newer, smaller ones carved out more recently. One in particular has been mentioned in passing in a couple of prior posts, but now we'll look at it in more detail.</p><p>The farm in question is located on Pleasant Hill Road, just south of Corner Ketch Road and west of Paper Mill Road. It may have once been the site of an early 18th Century home, probably later replaced in the 19th Century, but now only a c.1830 stone barn remains of the working farm. When du Pont acquired it in 1930, the farm was about 93½ acres, but it had once been part of a larger tract which was pared down several times.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxjG0SvGPOi2vh1kNC4FKBI6jxylcY7-MIWGk1sHIuyRMNp-WbsXYVPrxk4Oe0jJjePxaVxD4PMdjJq_RSdykVyYBik3sKGzgt80fwT0zU6jny1tRpDJ83nNW0k4UM8fP27Y1DSxySZqVZWD8zxBynKD8nUJMlaT70aBtLrGVqjOXMzezWK-qxba0yw/s1034/rice%20farm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="1034" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxjG0SvGPOi2vh1kNC4FKBI6jxylcY7-MIWGk1sHIuyRMNp-WbsXYVPrxk4Oe0jJjePxaVxD4PMdjJq_RSdykVyYBik3sKGzgt80fwT0zU6jny1tRpDJ83nNW0k4UM8fP27Y1DSxySZqVZWD8zxBynKD8nUJMlaT70aBtLrGVqjOXMzezWK-qxba0yw/w640-h482/rice%20farm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approximate outline of the 400 acre tract purchased by Evan Riis (Evan Rice the Elder) in 1703.<br />Generally speaking it was divided into two sections, east and west of today's Paper Mill Road.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The earliest iteration of the farm (or at least the first one likely to have been settled) dates back to 1703, when Evan Riis (the family name later changed to Rice) purchased 400 acres of an even larger Penn grant from John Guest. Riis' tract was a roughly square parcel, centered around what's now Paper Mill Road and mostly southwest of Polly Drummond Hill/Corner Ketch Road. Upon the 1742 death of Evan Rice the Elder (he's actually referred to this way in the deeds) the farm was split into a pair of 200 acre properties willed to his son Thomas, to be held for Thomas' sons for when they came of age. There are no clear metes and bounds of these two smaller parcels listed, but they seem to generally be the eastern and western portions of the original 400 acres.</p><p>The first section (the eastern one) was given to Thomas for his son William, but William died young and with no offspring. That farm was ultimately sold by Thomas' other children in 1799 to <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-whiteman-family-revisited-part-1.html" target="_blank">Jacob Whiteman</a> and would long remain in the Whiteman family. (There will be several more Whiteman connections as we go.) The western portion of Evan Rice the Elder's original 400 acre tract (which included the original homestead) was devised to Thomas for another of his sons -- Evan. Evan Rice did apparently reside on the property with his wife Elizabeth (Graham) and their seven children (one daughter and then six straight boys). It's not known exactly where this original Riis/Rice home stood, but it's very possible it was close to where a later home would be built.</p><p>After the younger Evan Rice's death in 1783, the farm was left to his widow for the remainder of her life, then it was to go equally to the six sons. One of the sons died in childhood, and in 1808 another -- Washington Rice -- bought out the shares from his other four brothers. Mother Elizabeth wouldn't pass away until 1810, so either Washington was planning ahead in consolidating ownership or perhaps the fact that Elizabeth had remarried (to Charles Springer of Milltown) took her out of the equation. In either case, Washington Rice became sole owner of the farm.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lpQpQChlx3SBu-4I1OZ3advbUA3b4U7cdk4FQE2pqf1AZl6VE3X6Udi0TZ42dLver_1_yKACqhztcVpvBXczGZFkBgMf1Tiuz_jPtmrgduaBGhUb1l0MRSs1-AiXb2PcImfAfheVody2B2p-3Kr79NS1jxRFm17M5NiFrjA5kHv0BMNgT_SR2tLOAw/s1013/1849%20map%20area.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="1013" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lpQpQChlx3SBu-4I1OZ3advbUA3b4U7cdk4FQE2pqf1AZl6VE3X6Udi0TZ42dLver_1_yKACqhztcVpvBXczGZFkBgMf1Tiuz_jPtmrgduaBGhUb1l0MRSs1-AiXb2PcImfAfheVody2B2p-3Kr79NS1jxRFm17M5NiFrjA5kHv0BMNgT_SR2tLOAw/w640-h390/1849%20map%20area.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joseph Eastburn's farm on the 1849 map, showing the house location across from the barn </td></tr></tbody></table><p>However, Washington Rice was a shopkeeper and businessman in Wilmington, so I don't think he regularly lived on the family farm. He <i>is</i> listed in MCH in the 1820 Census though, so he may have split his time between the two places. Whatever his situation, in 1830 the 127 year tenure of the Rice family on the property came to a close. Washington sold the 200 acre farm to a member of a family already well-known in the area -- the Eastburns. Specifically, the buyer was Joseph Eastburn, the eldest son of <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-family-of-david-and-elizabeth.html" target="_blank">David and Elizabeth Eastburn</a>.</p><p>Interestingly (at least to me), this was not the first connection between the families. Both of the prior sales were documented in the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-eastburn-homestead-part-1.html" target="_blank">first post about Eastburn Homestead</a>, although the Rice name was never specifically used. First, the original Eastburn home in Delaware -- the 150 acres in Milltown -- was purchased from the heirs of Thomas Springer. The land had previously been owned by his father, Charles Springer, who was the second husband of Elizabeth Rice (widow of Evan, and mother of Washington).</p><p>Secondly, the 200 acres that David Eastburn and Abel Jeanes purchased in 1816 (that included the lime kilns) was acquired from John Kinsey. Kinsey had bought it five years earlier from Mary Black, widow of Capt. James Black. Mrs. Mary Black was actually a Rice, and the land came from her father. Originally I thought she was the first child of Evan and Elizabeth (and some family trees have it this way), but the 1811 deed to Kinsey lists her as the only surviving child of an Evan Rice, but she was one of seven sisters. I now think her father may have been a much younger brother of Thomas (and son of Evan Rice the Elder). That would make her a "youthful aunt" to Washington Rice. So whatever the case, both of the Eastburn homesteads had direct connections to the Rice family.</p><p>When Joseph Eastburn bought the 200 acre Rice farm in March 1830, there was already a house and barn there, quite possibly dating back to Evan Rice the Elder in the early 1700's. My hunch is that Joseph had a new home and barn erected for himself, which took a little while to construct. In the 1830 Census (officially dated June 1), he seems to still be living in the Eastburn Family Homestead. By 1840 he's living separately, and brother David (who wouldn't <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-history-of-david-eastburn-farm.html" target="_blank">build his own home</a> until 1857) is the head of household on the home farm. The only remaining structure from Joseph Eastburn's tenure on his new farm is his c.1830 stone barn, standing on the south side of Pleasant Hill Road. His house was very likely almost directly across the road from the barn, and probably built either in 1830 or a few years later.</p><p>If Joseph moved to his new farm right away, he did so as a single man. It's also possible that he built his house and moved in closer to his wedding, on New Years Day 1835. He literally married the girl next door -- Mary Ann Whiteman, daughter of Jacob Whiteman, the man who bought the other half of the original 400 acre Rice estate in 1799. Sadly though, although they probably knew each other since 1816, Joseph and Mary Ann did not have much time together as man and wife. About two weeks after giving birth to their first child, Franklin, in July 1836, Mary Ann died.</p><p>As men often did at the time, especially with young children, Joseph remarried quickly, to Susan Pennock in May 1837. She was <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">from another family that would become prominent in MCH. Her brother Lewis bought the farm along today's Kirkwood Highway where Green Valley is now, and Lewis' son Pusey would later own the mill complex at Milltown. Maybe not coincidentally, Susan's grandfather, Joseph Pennock, <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2016/06/filling-in-gaps-at-robinson-harlan.html" target="_blank">had partial ownership of the Milltown site</a> in the 1770's. Joseph Eastburn's grandson Joseph C. (through </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">first son, Franklin), would later buy the </span><a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-denney-morrison-farm-part-ii.html" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Denny-Morrison Farm</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> and be responsible for creating neighboring Eastburn Acres.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Joseph, Susan, and their family probably lived on the 200 acre farm until about 1844, where he farmed and also co-ran the lime business with his <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2011/03/abel-jeanes-strong-and-complicated-man.html" target="_blank">Uncle Abel Jeanes</a>. About that time Jeanes left the area and Joseph moved into his uncle's home, adjoining the Eastburn Homestead. He likely leased the old Rice farm for the next dozen or so years, until 1856 when he sold it...but not out of the family. The new owners were his sister and brother-in-law, Elizabeth and William Bell. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHetTwsCGPt1LuzSknVT2dsD_Uu0kNW0U59IY0urHZNP53Wkk3sZ2-g85X7zlGKf_fYRYpdSLiKR0NAIzRD6OL1dV27dYKEv4jinrQB9fS2wHqlq2SSGDeEDKyFPmTQrP-nXwireoNyF327YceHvTqIDEbgcoZFe53WYTrPHtRP00o0i_AM87w0nqvTw/s834/1868%20map%20area.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="834" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHetTwsCGPt1LuzSknVT2dsD_Uu0kNW0U59IY0urHZNP53Wkk3sZ2-g85X7zlGKf_fYRYpdSLiKR0NAIzRD6OL1dV27dYKEv4jinrQB9fS2wHqlq2SSGDeEDKyFPmTQrP-nXwireoNyF327YceHvTqIDEbgcoZFe53WYTrPHtRP00o0i_AM87w0nqvTw/w640-h504/1868%20map%20area.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1868 map showing both William Bell's home (called, at least on this map, Bellvieu),<br />the tenant house further south, and the A.J. Whiteman house below the new road</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">The Bells had lived in Philadelphia, but now moved onto their new farm at Pleasant Hill. They lived there with their four children, and over the ensuing years Bell acquired another Eastburn Farm (on the east side of Polly Drummond Hill Road below Old Coach Road) and sold off small pieces of his own farm. The largest chunk that William Bell sold was a 21 acre parcel to Henry Whiteman in 1860. This was on the southern end of the farm and I think may have been prompted by the construction of the "New Road to Wilmington", later called Smith Mill Road. I believe the 21 acres were on the south side of the new road. Henry sold the parcel four years later to his brother Andrew Jackson Whiteman, who <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-whiteman-family-revisited-part-2.html" target="_blank">built a home there</a> that still stands today.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">After William Bell's death in the early 1870's the Orphans Court put the remainder of his land up for sale, and it was purchased by his son David E. Bell in 1874. I don't think David bought it for his own farming use, because as of 1880 he's listed in the Census as a carpenter, living probably between Ashland and Brackenville. With no use for the old family farm, he did sell it off in several pieces. Sometime prior to 1860, his father had built a tenant house on the southeast corner of the farm, on the northwest corner of Paper Mill and Smith Mill Roads. David sold that house and 12 acres to John Robinson in 1875. He then sold 90 acres -- what I think was essentially the southwest half of the farm -- to William and Sarah Armstrong. This was another of those "in the family" sales, as Sarah was David's sister.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkoAhoWXzc20yV6dcdCkcVrw5FKhUPk-zKeH870iqR767rfAYnOKg8HuBcYnDWvsKfMKjDIy5lCDxYU6T5ogQe3TWgVYj-HWyEMAQ_hk8Xiz8dHaWezWHxdJ5Ax_Oys6Q7s_-MZLeNZhp3zm76nl6qDdQCceTO8YTR4qsL2K01z86qCLWxoesSv6GVkw/s722/1881%20map%20area.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="722" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkoAhoWXzc20yV6dcdCkcVrw5FKhUPk-zKeH870iqR767rfAYnOKg8HuBcYnDWvsKfMKjDIy5lCDxYU6T5ogQe3TWgVYj-HWyEMAQ_hk8Xiz8dHaWezWHxdJ5Ax_Oys6Q7s_-MZLeNZhp3zm76nl6qDdQCceTO8YTR4qsL2K01z86qCLWxoesSv6GVkw/w640-h556/1881%20map%20area.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1881 map, showing David Bell now owning the main farm, his brother-in-law<br />William Armstrong now with 90 acres, and John Robinson owning the tenant house</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">The end of the Bell name on the property finally came in 1881, when David Bell sold the remaining 93 acres (and the house and barn) to Stephen Davis of Wilmington. Davis was also a carpenter, so perhaps he and Bell knew each other professionally. It does appear that Davis moved himself and his family out and became a farmer, but the way I know that is tragic. To put it bluntly, Davis bought the farm in February, and "bought the farm" in October. He died of typhoid fever, but was listed as a farmer in Pleasant Hill on the death record. With the timing and the absence of the 1890 Census, it's unclear to me if the family remained on the farm for a while or if the moved back to Wilmington right away. In either case, Stephen's widow Edith sold the farm in 1891 to Harley A. Mousley.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Mousley was originally from Brandywine Hundred, and I think grew up in a house that may still stand on Carr Road near Silverside Road. In 1880 he was single and working on a farm near Centreville, but in July 1889 he married Ida Petitdemange (who happened to be his first cousin -- her mother Catherine Mousley Petitdemange was Harley's aunt). Two years later he purchased the farm from Edith Davis and 1892 saw the arrival of the Mousley's first daughter, Catherine (Katie). Katie would live her whole life in the Pleasant Hill/Corner Ketch area, marrying neighbor Clarence Dempsey in 1916. Second daughter Sarah (1899) would stay with her parents until her own marriage in 1936 to Norris Thornbury.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVUhlX88ECZlpo-mNkbIrN-Wd2fwIohN9idhhI_ErFcBXxieCqDBT7AwUKgwBhy7uwYmgOINeXgz0YjtGmlu5iEo5y41Ogo9pgS3q6aJIXS7Q-QHij9InF2YP2askuET5RusFqCcH6XU7NSMkf2puWPqjhJ2IwO8uzcziETjTiynk4MUedDai514myg/s995/1893%20map%20area.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="995" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVUhlX88ECZlpo-mNkbIrN-Wd2fwIohN9idhhI_ErFcBXxieCqDBT7AwUKgwBhy7uwYmgOINeXgz0YjtGmlu5iEo5y41Ogo9pgS3q6aJIXS7Q-QHij9InF2YP2askuET5RusFqCcH6XU7NSMkf2puWPqjhJ2IwO8uzcziETjTiynk4MUedDai514myg/w640-h526/1893%20map%20area.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And finally the 1893 map with Harley Mousley in place. The Newark China Clay<br />site would be due east of the house, just across Muddy (Middle) Run</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">The Mousleys would live on and work their farm for nearly 40 years, becoming active members of the community. Among other things, they were active at Ebenezer Methodist Church and Harley was a member of the Red Men, whose hall was at Corner Ketch next to Dempsey's Store. Perhaps one of the more interesting developments in the area came in 1912, when Mousley sold four acres of the northeastern end of his farm to Victor Ullman, who then set up the </span><a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-newark-china-clay-company.html" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Newark China Clay Company</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> there. Mousley also leased some of the surrounding fields for clay-digging purposes, and received a payout on the clay removed. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">The Mousleys remained on the farm until 1929, when they sold it to the Equitable Trust Company. As noted at the top of the post, Equitable Trust was buying up farms for S. Hallock du Pont, who officially acquired the property (and at least 36 others) in 1930. It appears that Joseph Eastburn's old house was likely torn down soon afterwards. The land became part of du Pont's massive Whitely Farms estate, which he used and enjoyed until his death in 1974. By the early 1990's Hallock's heirs were looking to sell a very large chunk of it -- about half of the 2000 total acres -- for financial and tax reasons. The initial plan was to develop much of the area with housing, retail space, and quite a bit of office space. So much space in fact, that had the plan been carried out it would have equaled one eighth of the existing office space in New Castle County at the time.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSwzHBWeqVq5iL2VEJni3Uy87fwqpSszF_Bah_F2GJU-wZAXS_QfG8rmNFMARg2cJayouW__E4c2_NykEwwB97cX5wmWj8OslCzxLmph7p0oDE7wZOqCoHwF40LKsL4DNfZZQO8IhLFVwW2GKRkomBw-YrAYukrtjbPPKe-_o4ipdxInwCTklVU50aQ/s624/1992%20whitely%20farms%20plan.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="623" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSwzHBWeqVq5iL2VEJni3Uy87fwqpSszF_Bah_F2GJU-wZAXS_QfG8rmNFMARg2cJayouW__E4c2_NykEwwB97cX5wmWj8OslCzxLmph7p0oDE7wZOqCoHwF40LKsL4DNfZZQO8IhLFVwW2GKRkomBw-YrAYukrtjbPPKe-_o4ipdxInwCTklVU50aQ/w399-h400/1992%20whitely%20farms%20plan.jpg" width="399" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1992 plan for the development of Whitely Farms</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Although the du Ponts worked closely with local civic groups and politicians, and had their eventual support, none of the retail or commercial spaces were ever built. The only development that <i>was</i> done was the residential subdivision of Middle Run Crossing, on the east side of Paper Mill Road. The land directly north of it was eventually sold to NCC and became Paper Mill Park. The land on the west side of Paper Mill Road was sold through the 1990's in several parcels to the state, and now is part of White Clay Creek State Park.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">The park is a fantastic oasis of over 3600 undeveloped acres, crisscrossed with more than 37 miles of trails. There are many tales to be told of the numerous former farms that comprise the parkland and many historical treasures hidden within it. The Eastburn-Bell Farm is just a small part of the long history of this beautiful area, and one that began as part of a large tract, got broken up, then ultimately ended up as part of an even larger private, then public conglomeration.</span></p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-42581940297485891042023-02-23T15:31:00.000-05:002023-02-23T15:31:06.050-05:00Camp Wright<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4Cx534hhdnAxdK072IoCOlsi5s_Rp5yjvQPKghKdoBuW1VPxMjVIOcNv2CqGS8-WM94Ftac-AnE_PiOk5rFC2yGR_zUbdD4qVv-GJ3F0o47W3HQsWa9MLfHshh_B59pXAf-YprE28t6_h908ia8n1Eq1JJ_OxKoohKnWOWaoPn0Jgir9_qmhrYcXMw/s901/arts%20crafts%20bunkhouse%202007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="901" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4Cx534hhdnAxdK072IoCOlsi5s_Rp5yjvQPKghKdoBuW1VPxMjVIOcNv2CqGS8-WM94Ftac-AnE_PiOk5rFC2yGR_zUbdD4qVv-GJ3F0o47W3HQsWa9MLfHshh_B59pXAf-YprE28t6_h908ia8n1Eq1JJ_OxKoohKnWOWaoPn0Jgir9_qmhrYcXMw/w400-h268/arts%20crafts%20bunkhouse%202007.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Arts and Crafts/Bunk House, with<br />Bunk House #2 in the background</td></tr></tbody></table>To be sure, there are lots of sites (standing and gone) in Mill Creek Hundred that were special to various grown-ups over the years -- the homes where they raised their families, the mills or barns where they spent their days, the churches they worshiped in. But there are three MCH sites in particular that come to mind as holding a special place in the hearts of thousands of children -- <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2010/09/brandywine-springs-amusement-park.html" target="_blank">Brandywine Springs Amusement Park</a>, <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2017/05/camp-mattahoon.html" target="_blank">Camp Mattahoon</a>, and the subject of this story, Camp Wright. We've covered the first two in previous posts, so now we'll give Camp Wright its due.</p><p>What became known as Camp Wright sits on a seven acre tract along the west side of Mill Creek Road, across from the end of Graves Road (and just south of Mendenhall Mill Road). For nearly 80 years it served as a pastoral oasis for thousands of Wilmington's underprivileged children, if only for a week or two at a time. Speaking of the site, one article in 1929 said, "Perhaps there is no spot in Delaware where there is more happiness confined in a small space than at the Children's Camp near Hockessin." And though Camp Wright is a part of the 20th Century history of Mill Creek Hundred, its origins go through Brandywine Hundred and ultimately back to post Civil War Wilmington.</p><p>In the aftermath of the war, benevolent and special aid societies popped up all over the country, so many that by the 1880's there began to be some consolidation of these charitable organizations. Locally in 1884, several of these groups merged to form the Associated Charities of Wilmington, with the goal of better coordinating services for the city's underprivileged. One of the programs, which began in 1889, was the idea of sending poor city kids (and their mothers) to spend time "out in the country". This soon morphed into the idea of summer camps for children, which: 1) gave them rural experiences, 2) got them out of the unhealthy city for a time, 3) allowed them access to better food and exercise, 4) and not least of all, gave their parents a break, too.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Well into the 1910's, Associated Charities was still sending mothers and children to various farms in places like Centreville and to one called Wayside Farm near Talleyville (I haven't figured out exactly where that one was). However, in 1917 the organization began leasing a farm on Beaver Valley Road near Smith's Bridge, and there set up a Children's Camp. They would send children in groups of about twenty, sometimes two groups at a time, free of charge to the campers. They carried this on for a few years, but then began to look for a more suitable and convenient location.</p><p>They narrowed in on a site in late 1919, and in February 1920 Associated Charities purchased 87 acres along Mill Creek from widow Edna Wilson. This was the bulk of what had been one of the Springer Farms, whose earlier history <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-real-story-of-huston-springer-houses.html" target="_blank">was detailed in a prior post</a>. Two of the reasons given for the choice were communication and transportation. The cost was too high to have telephone lines run to the Beaver Valley Road site, and the Hockessin site was right on the trolley line. That's a little ironic, since the trolley in question, <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-trolleys-of-brandywine-springs_15.html" target="_blank">the Kennett Trolley</a>, would fold and cease operations in 1923 (just before the second season of camp there).</p><p>The group's lease on the Beaver Valley Road site extended through the 1920 season, so camp was held there that year. Money became a bit short the next year and the Mill Creek site was not yet ready, so no camps were held anywhere in the summer of 1921. Luckily though, at just the right time, along to the rescue came another event that I'll bet most of you have attended at one time or another -- the Flower Market.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0e25P0h2GZEabbq3HkvNpijiKUDYm7yQ29MUD3fXrk3vh2zjq-LSe2QzxatLQzZtw28Cx4tmik3u7fImuY9PgkPQV243JMEe-jBt8IUXbUUi7bhzTENEvwrx2LjsejdnTXduS_j1a_6c7G5cn1xSs32LuIrYFsxd-OkC9xvEiw3n8Qty98lqlrcVTIA/s749/1922-8-30%20first%20year%20at%20hockessin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="457" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0e25P0h2GZEabbq3HkvNpijiKUDYm7yQ29MUD3fXrk3vh2zjq-LSe2QzxatLQzZtw28Cx4tmik3u7fImuY9PgkPQV243JMEe-jBt8IUXbUUi7bhzTENEvwrx2LjsejdnTXduS_j1a_6c7G5cn1xSs32LuIrYFsxd-OkC9xvEiw3n8Qty98lqlrcVTIA/w390-h640/1922-8-30%20first%20year%20at%20hockessin.jpg" width="390" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An August 1922 account of the first year at<br />what would soon be called Camp Wright</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The first Wilmington Flower Market was held in May 1921, and one of the beneficiaries of the event was the Associated Charities Children's Camp fund. It was such a success, and getting the new camp up and running for the next summer such a priority, that in 1922 all of the Flower Market's proceeds went towards the camp. Wilmington folks must have bought enough flowers, because the new camp did indeed open to campers on July 26, 1922. In all, 125 children between the ages of 5 and 12 attended the camp that first year, each group of about 20 camping for a week.</p><p>That first season, the Children's Camp (as it was still known) had only one permanent building, probably what would later be called the Arts and Crafts/Bunkhouse (seen at the top of the post in its later days). There were separate boys and girls dormitories, separated by the caretakers quarters in between (I believe, especially then, that the boys and girls were there on different weeks). For a dining hall they used a canvas tent donated by the Delaware State Fair. Over the ensuing years more buildings would be erected, eventually totaling about eleven. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YCRrbHPGInZ2iQ447kxTEm6epbdKxDaMmUYELeX9-zhQgpAW70bJHvNMH-5l3qK40cm5d69JMR9gdrlyEt20Tbnm7XDQIwjo3wRhGpmQYEMYSEVWmHTmCFlx4b6NnA1cwXbN8VN3D9NvAKWNy9XAZNpMZ4eMuJ2HCuDRODVB3JK4xU9DFhoHZqFE3A/s633/Bunk%20House%201%202007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="633" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YCRrbHPGInZ2iQ447kxTEm6epbdKxDaMmUYELeX9-zhQgpAW70bJHvNMH-5l3qK40cm5d69JMR9gdrlyEt20Tbnm7XDQIwjo3wRhGpmQYEMYSEVWmHTmCFlx4b6NnA1cwXbN8VN3D9NvAKWNy9XAZNpMZ4eMuJ2HCuDRODVB3JK4xU9DFhoHZqFE3A/w640-h386/Bunk%20House%201%202007.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bunk House #1, in 2007</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPlf4UOOIOVzfu3q8vFuOspW6peLqhF829gDHey4C2R5o3OIog-T4yKYIAog4t3lrUCoQ2mvaafg0xtLaGfU9QRejEwfvQ2HxhfndAvcvX_RLEZsO7WjozRqAqSBanHDsviDF0_U6g7e7jPy0_sjE3fyH1yrf_ywbUuyVgA9wmKOXFk7PVeJOENsHeA/s559/Kitchen-Dining%20Hall%202007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="559" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPlf4UOOIOVzfu3q8vFuOspW6peLqhF829gDHey4C2R5o3OIog-T4yKYIAog4t3lrUCoQ2mvaafg0xtLaGfU9QRejEwfvQ2HxhfndAvcvX_RLEZsO7WjozRqAqSBanHDsviDF0_U6g7e7jPy0_sjE3fyH1yrf_ywbUuyVgA9wmKOXFk7PVeJOENsHeA/w640-h476/Kitchen-Dining%20Hall%202007.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kitchen/Dining Hall, in 2007</td></tr></tbody></table><p>After running the Children's Camp at the Mill Creek site for two seasons, Associated Charities decided that they had no need for the entire farm they had purchased, so in early 1924 they sold 80 acres of it, only holding on to the seven acres down on Mill Creek Road and along the creek itself (which is still the property today). For the 1925 season a new dormitory (I think what's now known as Bunkhouse #1) was built and the Kitchen/Dining Hall enlarged, so that the camp could double its seasonal capacity to 300 deserving children. 1928 saw two big changes to the camp. The big one for the kids was the installation of new playground equipment.</p><p>The other change was in the name. Peter T. and wife Mary Wright had been active with Associated Charities for years, and more specifically with the Children's Camp. (Mary came from several prominent families -- her grandfather Mahlon Betts cofounded what would become shipbuilder Harlan and Hollingsworth, and her mother was a Tatnall.) A certified public accountant who did work for the organization, Mr. Wright was also a frequent visitor to the camp and was universally beloved by the children there. He passed away in February 1928, and that summer the children unanimously voted to rename the site Camp Wright. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jxA2PcWLS-UadfdkUNQaVbkilM7LMDXsLaoLdfIEI6g3DDiXp3ZPFArHW54ZtyTjd-Ky8VETrs8-WJo1lv5bDJ_TOrxKtE8CijrEyKWPfGGhCi5KEOlMJVWy9KVs3a3xx_U_gmSggS1awZUvL0WG73fZfVgTRETsehT0PhV3msxgbi7MXlrau-akIQ/s2014/1929-6-26%20health%20checks.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2014" data-original-width="1226" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jxA2PcWLS-UadfdkUNQaVbkilM7LMDXsLaoLdfIEI6g3DDiXp3ZPFArHW54ZtyTjd-Ky8VETrs8-WJo1lv5bDJ_TOrxKtE8CijrEyKWPfGGhCi5KEOlMJVWy9KVs3a3xx_U_gmSggS1awZUvL0WG73fZfVgTRETsehT0PhV3msxgbi7MXlrau-akIQ/w390-h640/1929-6-26%20health%20checks.jpg" width="390" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Children getting health checks, June 1929</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It should be noted again in sending kids to the camp, their physical health was among the top priorities. The children were often malnourished, a problem which only got worse during the Great Depression of the 1930's. Unlike how it would be today, camp organizers were happy to report that many children gained weight while at the camp. For many of the kids, the meals they got at Camp Wright were among the best they had all year. Additionally, as seen above, all prospective campers had to pass health screenings (mostly for communicable diseases) before being accepted.</p><p>In March 1931, Associated Charities changed its name to The Family Society, which they thought better reflected the work that they did. Camp Wright continued to operate every summer throughout the Depression, when arguably it was needed even more. Besides the food and activities, each child was provided with all the amenities they would need. Upon arrival, they were given overalls, pajamas, blankets, towels, washcloths, soap, comb and brush, and a toothbrush. All but the toothbrush were returned at the end of their stay.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dI7re1eKXjI0lzEJlJJwJ0Syne8CyRrJVeSdq3jp1RnSMl9fB54UZdxgfOCzeM2Swe9pCXbPlDV7XQBcSGV9y6l0zhjhQNKazBb_uDfQJMrGbQ8u0T6-RcXC4hA8XVQiEjw_BhCjXhgZ_qkgWc_Cxwdxc9YL90BCIq9VnSuk7EiH3kcCCV6cj6U4xA/s1123/1944-5-6%20camp%20buildings.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="1123" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dI7re1eKXjI0lzEJlJJwJ0Syne8CyRrJVeSdq3jp1RnSMl9fB54UZdxgfOCzeM2Swe9pCXbPlDV7XQBcSGV9y6l0zhjhQNKazBb_uDfQJMrGbQ8u0T6-RcXC4hA8XVQiEjw_BhCjXhgZ_qkgWc_Cxwdxc9YL90BCIq9VnSuk7EiH3kcCCV6cj6U4xA/w640-h373/1944-5-6%20camp%20buildings.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buildings of Camp Wright, May 1944 (from left to <strike>wright</strike> right): Gawthrop Hall,<br />Bunk House #1, the Kitchen/Dining Hall, and the Arts and Crafts/Bunk House.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As of the 1935 season there were still only three permanent buildings at the camp (according to an extensive newspaper article), but several would soon be built. One, as seen in the 1944 photo above, was Gawthrop Hall, which I think was an all-purpose building for the kids. It may well have been the new "crafts cabin" mentioned in a July 1942 article (and still funded by the Flower Market). There was also Bunk House #2 (built on the hillside behind the other structures in 1950), the Washroom (directly behind the original buildings), the Caretaker's House (slightly northwest, on the hillside), the Medical Building (closer to the road), and the Gatehouse (at the entrance). A documentation survey done of the site in 2007 assumes that most of the buildings were constructed in the 1920's, but as best as I can tell from contemporary reports, that doesn't seem to be the case. </p><p>The next big improvement at the camp was in 1954. Prior to that, a swimming "pool" had been created in Mill Creek by damming the waterway. There was actually a deeper section for the bigger kids and a shallower wading area for the little ones. But in July 1954, a brand new, honest-to-goodness concrete swimming pool was dedicated. This made swimming and swim instruction easier for all. The other change announced late in 1954 was that starting the following year, the Family Society would turn over the operation of the camp to the West End Neighborhood House under a three year lease. In addition to the normal summer children's camp, the facilities would now be available year-round for other programs.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqentQXnb_bBlbeYdgW4WhemJsLVCjOIiy0EKQdUin3WTsQz4jjxYRZsbepID0uWJLTO4i9gtkL-sizrfZz1O450m4QilXV2Vc0Wt1uAg0XsJsF7Dd-niC_iD_JZpiUEDYXShCy1TB71qjM7MyRWVbBedAMg5v3SyTN8UBqtHdJoJQaX-Y5-gNRCtSow/s716/1948-4-29%20swimming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="716" height="608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqentQXnb_bBlbeYdgW4WhemJsLVCjOIiy0EKQdUin3WTsQz4jjxYRZsbepID0uWJLTO4i9gtkL-sizrfZz1O450m4QilXV2Vc0Wt1uAg0XsJsF7Dd-niC_iD_JZpiUEDYXShCy1TB71qjM7MyRWVbBedAMg5v3SyTN8UBqtHdJoJQaX-Y5-gNRCtSow/w640-h608/1948-4-29%20swimming.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old "swimming pool", created by a dam in Mill Creek (1948)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KgJOTlfMWAqq_wPHzda9_3nRvlQ3ygAv8Iu_sAs59mh3GaxZwS-EJdIpwk2TiVyiJboRctmZ5qajkRTXmk9C1Vcq7_X0hNNqO0oKwfz8d1I8Zw5TWlWQTekc1mUxaW9ew-MyJbEkquekRCqBKfj1WUoStBszQqgfb-HIUOlArFI8I8Mpl4Ce2nWU8Q/s1705/1954-7-19%20new%20pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1705" data-original-width="1649" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KgJOTlfMWAqq_wPHzda9_3nRvlQ3ygAv8Iu_sAs59mh3GaxZwS-EJdIpwk2TiVyiJboRctmZ5qajkRTXmk9C1Vcq7_X0hNNqO0oKwfz8d1I8Zw5TWlWQTekc1mUxaW9ew-MyJbEkquekRCqBKfj1WUoStBszQqgfb-HIUOlArFI8I8Mpl4Ce2nWU8Q/w618-h640/1954-7-19%20new%20pool.jpg" width="618" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1954 dedication of the new concrete swimming pool</td></tr></tbody></table><p>A second lease was signed in 1957 between the West End Neighborhood House and the Family Service of Northern Delaware, which the Family Society had become in 1956. However, in 1958 a long-term lease was worked out, and the West End Neighborhood House eventually bought the property outright in 1972. Although the camp was open to children from all over Wilmington, the West End Neighborhood House gave priority to kids from the community they serviced, which was originally largely Italian-American. As the community changed, African-American children were finally allowed to use the camp in the early 1960's. There had been public complaints about the lack of inclusion and diversity in the 1950's, but the explanation (excuse?) was about what they thought the community found acceptable.</p><p>Throughout the 1960's and 70's, Camp Wright continued to be used for various programs, including the summer overnight camps. The last of those seem to have been around 1980, but retreats and day camps carried on (including some for senior citizens). Through much of the 1990's, the Wilmington Jaycees set up a haunted house there, called Camp Fright. This seems to have started just after the next major renovation of the camp in 1993, when many of the buildings were raised and put on piers. </p><p>This was done for a good reason, and might have bought the camp a few more years at the end. Being situated along Mill Creek, the camp always had to deal with occasional flooding. However, two events four years apart signaled its end. In September 1999, flooding from Hurricane Floyd did extensive damage to the site, but not beyond the point of repair. Four years later, though, the devastation from Tropical Storm Henri was too much. The damage to the raised buildings could be repaired, but the needed repairs to the bridge, parking lot, and roadway were beyond the charitable group's means. In 2005, the West End Neighborhood House sold the land to New Castle County.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMl1Juh50SW3hECABaxA6-gcemd2-LDE9xK2B1GVJM_rBLZF9oYJsKobl2g1F5BthHk86krcGYyi8QRedUB4HK5Zi-_Vfqrv9c2i8eNXx_SqgUYAgQFCV80uhRjZcrwhcaSHtZkUDgDRwer6uDFsTOPno0uv5Ni9OC4un4nNOg96ao8xSqSr5oIp9mg/s1000/arts%20crafts%20bunkhouse%202022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1000" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMl1Juh50SW3hECABaxA6-gcemd2-LDE9xK2B1GVJM_rBLZF9oYJsKobl2g1F5BthHk86krcGYyi8QRedUB4HK5Zi-_Vfqrv9c2i8eNXx_SqgUYAgQFCV80uhRjZcrwhcaSHtZkUDgDRwer6uDFsTOPno0uv5Ni9OC4un4nNOg96ao8xSqSr5oIp9mg/w640-h430/arts%20crafts%20bunkhouse%202022.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Arts and Crafts/Bunk House in 2022</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihynpDYHCYu4yXKDBAXAfnFtA7o-dc9oIy1p6M2Us-AcoDzJevo-sVd4EiL1BounQSRo24nmPDZBuoARdKv04i-FvdIotcttFpuzG__x7uN3npHuvgxGpG_HehlRXNzK-PPyLdlAhGdGBD87b097qg4gLTKJ6S87P6PaexpBtsHq6u6qrVNiCFc5s86Q/s814/Gawthrop%20Hall%202022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="814" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihynpDYHCYu4yXKDBAXAfnFtA7o-dc9oIy1p6M2Us-AcoDzJevo-sVd4EiL1BounQSRo24nmPDZBuoARdKv04i-FvdIotcttFpuzG__x7uN3npHuvgxGpG_HehlRXNzK-PPyLdlAhGdGBD87b097qg4gLTKJ6S87P6PaexpBtsHq6u6qrVNiCFc5s86Q/w640-h428/Gawthrop%20Hall%202022.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gawthrop Hall in 2022</td></tr></tbody></table><p>After that, the property was more or less just left to sit and rot. The pool was demolished and filled in in 2006, but the rest of the buildings were left to the elements. A 2007 survey showed them to be in decent enough condition, but when the county commissioned another such look in 2022, it was a whole different story. Pretty much all the structures had deteriorated to the point that it would have taken millions of dollars to repair them and make them safe to use. Unfortunately by that point there was no choice but to raze the buildings. The only structure on the property to be saved was a stone springhouse that long predated the camp. [<i>The color photos in this post were taken from the reports commissioned by NCC in 2007 (prepared by McCormick Taylor, Inc.) and in 2022 (prepared by Steinle Construction Engineers). They are <a href="https://www3.newcastlede.gov/Project/Details/Default.aspx?ProjectKey=740124" target="_blank">available online here</a>. If anyone involved has any issues with my use of the photos, please contact me and we can address the issue.</i>]</p><p>As of the writing of this post, I believe the work of removing the buildings has commenced (and may even be done). The plan is for the site to be incorporated into the Mill Creek Greenways system, and to be connected to pathways just south along Mill Creek and Mill Creek Road. A new, higher bridge over the creek should already be in place, and there was talk of interpretive historic signs around the site. The grounds of the former Children's Camp/Camp Peter T. Wright will still be available to young and old alike, and if you listen closely you might even hear the echoes of generations of city kids making memories they'd cherish for the rest of their lives.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-85861806432474974182023-02-06T09:52:00.000-05:002023-02-06T09:52:12.736-05:00The Samuel Hanby Brown House<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKIEY_crE3Tkt5esYKXG5PoXG6pmxaN4Wkg8CwJstdtkugEh2SYgPfyPKuYDvKupiP6Z-HIspDHGtPEQt76V6grHdl1gq01rSBXHs7chb-d50C63L1nhlkTAJiKGeDqQzfN-jn4jd-HG0ymE48adQsikIVB4GlBsI614iEhrr1JSYe0LV6dpR2d_YLQ/s1845/The%20Brown%20home%20at%20Talleyville.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1227" data-original-width="1845" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKIEY_crE3Tkt5esYKXG5PoXG6pmxaN4Wkg8CwJstdtkugEh2SYgPfyPKuYDvKupiP6Z-HIspDHGtPEQt76V6grHdl1gq01rSBXHs7chb-d50C63L1nhlkTAJiKGeDqQzfN-jn4jd-HG0ymE48adQsikIVB4GlBsI614iEhrr1JSYe0LV6dpR2d_YLQ/w400-h266/The%20Brown%20home%20at%20Talleyville.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Samuel H. Brown House in Talleyville</td></tr></tbody></table>In this post we're going to travel out of Mill Creek Hundred to visit Brandywine Hundred, and more specifically, Talleyville. This story functions both as a follow-up to the posts a while back about the Taylors (<a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-taylors-ofall-over-place-part-1.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-taylors-ofall-over-place-part-2.html" target="_blank">here</a>) and as my own little memorial. The owner of the house we'll eventually be looking at -- Samuel Hanby Brown -- was married to a member of the Taylor family. One of their grandsons happens to have been my father-in-law, who we recently lost. This story's for you, Dave.<p></p><p>The house in question no longer stands, but I'm sure that many of you have passed right through where it once was. And though the story will end in Talleyville (the area around Concord Pike (Rt. 202) and Silverside Road), we'll begin a few decades earlier, in Christiana Hundred. That was where, in the 1840's, the eponymous Samuel Hanby Brown's great grandfather Joseph Brown owned and worked his 85 acre farm. It was situated just north of Mt. Cuba, right where the Fieldstone Golf Course is today. Since I was curious, I decided to take a quick, simple look into when the family might have first arrived on this particular farm. The search ended up being neither quick nor simple -- but it was very informative (and I ended up possibly pushing my wife's family tree back to her 7th great grandfather).</p><p>Since these things tend to be more clear going forward in time, we'll jump back to 1750 to begin our abbreviated trip though the history of the tract. That's the earliest I've been able to prove that a man named William Kirkpatrick owned a farm in Christiana Hundred. With the help of several wonderfully detailed deeds, we know that in 1788, 150 acres of the recently deceased Kirkpatrick's land was granted to Ann Wallace (presumably his daughter). By 1792, Ann's husband Thomas Wallace had died and she sold the tract to William Johnston, who is stated to be her son (by a previous marriage?). William Johnston died in 1834 without a will, and his real estate then passed to his only child, Ann. Back around 1815 or so, Ann had married Joseph Brown.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>It seems likely that the couple first lived in Chester County (closer to Joseph's family), but then probably moved to the Christiana Hundred farm after Johnston's death in 1834. There they raised 5 children, before Joseph Brown's death in 1848. In the 1850 Census Ann M. Brown is listed on the farm with four children, ages 12-18. Several households over is her eldest son William J. Brown and his family, possibly leasing a neighboring farm. William moved his family to Pennsylvania prior to 1860, and two years after his mother Ann died in 1866, he sold the 85 acre Christiana Hundred farm to Otley Vernon. Thus ended the Browns in Christiana Hundred (and yes, if you're keeping score, the land went from William to Ann to William to Ann to William). And in a wonderful coincidence, in the April 2, 1868 newspaper notice of the Brown to Vernon sale, the next sale mentioned is a 47 acre farm in Talleyville, sold to a Neal Duffy. Remember that one for later.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBi80XqLq5F5Hlqo03PhkDR1D0BniBX70aXIOU0a1UYo2nbi3ykONv4OzFb76hxOe56lG3FeDWUS58gEwJi19s9DPoIytSp6pbqEpNkmP3bvjDl1lYOUsGspJawRBiCCOW_gJSS1UfNyJ5yHIA8kVIhadZyZQ_LugudZHDbn9U7u2CnfTomv431cg1Q/s513/1868-4-2%20brown%20selling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="513" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBi80XqLq5F5Hlqo03PhkDR1D0BniBX70aXIOU0a1UYo2nbi3ykONv4OzFb76hxOe56lG3FeDWUS58gEwJi19s9DPoIytSp6pbqEpNkmP3bvjDl1lYOUsGspJawRBiCCOW_gJSS1UfNyJ5yHIA8kVIhadZyZQ_LugudZHDbn9U7u2CnfTomv431cg1Q/s16000/1868-4-2%20brown%20selling.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">April 2, 1868 notice of the sale by William J. Brown of the old family<br />farm near Mt. Cuba. Unrelated but coincidentally, in the early 1880's his<br />son Pusey would buy the 47 acre farm listed directly beneath </td></tr></tbody></table><p>William J. Brown and family's first farm in Pennsylvania was in Birmingham Township, just southeast of Chadds Ford. I don't know if the name was around in Brown's time, but the farm (on Heyburn Road) was later known as Keepsake Farm. In 1876, Brown sold this 66 acre farm to William Slaughter and by 1880 is listed in Thornbury Township, which is on the east side of Rt 202, north of Rt 1.</p><p>More importantly for us, though, is the fact that in 1872 his son Joseph C. Brown married Rebecca Hanby, whose father Samuel Hanby had extensive holdings in Brandywine Hundred. They probably first lived on and farmed part of her father's land, which was centered around what was known as Hanby's Corners -- the vicinity of Naamans, Marsh, Darley, and Zebley Roads. However, on April 18, 1885, Joseph purchased from William Talley a 1½ acre lot, located on the west side of the Wilmington and Great Valley Turnpike (Concord Pike), and built a new house there. The lot was in the area even then known as Talleyville, and more specifically sat right about where the TD Bank is now. (In that now divided stretch of 202, the original road was what's now the northbound lanes.)</p><p>The reason Joseph C. Brown only needed a 1½ acre lot for his home is that he was no longer farming. In his new Talleyville location, Brown set himself up as a butcher and shopkeeper. The question though, is why he decided to move to Talleyville. It's possible that he was drawn there by his brother Pusey Brown. Back in 1881, Pusey purchased 40 acres along the turnpike from Neal Duffy. This was most of the farm (which included a frame house and stone barn) that Duffy had bought in 1868 (as mentioned a few paragraphs ago.) Then in 1884, Brown purchased the remaining seven acres from Duffy -- a parcel bounded by the turnpike, Brown's other land, and on the north by "the Road leading from Centreville to Claymont" (Silverside Road). This property also contained a frame house and a stable (which, again, we'll get back to in a moment). The Irish immigrant Duffy was now in his early 60's and probably retiring from farming. It's possible that the house on the corner was built by or for Duffy for his retirement years.</p><p>Joseph C. Brown, meanwhile, continued to work as a butcher and shopkeeper, and in 1898 was named postmaster, at which point he moved the Talleyville post office into his store. In May 1910, there was a fascinating story about Joseph and his son Pusey sitting on the porch of his store, and about what he saw in the sky -- hundreds of what were described as small balls of light of various colors floating like balloons across the sky, some seemingly close to the ground. It was described at the time as a meteor shower, and as it coincided with the arrival of Halley's Comet there was speculation that it could be related to the event. However, it doesn't sound like any meteor shower I've ever heard of. Also, it was observed about 15 minutes <i>before</i> sunset. Joseph was not the only one to observe the phenomenon, as neighbor Frank Talley saw it, too. A few other residents mentioned it that evening at an event the West Brandywine Grange Hall (which was built in 1886 next to Brown's Store and moved across the road in 1998).</p><p>The final leg in our story follows not Joseph's son Pusey, but eldest son Samuel Hanby Brown. Samuel followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a butcher, and in April 1900 married Florence Heyburn Talley. In the 1900 Census (taken in June), Samuel and Florence are living in Talleyville, near but not with his father. My guess is that they're living in the house on the seven acre lot purchased by his Uncle Pusey in 1884 (Samuel is listed as renting his home). However, in June 1904 Samuel bought the house (and slaughterhouse behind it) from his uncle. He did not buy the whole seven acres, though -- the sale included only about ⅔ of an acre. Samuel and Florence had six children together, but Samuel was thrice beset by tragedy.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_v69ipm3_fM28ujxSTmdYGBtkPgAxsy3vnqfuA3amglpmm6cWsHRS6YP3nnux3Yo4xjsPy0QLAN8TD2n442RgbuithAw95G5Q0xBj6k4EtgUwXg0NTKvXWTIBTJKkSEoH-YMM3NRMsYACYf6WLdsJJ7xLd2ILEmFb-ky5tAvVSfY-LeRYCH7w_ZokQ/s436/1912-6-14%20elam%20house%20for%20sale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="436" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_v69ipm3_fM28ujxSTmdYGBtkPgAxsy3vnqfuA3amglpmm6cWsHRS6YP3nnux3Yo4xjsPy0QLAN8TD2n442RgbuithAw95G5Q0xBj6k4EtgUwXg0NTKvXWTIBTJKkSEoH-YMM3NRMsYACYf6WLdsJJ7xLd2ILEmFb-ky5tAvVSfY-LeRYCH7w_ZokQ/w400-h226/1912-6-14%20elam%20house%20for%20sale.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sale ad for Samuel H. Brown's Elam, PA home. This<br />was in June 1912, after first wife Florence had died.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Sometime prior to 1910, the family moved from their Talleyville home (which they then rented out) a short distance north to Elam, Pennsylvania. The new home was on Smithbridge Road, I believe across from Elam Methodist Church. In 1910, their six year old son Gilbert died of spinal meningitis. (A family story says he was hit in the head by a baseball at recess, causing the illness.) Then in September 1911, wife Florence died from Bright's Disease (now called nephritis), an inflammation of the kidneys. After that, Samuel sold the Elam home and moved back to Talleyville.</p><p>In addition to selling his butchered products (which included sausages and scrapple he made himself) in Talleyville, Samuel Hanby Brown also had a stall in the Madison Street farmer's market in Wilmington. It was there that he met a young lady named Margaret Flaville Taylor. By that time, Margaret and her family were living at the Chadds Ford farm known as Horseshoe Farm, or Big Bend. Their story was told <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-taylors-ofall-over-place-part-2.html" target="_blank">in a previous post</a>. I find it interesting that the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-david-w-taylor-house-and-dilworth.html" target="_blank">David Taylor House</a>, built by Margaret's grandfather, was only about a mile and a half as the crow flies from the Browns' Christiana Hundred farm. Margaret's and Samuel's fathers would have been young boys only two farms away from each other. I don't know if the families knew each other well or kept in touch in the intervening years.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZQGYurVCwtJcY8NH5VKjuy4dllXvCDPE3UTTBN2CmE0a4wKAntOYsUU-rK5IXfou9zfTOSfhxCqnnoWBxW9PFAk3f-w1IhttYo03h6eYYOimsQ1NHQvgMou4Jz4vRpGoS6iAAyQ_9pgfCJYAaAOj6KUfNR-vgji4tsFNOZEj1rORzbkRWkFfHc4qzw/s881/c3c399e0-a76b-4385-be8e-c23e1f2bdcc1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="663" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZQGYurVCwtJcY8NH5VKjuy4dllXvCDPE3UTTBN2CmE0a4wKAntOYsUU-rK5IXfou9zfTOSfhxCqnnoWBxW9PFAk3f-w1IhttYo03h6eYYOimsQ1NHQvgMou4Jz4vRpGoS6iAAyQ_9pgfCJYAaAOj6KUfNR-vgji4tsFNOZEj1rORzbkRWkFfHc4qzw/w301-h400/c3c399e0-a76b-4385-be8e-c23e1f2bdcc1.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samuel Hanby and Margaret Flaville Taylor Brown,<br />at the time of their wedding in 1913.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Samuel and Margaret were married in 1913 and had two children together, the last of whom was May Taylor Brown, my wife's Grandmom. However, tragedy struck the family for the third time, when in January 1914, eleven year old son Elihu drowned in the Brandywine River while ice skating. The Browns lived in their Talleyville home on the corner of the pike and Silverside Road (we'll get to the exact location in a moment) at least until about 1924. In that year, Samuel and Margaret purchased the home at 507 Madison Street in Wilmington, I believe where Samuel had operated his market stall. This is located where the William "Hicks" Anderson Community Center is now. In several deeds the next few years, the Browns are described as being "of Wilmington".</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkLPib6Sw5JLpdNq3L7ENermkJuyJmOomrvN2DKyAA4zKsCAQt2Mx9g4IE5t4Ki4e7fQhr6pFUOCTrMp6UMCY2hmveaA3v_oLI9cTQlflVg0S1LTyRB9dNchglsTpYnx95mUNvrCmGNKWOddqNhD3ncVUR-cjv26Z2083G_jmvppQwuDXVpcL8LGi8g/s3566/Wilmont%20plan%201925%20.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3086" data-original-width="3566" height="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkLPib6Sw5JLpdNq3L7ENermkJuyJmOomrvN2DKyAA4zKsCAQt2Mx9g4IE5t4Ki4e7fQhr6pFUOCTrMp6UMCY2hmveaA3v_oLI9cTQlflVg0S1LTyRB9dNchglsTpYnx95mUNvrCmGNKWOddqNhD3ncVUR-cjv26Z2083G_jmvppQwuDXVpcL8LGi8g/w640-h554/Wilmont%20plan%201925%20.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the plan for Wilmont, 1925</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The reason for those deeds (they bought and sold a lot adjacent to their property) is that Talleyville was changing around them, in large part due to Samuel's Uncle Pusey. In 1924, Pusey Brown sold most of his farm to Samuel Klein, who set out to develop Wilmont. It was to be a residential development similar to McDaniel Heights just to the south, which had recently been built. As you can sort of see above (this was the only section imaged), Wilmont was to span from Concord Pike, down several blocks, and back all the way through what's now Colonial Woods. It never really materialized, but some of the roads (Brandywine Blvd., Lee Terrace, Washington Ave., Brookfield Lane) survive in some form. A fair number of lots were sold around 1925-1926, but almost no houses were actually built (this was still in the era when the developer sold you the lot, and you had the house built). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPFmTQ-1K1-ecXsDQ0jcXfSu_tAdiGQm-OUzrdk-dHjvREdXV-b3qXBi4ACJ-EdK5WiDiRM0VZwujjXVeE-bVPYq00i2rmOmhffH5oa4w9-I8jh6Yuj1Zn9ttfgPyHfNv3QEmM3VF4rR8sf4c4QJKig5awczXDBik9wFsWBB3l_2LiSqGbAX_ZSqwLg/s1254/1930-1-31%20samuel%20h%20brown%20obit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="754" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPFmTQ-1K1-ecXsDQ0jcXfSu_tAdiGQm-OUzrdk-dHjvREdXV-b3qXBi4ACJ-EdK5WiDiRM0VZwujjXVeE-bVPYq00i2rmOmhffH5oa4w9-I8jh6Yuj1Zn9ttfgPyHfNv3QEmM3VF4rR8sf4c4QJKig5awczXDBik9wFsWBB3l_2LiSqGbAX_ZSqwLg/w240-h400/1930-1-31%20samuel%20h%20brown%20obit.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obituary for Samuel Hanby Brown,<br />January 31, 1930</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The family must have resided at both the Madison Street home and still in Talleyville (or have moved back), because when Samuel Hanby Brown died in January 1930, he did so in his Talleyville home. The family continued to reside there, and seemingly only there, as when they finally sold the Madison Street home in 1936 the deed specifically stated that the premises was "in a state of disrepair, fast deteriorating and yielding no income". Soon after Samuel's passing, Margaret got a job running the cafeteria at the newly-opened Alfred I. duPont School nearby. She survived her husband only by about a decade, passing away in April 1939 at the age of 46.</p><p>With Margaret's passing and all the children settled into their own lives (even youngest child May would marry the following year, with my father-in-law arriving the year after that), the family sold the house on the corner -- but even then not completely out of the family. The next owners were William and Anna Umflet. They were not strangers, as William's sister was married to Margaret's brother. The Umflets were there until 1957, when "progress" again came knocking.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRE-tLA8OIOBNOIpVD_Gud9Y5dE9po-OYjpt3ObP0undjDRkTAXVvf1fBAGKInJgSA4nyzAJXQEXKsPX232jMQR7sieR0nOShpmXLTKqoFpoHBKdErThRpR6d53Ydvh5P1BNs3AljLo030a0ZLTWYW6h6elYjAHCCU1S9CRxmeUZz9uZML5fNHkzmBg/s961/house%20locations.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="961" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRE-tLA8OIOBNOIpVD_Gud9Y5dE9po-OYjpt3ObP0undjDRkTAXVvf1fBAGKInJgSA4nyzAJXQEXKsPX232jMQR7sieR0nOShpmXLTKqoFpoHBKdErThRpR6d53Ydvh5P1BNs3AljLo030a0ZLTWYW6h6elYjAHCCU1S9CRxmeUZz9uZML5fNHkzmBg/w640-h496/house%20locations.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approximate footprints of the Samuel H. Brown House (upper right)<br />and the Joseph C. Brown House and store (lower left)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The state was looking to widen Silverside Road, and Samuel H. Brown's old home was in their way. The state bought the property, then did offer to sell the house and garage at auction to anyone wanted to move them. There were no takers, so in February 1958 the house was torn down. With the new roadwork complete, the footprint of the old house now lay in the eastbound lanes of the widened Silverside Road. Across the road, Joseph C. Brown's old home and store site (after for years being the site of a commercial building (a ski shop if I recall?)), now sits in the parking lot of the TD Bank. </p><p>The area of Talleyville has certainly changed a lot from what it was in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, turning from a small community into an area of dense roadside commerce. But to this day, descendants of the Browns are proud of the part their ancestors played in the life of that long-gone community.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-54345286737893578802023-01-06T11:50:00.000-05:002023-01-06T11:50:16.575-05:00The Samuel Stroud House<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lKI4R8TMdaZl7hxpOSgpuuJ7QEeDCkrF6fT10F8dsOZXk_XMKWdujqOSMztrczIRePUZ-LukTLK-IDEz83rm0Tv1oDY-v2EEHyxrBnjDXZCh95kg77ltIB4tsm25Fm2g_JWT_AWaM1uQrL2k91XW0NIl_b3Yn_Rc8n7mZzuXsljFRvzT8htUAjHZtw/s604/Stroud%20house%20DE%20Park.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="596" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lKI4R8TMdaZl7hxpOSgpuuJ7QEeDCkrF6fT10F8dsOZXk_XMKWdujqOSMztrczIRePUZ-LukTLK-IDEz83rm0Tv1oDY-v2EEHyxrBnjDXZCh95kg77ltIB4tsm25Fm2g_JWT_AWaM1uQrL2k91XW0NIl_b3Yn_Rc8n7mZzuXsljFRvzT8htUAjHZtw/s320/Stroud%20house%20DE%20Park.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the original log house<br />(Photo courtesy Ruth Clancy)</td></tr></tbody></table>This story might seem like a follow-up to <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2022/10/guest-post-strouds-of-stanton-delaware.html" target="_blank">the recent guest post from Charles Stroud Gawthrop</a> documenting the Stroud family. But, in one of those little coincidences I love, I had actually been thinking about and looking into this property <i>before</i> Charles reached out to me. In fact, when he did, it took me a moment to even realize they were connected. And I wouldn't have even known in the first place that this house had survived into "modern" times if it weren't for information passed on to us a while back from Ruth Clancy.<p></p><div>We'll get to the end of the line for the house (and Ruth's recollections of it) shortly, but frustratingly I know a good bit more about its end than I do its beginning. I found details about the creation of the particular farm that the house anchored, and about its ownership for more than a century. What I've been thus far unable to find are specifics about the early ownership of the land and about who might have built the house and when. But let's start with some basic facts, like just what the heck I'm talking about and where.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 120 acre farm owned by Samuel Stroud and his descendants is now (and has been since 1950) a part of the grounds owned by Delaware Park. More specifically, most of the farm is now a part of the White Clay Creek Country Club golf course. The property is bordered on the south by the railroad tracks (which were new at the time the tract was laid out), on the west by a small stream, and on the north by a combination of White Clay Creek (the western part) and the Byrnes Mill race (towards the east). The farmhouse stood just above the railroad tracks in the middle of the larger, western portion -- right where the clubhouse and At the Rail Restaurant is located.<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkeLuHHuxPdjHBtV59VxEd8e-YvlBPkpM9X4OCvtHCub_-oiafPYpU98OllzCU4c877DTr-pSjdHmnHsTfBgwb8XjCfoI8GqcEEe3adbm8ghybYmd5nWmXDQ0EbCocE3wQZKpS2VEcM58a-Id5l6iKo7mdnKooHSiP7pOWQEgXy4MoVgARbDNsDLSNiw/s1231/Stroud%20property%20current%20map.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1231" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkeLuHHuxPdjHBtV59VxEd8e-YvlBPkpM9X4OCvtHCub_-oiafPYpU98OllzCU4c877DTr-pSjdHmnHsTfBgwb8XjCfoI8GqcEEe3adbm8ghybYmd5nWmXDQ0EbCocE3wQZKpS2VEcM58a-Id5l6iKo7mdnKooHSiP7pOWQEgXy4MoVgARbDNsDLSNiw/w640-h376/Stroud%20property%20current%20map.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approximate outline of the 120 acre Stroud Farm</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>According to Ruth Clancy, when part of the house was torn down in the early 1970's it was discovered that a portion of it contained an 18th Century log house. Reportedly, a date of 1737 was etched on a window pane. While I have detailed information about the history of the farm from the 1830's onward, I've yet to be able to find out for sure who owned it earlier. I do know that the 120 acre Stroud farm was originally part of a larger tract, and wasn't broken off until 1836. Before that (way before that), it may have gone back to a tract of 340 acres patented to John Nummers by Governor Edmund Andros in 1676.</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't have a very good grasp on the metes and bounds of this and subsequent lands, but Nummers did sell 187 acres of it to John Bentley in 1704 (although it wasn't recorded with the county until 1752). Bentley sold two tracts totaling 280 acres to Robert Nivin (or Nevin) in 1742. Eight years later, Robert and wife Margaret sold it all to Jennet Nivin (his sister, I believe). I've yet to find what Jennet did with the property, and it's not until 1835 that I pick up the trail again (with reference to a sale a few years earlier). If there was a house erected in the 1700's, I can't be sure who was responsible for it. I'm not even sure that the sales and properties mentioned above contain the 120 acre Stroud farm.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, when the story picks up in 1835, Wilmington businessman James Canby is purchasing two tracts from James R. Black (a prominent attorney) and James Rogers (another lawyer). They consist of a 300 acre section between White Clay Creek and "the Road leading from White Clay Creek Mills to Ogletown" (today's Ogletown Stanton Road) and a 100 acre portion on the south side of the road. Black had acquired the land in a Sheriff's sale in 1820, buying the former property of George Reynolds Massey. This sounds a like a simple case of then linking the properties back from Massey to, hopefully, Nivin, but I haven't been able to find anything helpful to that in between -- not even the 1820 Sheriff's sale, which I only know of from its mention in the 1835 deed. I am at this point just assuming that the Massey lands include the farms owned earlier by Nummers, Bentley, and the Nivins.</div><div><br /></div><div>And while we're at it, another thing I can't say for sure is whether any of these owners actually lived on the property. The 17th and 18th Century owners that I know of all had other holdings, and may have used this land as rental property. I believe that Massey did as well, and neither Black, Rogers, nor Canby were farmers. Neither, for that matter, was the next owner, the first to own the 120 acre farm. In 1836, Canby sold that portion of the larger tract to a man named George Craig. </div><div><br /></div><div>Craig was born in 1798 (I think in Wilmington) and by the 1830's is described in deeds as living in Stanton. He was a successful businessman, and in 1835 was named (along with James Canby) to a ten man committee overseeing the surveying of the route through Delaware for the new Wilmington and Susquehanna Rail Road. In 1837, Craig was elected General Superintendent of the line. When Craig purchased the 120 acre portion of Canby's land in 1836, its southern boundary was the newly-built railroad track. Sometime before 1840, Craig moved to Wilmington and became a lumber merchant (though he may have been in the business before that). He was very successful, later moving himself and his business to Philadelphia. When died in 1886, his fortune was estimated at $400,000 -- equivalent to about $12.5 million today.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgod2XEcC8-DDmMTjohOeZrmJ5OjNYsVWQqfSg1keAqs2n-VKtPX_kwLZ7xm4WsFAt0RrdM6ejvhJrxUB7BOCFqPhmGG3bwEEU79NHdfKxVuP0_phFu3vRPLDCfgizPvZeRAcqOYYnO29wEjiOYPTndz1wKGckSbh--gz3h8iKTzS1p347eapnzRWwzpg/s1132/Stroud%20property%201881%20map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1132" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgod2XEcC8-DDmMTjohOeZrmJ5OjNYsVWQqfSg1keAqs2n-VKtPX_kwLZ7xm4WsFAt0RrdM6ejvhJrxUB7BOCFqPhmGG3bwEEU79NHdfKxVuP0_phFu3vRPLDCfgizPvZeRAcqOYYnO29wEjiOYPTndz1wKGckSbh--gz3h8iKTzS1p347eapnzRWwzpg/w640-h350/Stroud%20property%201881%20map.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outline of the Stroud property on the 1881 map</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>George Craig sold his White Clay Creek Hundred farm in 1840 to the first man I'm comfortable saying was a live-in owner of it -- Samuel Stroud. (One interesting note -- although the southern boundary is still the railroad, on the 1840 deed it's now the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore, and not the Wilmington and Susquehanna that it was in 1836). This is the Samuel Stroud (b.1803) shown in <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2022/10/guest-post-strouds-of-stanton-delaware.html" target="_blank">the Stroud Family post</a> as the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Richardson Stroud. The elder Samuel had briefly lived in MCH and likely built the Milltown-area home later owned by the Lindell family.</div><div><br /></div><div>By the time Samuel, Jr. purchased his farm, he had been married to the former Mary Jones for 11 years and the couple had four children (with two more to follow shortly). The next child to come, Hannah in February 1841, is the direct ancestor of our friend Charles Stroud Gawthrop. And if the later information is correct, their home (or at least part of it) was already more than 100 years old. Samuel Stroud lived the rest of his life in the house, farming his land between the tracks and the creek. By 1860, only son William J. and daughters Ann Elizabeth and Hannah remained with Samuel and Mary.</div><div><br /></div><div>He must have been doing well, because in March 1864 Samuel purchased another farm of 166 acres, which also happened to be directly along the north side of the same railroad tracks. This farm, however, was at the west end of the line in Delaware, partially in Pencader Hundred and partially in Cecil County, Maryland. This farm, purchased from John A. Reynolds, lies between Elkton Road and the tracks, and part of it is now the home of the Newark Charter School. After Samuel died in September 1866 (without a will), this farm was sold by the family to eldest son Edward.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRyWaQqll6sdd0gBqiXrQcUOGFe2VByiIxQgG2XV_i2CkGm3TM5g7aWkVjcL-pQXCbt5zw7uRgao4UL-9e6Uhicapac3yQ5ARvbY8Uss2lR4Mv-2iRPrH2xpGF3FfXGSdz2bDQdFgRylqWunX3AnSC-Ufp3HJ3eEaIGLac7bU4QbZKHBVKORM61kzeg/s417/1873-8-20%20barn%20fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="417" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRyWaQqll6sdd0gBqiXrQcUOGFe2VByiIxQgG2XV_i2CkGm3TM5g7aWkVjcL-pQXCbt5zw7uRgao4UL-9e6Uhicapac3yQ5ARvbY8Uss2lR4Mv-2iRPrH2xpGF3FfXGSdz2bDQdFgRylqWunX3AnSC-Ufp3HJ3eEaIGLac7bU4QbZKHBVKORM61kzeg/w400-h133/1873-8-20%20barn%20fire.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Report of the Stroud barn fire, <br />printed August 20, 1873</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>The home farm near Stanton was sold in 1868 to the youngest son (or maybe the only other -- another son, Jeremiah, seems to disappear after 1850 and may have died), William J. Stroud. William and wife Clara (Pennington) had three children by then, with another one to come (sadly, their first and last-born sons both died in childhood). In August 1873, his large barn was struck by lighting and consumed in the ensuing fire. William was quite active in the community serving in several organizations, as well as serving terms on the Levy Court. Upon William's death from pneumonia in 1909, the Diamond State Grange posted the resolution below in the newspaper.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGizefrwRlxoPT_9v2mFMZcGiwh7TJ4kRvGJSG4CsLDRWj-ujpg0wrylQ7tp4CYW3QksSW2AW5YA_g-IydKu6VWms6czWQS727VdwGBNvb6dvpNpGclolLuN6u_UR68IExi6ca3rvTT4fwddaPJw1L6xjt8YI1j9O2mY6BdDnfswHQRtveUqKhcDbJzg/s512/1909-11-10%20obit%20resolution.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="432" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGizefrwRlxoPT_9v2mFMZcGiwh7TJ4kRvGJSG4CsLDRWj-ujpg0wrylQ7tp4CYW3QksSW2AW5YA_g-IydKu6VWms6czWQS727VdwGBNvb6dvpNpGclolLuN6u_UR68IExi6ca3rvTT4fwddaPJw1L6xjt8YI1j9O2mY6BdDnfswHQRtveUqKhcDbJzg/w338-h400/1909-11-10%20obit%20resolution.jpg" width="338" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In memory of William J. Stroud, <br />published November 10, 1909</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>After William Stroud's passing, the three remaining unmarried children -- S. Clarence, and twins Ella and Anna -- remained on the farm (along with their niece Clara, who was brother Alfred's daughter). They probably all lived there until about 1918, when in January of that year Clarence got married, to Hettie Klair (daughter of Jonas Klair). Clarence and Hettie then bought their own farm, just south of Newark on South Chapel Street. (And ironically this farm, too, was bounded by the same railroad tracks, albeit on its north side.) Ella and Anna moved into a home in Newark, along with a few nieces and nephews, where the sisters got jobs with the university.</div><div><br /></div><div>The home farm, now with no Strouds to occupy it, was sold by the rest of the family to brother Alfred G. Stroud. It's likely that Alfred then leased the farm out, at least until 1936. In that year he sold the property (which by then had been in the family for 96 years) to H. Emerson Eastburn of Mt. Cuba. Eastburn was a farmer and livestock dealer in the Mt. Cuba area until the late 1970's, and also likely rented out the White Clay Creek-bordered farm. He only owned it for nine years though, selling the 120 acres (and the private driveway) in 1945 Charles and Sarah McCall. </div><div><br /></div><div>Charley McCall was a long-time farmer in the area, and was already 68 years old when he purchased the property from Eastburn. However, it seems that the McCalls had already been leasing the farm, as the 1940 Census appears to show them there. They're listed directly after brothers William and Frederick Taylor, who owned the farm more or less directly across the tracks from them, where Christiana Hospital is now (<a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-taylors-ofall-over-place-part-2.html" target="_blank">those Taylors</a> also happen to be my wife's great grand-uncles). So, the McCalls were likely farming the 120 acres from at least 1940 until 1950, when they sold it to The Delaware Steeplechase and Race Association (aka, Delaware Park). Incidentally, Charley McCall next bought a farm south of Newark, then soon sold it to developers, who then made it part of the new Brookside development.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8AQJMl75_fdD4PD-PsXJj1Qv_fiXYhv1OVxJxlqkUcxO7rrG0fI46immVCsrgC0YBytKhxOmDWnC2bivpyPTQ6iAFf_2gY5NJ56J2IhOgcid4pQa-80b8cc8Aeg_6eiUcDSHZHz5hAlNpLW2aX5l6yGlqYYtk28y8kIQWDgKEMsp-KU0PRvPXedVUOQ/s2048/307106418_10209591629143070_1245555542638985537_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1958" data-original-width="2048" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8AQJMl75_fdD4PD-PsXJj1Qv_fiXYhv1OVxJxlqkUcxO7rrG0fI46immVCsrgC0YBytKhxOmDWnC2bivpyPTQ6iAFf_2gY5NJ56J2IhOgcid4pQa-80b8cc8Aeg_6eiUcDSHZHz5hAlNpLW2aX5l6yGlqYYtk28y8kIQWDgKEMsp-KU0PRvPXedVUOQ/w640-h612/307106418_10209591629143070_1245555542638985537_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the old section of the Stroud home removed in the early 1970's<br />(Photo courtesy Ruth Clancy)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Since 1950, the old Stroud Farm has been a part of the Delaware Park property, and more recently (since 2005) home to much of the length of the White Clay Creek Country Club golf course. Although, as mentioned near the top of this post, a portion of the rear section of the farmhouse was removed in the early 1970's, the rest of it seems to have survived until sometime between 1982 and 1992. (Some of the removed section apparently ended up in the new home of the son of the owner of Delaware Park.) When the country club was being built in the early 2000's, its clubhouse and restaurant were erected on the site of the old homestead.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkp2yavjwN_anfw-wuYBAooKEqPsJ8VH6n1NxYa08mBVz28cgE1PkZO0sR-YnIFpiPEX4oaKtnsAL_xKphVX2DvXY553ZARboqs_FDItBAf-OaV1sAzHD7e9YU8XPJAw8V4EqyR06R7OpM2b_Btm4e1asSxdIvP4KbHd10kC-6BsTLLkPR6ccGT0obQ/s2048/307268890_10209591631583131_2659821878169069061_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1932" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkp2yavjwN_anfw-wuYBAooKEqPsJ8VH6n1NxYa08mBVz28cgE1PkZO0sR-YnIFpiPEX4oaKtnsAL_xKphVX2DvXY553ZARboqs_FDItBAf-OaV1sAzHD7e9YU8XPJAw8V4EqyR06R7OpM2b_Btm4e1asSxdIvP4KbHd10kC-6BsTLLkPR6ccGT0obQ/w604-h640/307268890_10209591631583131_2659821878169069061_n.jpg" width="604" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One more, because why not?<br />(Photo courtesy Ruth Clancy)</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>[On somewhat of a side note, and maybe someone who knows the racetrack's history better than I do could comment, I think at least one of the motivations for the purchase of the farm in 1950 was for the construction of the entrance to the park from Route 4. It was built soon after, and newspaper articles of the time note that it was key to making a direct connection to the "main arteries of Routes 40 and 13 and the New Jersey Turnpike." From what I see, I think that connection was primarily Churchman's Road. It did exist previously in parts, but in the early '50s was enlarged, rerouted and lengthened to connect the park with Rt. 273, just off of Rt 13. And the New Jersey Turnpike? That connection is made by the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which was opened in 1951.]</div><div><br /></div><div>It may not even be obvious to most that this oddly-shaped tract crammed between the railroad tracks and the creek ever operated as a private farm, but it did for maybe as much as nearly 300 years. From its time as part of a large early patented tract, to its stint as a leased farm, to the long tenure of the Stroud family, then back cycling between a rental and a private farm, then finally as a 21st Century golf course, this 120 acre expanse has seen quite a bit of history.</div>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-76565952403513083292022-11-15T09:35:00.000-05:002022-11-15T09:35:24.951-05:00The Buckingham-Pierson House<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPNDXFottTr8HhJoJAhfbMoPGWwP-VyOwh3Ac8OAG5Z-2cBZVJGFBcHidGsYpCT5PL0Ck8K_Is2ZECCS1s41Hp9mVKRWfJwuEAJDpwCsXg4Txscx-Dlzoq_fg3O0dEEO4vxL1QIGPVRQAcTXDJYi79_988ptWmrkSCjKQWlnludSJf8K6HYVSZhGdXA/s808/Pierson%20House.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="808" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPNDXFottTr8HhJoJAhfbMoPGWwP-VyOwh3Ac8OAG5Z-2cBZVJGFBcHidGsYpCT5PL0Ck8K_Is2ZECCS1s41Hp9mVKRWfJwuEAJDpwCsXg4Txscx-Dlzoq_fg3O0dEEO4vxL1QIGPVRQAcTXDJYi79_988ptWmrkSCjKQWlnludSJf8K6HYVSZhGdXA/s320/Pierson%20House.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Buckingham-Pierson House today</td></tr></tbody></table>When a house stays around for long enough, it usually will pass through a number of different owners. Normally it ends up being a combination of passing to various generations of the same family and being sold off to different families. One house in Hockessin, however, had the good fortune to remain in one family for over 260 years, although it took me a little while to realize that. The beginnings of the house and farm reach back to the earliest days of European habitation in the area, and its present and future look strong and secure.<p></p><p>The home in question is the Buckingham-Pierson House (or Thomas Pierson House), located on the north side of Southwood Road, about mid way between Valley Road and Limestone Road. The half stone and half frame house sits up on a rise, today overlooking modern housing developments. Once, it overlooked a 100 acre farm and even passing trains. Now a part of modern, beautiful Hockessin, the origins of the farm date back to the Penn family, when the community surrounding the Hockessin Valley was in its infancy.</p><p>In 1701, William Penn had a 30,000 acre tract (called the Manor of Stenning) surveyed by Henry Hollingsworth, lying mostly in Chester County but extending down into Mill Creek Hundred (the tract, not Hollingsworth). That same year Penn granted the western 14,500 acres to his son William, Jr. and the eastern 15,500 acres to his daughter Letitia. Letitia Penn married William Aubrey, and in the ensuing years they sold off portions of their holding. More importantly for our purposes, in 1725 they sold a 100 acre lot to a man named William Buckingham. Direct descendants of Buckingham's would retain ownership of the property until half way through the George H.W. Bush administration.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>William Buckingham was born in Pennsylvania in 1701, the same year the Manor of Stenning was laid out. He purchased his 100 acres in 1725, and the following year married Jane (or Jeane) James. The couple raised six children in their home, the oldest part of which was probably built soon after Buckingham acquired the property. The left (west) half of the house is built of stone, and likely is the original portion. At some later time (and it may not have been all that much later), a frame addition doubled the size of the home. In the later 19th Century a classic gothic gable was added to the front of the house.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfbdwqBbG_Xkp5rU6QwnTSCF4_tbO7eGzs4LCM6NTl4Ge8arKkLBqpmKchCdlmOXvMJKPq7pujTBmtwcT_kIEqpEunO3hRpYq_ehia5dGd4E3nl343rmDWLsjv7aV11_r9Tha22qYU1paJZUjG_ozjSgYgDQWiqgGWtOfXUmuqxMq7uEwsDjdP3EAXw/s1171/pierson%20100%20acres%20farm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1171" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfbdwqBbG_Xkp5rU6QwnTSCF4_tbO7eGzs4LCM6NTl4Ge8arKkLBqpmKchCdlmOXvMJKPq7pujTBmtwcT_kIEqpEunO3hRpYq_ehia5dGd4E3nl343rmDWLsjv7aV11_r9Tha22qYU1paJZUjG_ozjSgYgDQWiqgGWtOfXUmuqxMq7uEwsDjdP3EAXw/w640-h402/pierson%20100%20acres%20farm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approximate bounds of the 100 acre tract purchased by<br />William Buckingham in 1725</td></tr></tbody></table><p>While the main points in the property's history are fairly clear, there are a few details that provide a little confusion. For one, Buckingham's original 1725 sale is unavailable, as the book it was recorded in was lost during the Revolutionary War. The most reliable reference to it comes from a 1774 deed that I can't completely explain. In it, it appears that Buckingham is purchasing the property from "Peter Gaskel Surgeon of Bath in that part of Great Britain called England & Christiana Gulielma his wife by their Attorney Joseph Galloway Esq. of the city of Philadelphia in the Province of Pennsylvania". To even try to make sense of this, we need to take a step back.</p><p>Christiana Gulielma Penn Gaskell was the great-granddaughter of William Penn, Proprietor of Pennsylvania (through his son William and his grandson William III). Her Great Aunt Letitia Penn Aubrey (remember her from the top?) did not have any children, and so passed much of her real estate holdings down to Christiana when she died in 1746. My best guess is that when William Buckingham bought his 100 acres in 1725, he may not have paid the entire amount to the Aubreys. In 1774, with the threat of rebellion on the horizon, Christiana and Peter Gaskell came looking to settle old accounts (I've seen a few other, similar deeds from about the same time). Since the Gaskells lived in England, they operated through their attorney in America, Joseph Galloway. A paragraph tacked on to the end of the 1774 indenture details the 1725 sale and the passing down from Letitia to Christiana.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGKHYVJVR7-aP-Uu1EG-Ub02hcr2vwrHaJ8UmO82bfJMu2wNe7ek7PoJFJiQuqp4QpCQj3JVazXpIs-KSuL-Fz-hgO4ijK_Lx1SZH37sd6yn3VUoCoaPNLisDpbWrNj9wUjuJv6KMBJbpn-4Fa_OeYAv0wd0DX8iu1wBaFYG2WCU6kOMK8gCaQvWDtg/s1126/last%20paragraph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="1126" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGKHYVJVR7-aP-Uu1EG-Ub02hcr2vwrHaJ8UmO82bfJMu2wNe7ek7PoJFJiQuqp4QpCQj3JVazXpIs-KSuL-Fz-hgO4ijK_Lx1SZH37sd6yn3VUoCoaPNLisDpbWrNj9wUjuJv6KMBJbpn-4Fa_OeYAv0wd0DX8iu1wBaFYG2WCU6kOMK8gCaQvWDtg/w640-h294/last%20paragraph.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you can read it, this is that final paragraph of the 1774 deed,<br />detailing the original 1725 Buckingham purchase</td></tr></tbody></table><p>William and Jane Buckingham lived the rest of their long lives in their Hockessin home. Jane died in 1783 at the age of 75. William survived her by six years, passing away at the age of 88 in 1789. So often when discussing the passing along of property, we concern ourselves with one of the family's sons. However, in this story we will twice focus on a daughter and her husband (and that's not even counting the aforementioned Letitia Penn Aubrey and Christiana Penn Gaskell). Back in 1748 one of the Buckingham daughters -- Ruth -- married Brandywine Hundred native William Cloud.</p><p>I'm not completely sure where Ruth and William Cloud first lived, but one possible clues lies in the fact that in 1788, William Cloud sold about 90 acres (partially in Christiana Hundred and partially in Mill Creek Hundred) to Caleb Sharpless. I believe this is land that would later comprise much of <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2021/07/oversee-farm-and-shangri-la.html">Oversee Farm</a>. It seems logical that the Clouds then moved to the Buckingham farm to assist Ruth's elderly father. Buckingham had already written his will that would bequeath the land to them, and when he died in 1789 the Clouds took ownership of the 100 acre tract. The Clouds' daughter Sarah, meanwhile, had just married Thomas Pierson in 1786.</p><p>The Piersons seem to have been living in Christiana Hundred, probably just west of Centreville, at least in the 1800 Census. In 1810, Thomas Pierson acquired from Jacob Dixon's estate 24 acres, adjacent to the Cloud farm. On the same day in June 1810, Pierson sold William Cloud seven of those acres (presumably as a retirement home for the 82 year old), and Cloud sold to Pierson the 100 acre former Buckingham farm. In this later indenture lies a reference to the second deed that I don't yet understand.</p><p>The 1810 deed is fairly straightforward and normal, except for the part where it says that Cloud bought the tract in 1790 from Christiana Gulielma Gaskell. We know that's not exactly right (or the whole story) because Cloud received the land though his father-in-law's will the year before. Since this Gaskell/Cloud transaction (which I also cannot find) took place only months after William Buckingham's death, it's possible that this, too, was some sort of settling of old debts or accounts. Whatever the case, in 1810 the house and farm came into the Pierson family, although it was really still with the Buckinghams, since Sarah Cloud Pierson was William Buckingham's granddaughter. The final Pierson to reside at the home is still alive (as of 2022), and later in life married into another of the prominent Hockessin area families.</p><p>Thomas and Sarah Pierson would raise 10 children on their farm, born over the course of about 20 years. Pierson took a mortgage on the property in 1813 from William Tussey, who lived on Philadelphia Pike north of Wilmington. Pierson was able to pay off this debt by April 1821. In 1835, Thomas sold six acres to his son Laban. I'm not sure, but this could have been the house originally built for William Cloud in 1810. It was on the western edge of the property, on the north side of Southwood Road. Thomas Pierson also took out another mortgage on the property in 1839, this time to neighbor Ephraim Jackson. This debt, too, was paid off in full, in 1841.</p><p>Obviously looking to retirement, in 1842 the 81 year old Pierson sold the bulk of his land to two of his sons. Laban Pierson (a saddler) purchased just over 20 acres, while 90 acres went to Thomas Pierson, Junior. Laban's portion was contiguous with the six acres he bought in 1835. These, along with another few acres purchased in 1860, he sold in 1867 to Patrick Reardon. Laban then moved to just north to New Garden Township, where he lived until his death in 1877. </p><p>The younger Thomas' portion acquired in 1842 included the old Buckingham home. He and his wife, the former Martha Wilson, would raise seven children on their farm, which would undergo one interesting change near the end of Thomas' life. In 1871-72, the Wilmington & Western Railroad was constructed, with its tracks going right through the lower portion of the Pierson farm. It was still such a novelty that when the property was put up for sale a few years later, the ad specifically mentions that the railroad "passes through the property in front of the buildings, affording one of the best views on the road."</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAstVm6FSI5GoHK5Y3Pf2EvPOOG8weBwgRa9kcd0PtWclN_IEviprz-AS19ETe7yLK84IC-r2gKFRFuJxwwj6ctGb1NDbIBzOd2AzRLyJMLjoO9QKDRryLM3ZJueFuebfUv6oDn6UPjwXahiTA8_4q6Wx02B-49NPKDD4LzA0DxET-xP-LteLGh8TWA/s502/1879-5-14%20vet%20ad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="502" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAstVm6FSI5GoHK5Y3Pf2EvPOOG8weBwgRa9kcd0PtWclN_IEviprz-AS19ETe7yLK84IC-r2gKFRFuJxwwj6ctGb1NDbIBzOd2AzRLyJMLjoO9QKDRryLM3ZJueFuebfUv6oDn6UPjwXahiTA8_4q6Wx02B-49NPKDD4LzA0DxET-xP-LteLGh8TWA/s320/1879-5-14%20vet%20ad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ad taken by Samuel Pierson in May 1879,<br />aimed at his father's former patrons</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Another interesting ad (seen above) from just after Thomas, Jr.'s death in January 1879 was taken out by his eldest son, Samuel. In it, he's advertising his services as a veterinary surgeon, and is aimed at his father's former patrons, which implies that Thomas also acted as a veterinarian. He's never listed as such in any Census, but then the profession seems to have been still somewhat informal at the time. There were veterinary schools, but it doesn't seem necessary to have attended one to act as a country vet, or "horse doctor". One could learn the trade as an apprentice, much as a blacksmith or carpenter would. Apparently this is what Thomas and Samuel Pierson did.</p><p>After Thomas Pierson's death in 1879, as all his older sons were by then set up in their own lives, the siblings sold the home farm in 1881 to the youngest son, Philip Thomas Pierson. In 1872, Philip had married Sarah Foote, daughter of <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-william-foote-house.html">William Foote</a>. They had one child together (Carrie) before Sarah passed away in 1879. He remarried in 1881 to Emma Lamborn, daughter of Chandler and Edith Lamborn. They would have three children together, daughters Ida and Edith, and son Wilson.</p><p>Philip T. Pierson was actively involved with local agricultural organizations such as the Grange, and was the president of the Farmer's Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Mill Creek Hundred. It also seems to have been during Philip's ownership that real appreciation of the property and of the Pierson family flourished. As early as 1897 there were family reunions held at the old homestead, celebrating the history of the Pierson clan. Some of the history related to the newspapers of the time is a bit suspect, as they keep giving Joseph Pierson (Thomas, Sr.'s father) credit for being the first in the area and building the house. I don't believe either of those things to be correct. These reunions regularly had three hundred or more people in attendance.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uJvWyBcIWN8rkhrDaeWchvuAwSz6StfVUuAPle_we9UuA4fasSAYQuTyFmLiDWpl0BN3R9vIu7ypwxI5EUFZaaZuIXwPOsOAWpUu0qtvWCSmk5Yj1u1xKdoZOFT3-C_VAyrjC0OZ891--TyZ30iXH8aKiYFH5jFe0dQygT45NTaz1o564Sd5sGhkCw/s550/1927-1-13%20Philip%20T%20Pierson%20obit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="477" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uJvWyBcIWN8rkhrDaeWchvuAwSz6StfVUuAPle_we9UuA4fasSAYQuTyFmLiDWpl0BN3R9vIu7ypwxI5EUFZaaZuIXwPOsOAWpUu0qtvWCSmk5Yj1u1xKdoZOFT3-C_VAyrjC0OZ891--TyZ30iXH8aKiYFH5jFe0dQygT45NTaz1o564Sd5sGhkCw/w348-h400/1927-1-13%20Philip%20T%20Pierson%20obit.jpg" width="348" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">January 1927 obituary of Philip T. Pierson</td></tr></tbody></table><p>When Philip T. Pierson died in January 1927, his widow Emma and his daughters sold the home and farm to the only son, Wilson Thomas Pierson. This made Wilson the fourth generation Pierson and the sixth overall in his family, dating back to William Buckingham, to call the house on Southwood Road his home. Wilson followed his father's lead in being involved in scientific farming and in the Hockessin Grange. He also continued to hold family reunions, usually five years apart.</p><p>Wilson was engaged in 1914 to Elizabeth Peoples of Kennett Square, but sadly she passed away in September 1915. In May 1922, Wilson did marry, to Sara Emma Sharpless. Wilson and Emma would live the remainder of their lives on their farm, raising three children of their own -- William, Philip, and Ruth. The Piersons continued to farm their land, first mainly as a dairy farm, then later focusing more on poultry and eggs. Wilson was a regular at the King Street Market in Wilmington until 1964, and provided eggs for Hockessin-area stores until 1973. He even carried on the tradition of the Pierson Family Reunion, which he hosted as late as 1967.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ohncRSDmG4QT7CWuXRycKSYZwdynkw89StMg0AfL3I61zUJ-_DG9-Kez3F9egfUkyL-dBLyyNdvVmAiK9z4XDudmHAGe4I24agKJUh7V2RqerR0gmZwMofs5fIPkm4MtGIMxxs8XH0r3czd4H1auOex8BcJkUBduuBKB5NGxBI3ZZlTSGJi7x2graA/s902/wilson%20at%20market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="662" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ohncRSDmG4QT7CWuXRycKSYZwdynkw89StMg0AfL3I61zUJ-_DG9-Kez3F9egfUkyL-dBLyyNdvVmAiK9z4XDudmHAGe4I24agKJUh7V2RqerR0gmZwMofs5fIPkm4MtGIMxxs8XH0r3czd4H1auOex8BcJkUBduuBKB5NGxBI3ZZlTSGJi7x2graA/w470-h640/wilson%20at%20market.jpg" width="470" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wilson T. Pierson at the King Street Market<br />in Wilmington, July 1963</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Although the 250 or so year run of Buckingham-Cloud-Pierson farming in Hockessin ended with the passing of Wilson T. Pierson in 1979, it has carried on elsewhere. In 1969, son Philip W. Pierson moved to Clayton, DE and founded Aynestead Farm, which carries on today, even after Philip's passing in 2018. The last direct descendant of William Buckingham to reside in the house was Wilson's daughter Ruth, who married Thomas C. Marshall, Jr. of Auburn Heights in 1985. The house was finally sold out of the family in 1990, ending their 265 year ownership of the property.</p><p>While it no longer overlooks a 100 acre farm, the Buckingham-Pierson House remains as a beautiful reminder of Hockessin's bucolic past. The home has come into new ownership recently, and I can happily pass along that the owners are appreciative and interested in its history, and that it's in very caring hands. Not bad for a home under only its third separate family since seven years before George Washington was born.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-41684693257213053232022-10-26T10:04:00.004-04:002022-11-17T14:43:15.665-05:00Guest Post -- The Strouds of Stanton, Delaware<div><i>I am always thrilled and proud to host Guest Posts here (if anyone wants to write something, let me know!), and this one is no exception. This particular installment focuses on the Stroud Family, several members of which had impacts on our region, most notably in the Stanton area. Our guest author, Charles Stroud Gawthrop, is a direct descendant of one of these Strouds who resided near Stanton, and whose home will be the focus of an upcoming post of its own. This well-researched account will help your understanding of the family and should help to put these Stroud Family members into better context for us. It's a great example of what amazing things can be accomplished even by someone who is admittedly new to historical/genealogical research. Many thanks to Charles for researching, writing, and sharing his work with us here! Enjoy! --- Scott</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMq4h7HPZdzSBDott6LslFr8xT5i4bBKUERFrmgDT1J958dURy7sI6iJp56aSQrkkA6xFplOTB_V-yxWhVvMGzxt6JztxWI9tTo-atf4AHVWMefQW8kG9L0Y4XsMO4ka5quTQr7tHPU7g9vVUElA9dVAbgd7hxuPR0Fe7mih6rSvSNvNtHntCd1oCVKw/s528/stroud,%20samuel%20headstone.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="379" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMq4h7HPZdzSBDott6LslFr8xT5i4bBKUERFrmgDT1J958dURy7sI6iJp56aSQrkkA6xFplOTB_V-yxWhVvMGzxt6JztxWI9tTo-atf4AHVWMefQW8kG9L0Y4XsMO4ka5quTQr7tHPU7g9vVUElA9dVAbgd7hxuPR0Fe7mih6rSvSNvNtHntCd1oCVKw/s320/stroud,%20samuel%20headstone.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Headstone of Samuel Stroud, Jr.,<br />direct ancestor of the author</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>My name is Charles Stroud Gawthrop. A few years ago I was reading the The Mill Creek Hundred History Blog and there was a posting about the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2011/11/stanton-hotel.html" target="_blank">Stanton Hotel</a> which mentioned James Stroud. Then there was the posting about the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-stanton-mills-and-stanton-byrnes.html" target="_blank">Stanton Mills</a> mentioning Joshua Stroud - hmmm! So I started to do a little digging to see if I was related. I’m new to this genealogy thing. Prior to 2021, I had heard of Ancestry.com, but that was about it - so there was a lot to learn. Little did I know how addictive it is (and sadly how expensive Ancestry is). </div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, I am related to Samuel Stroud (brother of James and Joshua). Time went by and pieces of the puzzle were falling together, to a point that I realized I have some information to share.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the the things that impresses me about Scott Palmer, the webmaster for MCH history blog, is his ability to keep things light - a recitation of dates can be pretty boring - and that he publishes something about once a month! - so “keep it short”! So I have attempted to keep this light. There is so much more that I have missed. There is also the rest of the story - following the next generations. I have not even started that journey.<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Summary</span></b></div><div>This is a tough family to track. They reused names a lot. There are several Edward’s, James’s, and Thomas’es - so you can’t be sure which one you are looking at! Many of them were Quakers, without that there would be no hope of trying to understand who was who. In this paper, I have used parenthesis if a name is duplicated.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Whitemarsh/ Plymouth Townships</span></b></div><div>Let’s start with James Stroud probably born around 1728. According to <u>Strode and Stroud Families in England and America... v.1</u>¹, <b>James(1)</b> was the son of <b>Edward(1) </b>and <b>Catherine</b> Stroud. Edward(1) and Catherine lived near Plymouth Meeting. They were Quakers and in 1744 Edward(1) was appointed as an overseer for Plymouth Meeting. Edward(1) died in 1782, James(1) administered Edward’s will.</div><div><br /></div><div>As far as I can tell James(1) always lived northwest of Philadelphia - what is now Montgomery County, PA.² In 1769 a tax assessment shows that James(1) owned 106 acres in Plymouth township and 170 acres in Montgomery township.</div><div><br /></div><div>James(1) had two wives. The first, <b>Elizabeth Beane</b>, was born in 1727 and died in 1767. They were married in July, 1749 (both about 21 yrs old) and had 4 children (I was not able to find much information to establish birth dates. What I have is mostly conjecture):</div><div><br /></div><div>• <b>Edward(2)</b> ancestry.com shows many family trees with Edward(2) born in 1740. But his parents were not married until 1749 and his mother would have been 13 yrs old - so I’m inclined to believe that his birth was around 1750, just after his parents marriage.</div><div>• <b>Joshua</b> similarly there is confusing information about Joshua’s birth. Wilmington Quaker records indicate that he was born in 1753 and refer to White Clay Creek, but I think the White Clay Creek was just his residence later in life - not a place of birth. As I said above, I don’t see any indication that James(1) and Elizabeth or Ann - his parents - ever lived outside of Montgomery County, PA.</div><div>• <b>Mary(1)</b> was born around 1753. At her death in 1836, her cemetery record indicates that she was 83 yrs<span> </span>old. [<i>Editor:</i> <i>Mary actually likely died in 1825.]</i></div><div>• <b>James(2)</b> like Joshua his birthplace is confusing. Delaware Vital Records show his birth as 1760 “of Mill Creek Rd”. Again, I think the Mill Creek Rd reference is to his residence, not his birthplace.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>James(1) second wife was <b>Ann Coulston</b>. She was born in 1747 and died in 1790. They were married in 1768 (she was 21, he was 40) and had 3 children:</div><div><br /></div><div>• <b>Samuel</b> again there are a range of birthdates, I choose 1768 that would be after<span> </span>James(1) married Ann</div><div>• <b>Thomas</b> birth a couple years after Samuel - so about 1770</div><div>• <b>Elizabeth </b>another 2 years about 1772</div><div><br /></div><div>In 1778, James(1) was disowned by the Quakers because he was encouraging others to join the militia. In that same year he was appointed commissioner for Philadelphia County by the Pennsylvania Council of Safety to confiscate property of those fighting for the British.³</div><div><br /></div><div>James(1) died in 1788 and left a will naming all his children, which actually helps a lot because there isn’t much other evidence of his family. The strange thing is that the Quakers kept pretty good records of births, deaths, even tracking movements from one “meeting” to another. There don’t appear to be any Quaker records of James(1) or Edward(1) family.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Move South</span></b></div><div>What is clear is that these children didn’t stay in Plymouth Meeting.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Edward(2) Stroud</b></div><div>Edward(2) married Hannah Foulk in April, 1776 and transferred from Gwynedd Meeting to Abington Meeting and then to Byberry Meeting (in northern Philadelphia). They had three children:</div><div>• <b>Tacy</b> b. 3/5/1777</div><div>• <b>Margaret</b> b. 1778</div><div>• <b>Edward(3)</b> b. 1780</div><div><br /></div><div>Around 1780, Edward(2) and Hannah started to explore moving to New London, Pa. but Hannah died in 1781 - she was only 25 yrs old - leaving three children under 5 yrs old. The New Garden Monthly Meeting recorded her death (6/24/1781) and she was buried the Byberry Meeting. Shortly after her death the two daughters moved from Byberry meeting back to Gwynedd - I’m guessing to live with relatives. Edward(2) and his son, Edward(3) officially transferred from Byberry meeting to New Garden Meeting.</div><div><br /></div><div>In 1783, Edward(2) sold 162 acres in New London to Joshua Hallowell. He and his son moved to Wilmington in the fall of 1783. What is strange is that in 1786 he bought back the 162 acres in New London! In 1787 he died. In 1788 John Evans and Jesse Foulk were appointed guardians for Tacy (age 12), Margaret (age 10) and Edward (age 8).</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Joshua Stroud</b></div><div>By 1784, Joshua had moved to Wilmington, DE. He bought some land in Stanton, DE, is referred to as a miller and joins the Wilmington Quaker meeting. Joshua married <b>Martha Byrnes</b> in January, 1785. Martha was the daughter of Caleb and Mary Byrnes of Mill Creek Hundred. Joshua and Martha had five children:</div><div>• <b>Samuel</b> b. 11/13/1785 d. 1793</div><div>• <b>Caleb</b> b 7/13/1787</div><div>• <b>Mary(2)</b> b 8/25/1789</div><div>• <b>James B</b> b about 1791</div><div>• <b>Elizabeth</b> b. 7/27/1793</div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfL2VP7nnhiwtCgqXJDreYAK0w2Yi1150xkotUVmfta7WhbgDQCQR5ozIzI5Dn-hk6gelt7djlYij_ovc4tRQmDqbHvaa5Fxv3Kk_aiSCN8-Hmh_LM-areQG4e237v8kZ_H3naJLp5saNrvTKGMmCNni4d_BNfo_DVi0BmhkIHr-fbq8Q4MPARjyBEMw/s496/stroud%20mill.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="496" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfL2VP7nnhiwtCgqXJDreYAK0w2Yi1150xkotUVmfta7WhbgDQCQR5ozIzI5Dn-hk6gelt7djlYij_ovc4tRQmDqbHvaa5Fxv3Kk_aiSCN8-Hmh_LM-areQG4e237v8kZ_H3naJLp5saNrvTKGMmCNni4d_BNfo_DVi0BmhkIHr-fbq8Q4MPARjyBEMw/w400-h381/stroud%20mill.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1795 - Joshua Stroud - 50% interest in Mill property</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>This family moved around quite a bit. In 1785 he bought 2.3 acres along Limestone Road in Stanton from Thomas Stapler. In 1790 he sold that land to his brother James(2) and moved to New Garden - perhaps to the land left by his brother Edward(2). They moved back in 1791. In 1792 Joshua is shown as owning land in Stanton, DE. Joshua is listed as a resident of Wilmington in 1794. In 1795 he bought 50% interest in 54 acres and mill along Red Clay Creek. In 1800, as Quakers he and his family transferred to the Philadelphia Southern District, in the 1810 Census he is shown in Brandywine Hundred and in 1812 they transferred back to Wilmington. All this time he held the 50% ownership of the mill along Red Clay Creek. In May, 1812 he sold it to Jonathan and Caleb Byrnes, then, the next month, bought it back, then in January, 1813 sold it to Stephen Stapler. </div><div><br /></div><div>The 1820 and 1830 Census shows Joshua in Wilmington. Martha died 4/8/1833 Joshua died 4/4/1834. They are buried at the Stanton Friends meeting house.⁴</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Mary(1)</b></div><div>Mary(1) stayed in Pennsylvania marrying <b>Jonathan Bell</b> in 1770 and, after he died, she married <b>Joseph Jeanes</b> in 1780. She died April 19, 1836. I think she had two children with Jonathan Bell [<i>Editor: Probate evidence indicates that Mary likely died in 1825, after having raised eight more children with Jeanes. They included future MCH residents Abel and Elizabeth, who married David Eastburn.</i>]:</div><div>• <b>James Bell</b> b 3/8/1771</div><div>• <b>Isaiah Bell</b> b 8/2/1772.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>James (2)</b></div><div>James(2) and his wife, <b>Rachel</b>, moved south in late 1782⁵. They appear to have settled in Mill Creek Hundred. James(2) asked to join the Quaker meeting and was accepted in 1784. In January, 1790 James(2) bought 13 1/2 acres in Stanton at a sheriff’s sale. Also in 1790 he bought about 2 acres in Stanton from his brother Joshua. I’m not sure how many children James(2) and Rachel had (In Rachel’s will she shows Reece and John as heirs):</div><div>• Perhaps <b>William</b>,</div><div>• Perhaps <b>James(3)</b> (I’ve seen a James Jr mentioned, hmmm)</div><div>• <b>Reece</b> Stroud</div><div>• <b>John</b> Stroud</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHX2yqI7-1TvpRWSj_KyMzhAkRBe-cRRTGDEThRypU4qkygTqXNVhRhBQrfS7xa8_Wp_-EEIrzEp9hHuc6-z48_wcAhsHm5clcgkhToqrRHR_4wZRS-PgnWiUREh3nXvb4qR27lFF6sIC5WVD5WaqSGhV6rOJAgWdHpbG2G4R8kxtgPzh4glo19X1Mw/s366/james%20stroud.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="360" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHX2yqI7-1TvpRWSj_KyMzhAkRBe-cRRTGDEThRypU4qkygTqXNVhRhBQrfS7xa8_Wp_-EEIrzEp9hHuc6-z48_wcAhsHm5clcgkhToqrRHR_4wZRS-PgnWiUREh3nXvb4qR27lFF6sIC5WVD5WaqSGhV6rOJAgWdHpbG2G4R8kxtgPzh4glo19X1Mw/w394-h400/james%20stroud.jpg" width="394" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1790 James Stroud property</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Over the next 20 years, James is involved in many land transactions - selling and buying - in the Stanton area. For example in 1792, James(2) bought about 3,000 sq ft of land from Stephen Stapler and combined it with part of the 13 1/2 acres that he bought in 1790 to create a 4.5 acre lot which he sold to Peter Springer in 1793. The Riseing Sun Hotel was on this property. In 1796 Samuel and James(2) bought a property “on the northwest side of Orange Street” from William Woodcock for $170.</div><div><br /></div><div>In 1806 James(2) married Hannah Springer (Peter’s wife? - Peter died in 1805). In 1807 James Stroud(2) & Hannah and Samuel Stroud and Elizabeth sold the house on Orange Street in Wilmington that they bought in 1796 -- worth noting is Hannah is listed as James'(2) wife (not Rachel). Also in 1807 James(2) participated on a commission to “site the bridge and layout the road” for the Market Street bridge over the Christiana River in Wilmington.⁶</div><div><br /></div><div>Then in 1808 he built a house in Stanton on the land he bought from Joshua back in 1790. The house was converted to a hotel in 1830.⁷</div><div><br /></div><div>In 1813 Rachel married Joseph R. Foreman. Rachel died in 1824. James(2) died in 1825.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Samuel</b></div><div>In 1783 Samuel moved from Pennsylvania to northern Delaware. In 1789 he married <b>Elizabeth Richardson</b>. She was the eldest daughter of Richard and Sarah (Tatnall) Richardson. They had 7 children:</div><div>• <b>Ann</b> b 12/16/1795</div><div>• <b>Mary(3) </b>b 9/21/1797</div><div>• <b>Edward</b> b 1/19/1800</div><div>• <b>Samuel</b> b 1/20/1803</div><div>• <b>Sarah Richardson</b> b 6/21/1806</div><div>• <b>Elizabeth Richardson</b> b 1808, d 2/7/1813 age 5</div><div>• <b>James(4)</b> b 8/23/1811</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-yszGwsHWAD6-HafuhtBPj-C7hUohxdf8E5x-JHSHE-XIL-G30FSb8nhid2wMSoGRFLczjSnx2vDvBoDlmwRATQDLGg_m9gAXr9vJiFCeiVWY68KasamfVKNHegt4cs1Vklp8G11OSPmwwrWzz7CZduRnvn7rbDEgzGdE4oSmvENMvRdICCZKfR4nA/s476/samuel%20stroud.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="473" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-yszGwsHWAD6-HafuhtBPj-C7hUohxdf8E5x-JHSHE-XIL-G30FSb8nhid2wMSoGRFLczjSnx2vDvBoDlmwRATQDLGg_m9gAXr9vJiFCeiVWY68KasamfVKNHegt4cs1Vklp8G11OSPmwwrWzz7CZduRnvn7rbDEgzGdE4oSmvENMvRdICCZKfR4nA/w398-h400/samuel%20stroud.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1790 Samuel Stroud property</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>In 1790 he bought 32 acres plus a mill race from Charles Springer near Milltown - between Dickinson High School and Kirkwood Highway. An old house still stands on that property and shows 1790 in the gable. He sold that property in 1798 to Andrew Reynolds.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 1800 census shows “Sam’l Stroud” in Wilmington. Then in 1804 he and his family moved south of Dover to Motherkiln Quaker meeting - his brother Thomas was already there, but in 1805 they moved back. As mentioned above, in 1807 he and his wife along with James(2) and Hannah sold the property on Orange Street.</div><div><br /></div><div>In 1814, he is listed as living on Shipley Street and died 7/23/1832 and is buried at the Friends meeting in Wilmington.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Thomas</b></div><div>In late 1783, Thomas moved to Stanton. In 1787 he moved to Duck Creek Quaker meeting and married <b>Arcada</b> (or Arcadia, or Areada) They were members of the Quaker meeting in Motherkiln (near Magnolia). They had a large family - 8 children:</div><div>• <b>James(5)</b> b 6/19/1790</div><div>• <b>Nancy</b> b 7/12/1792, d 12/9/1792</div><div>• <b>Jacob</b> b 12/6/1793</div><div>• <b>Anna</b> b 3/28/1796</div></div><div><div>• <b>William</b> b 10/14/1798</div><div>• <b>Elizabeth</b> b 4/1/1801, d 9/13/1802</div><div>• <b>Mary(4)</b> b 3/2/1803</div><div><br /></div><div>In 1790, Thomas was one of five persons purchasing 5 acres from John Dickinson to be used as the site for the Motherkiln Monthly Meeting. In 1803 Thomas bought 69 acres in Murderkill Hundred. Arcada died 1/13/1805. She was 35 years old. Thomas died 1/22/1812, and is buried at the Stanton Friends Meeting House.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes:</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div>¹ James Strode Elston, Tuttle PublishingCo., Inc., Rutland, Vermont, page 92</div><div>² Biographical and Genealogical History of the State of Delaware Vol 1 states that when Samuel got married (in 1789) his parents - James(1) and Ann were from Wilmington, but the Quaker marriage certificate for this wedding indicates they were from Plymouth township.</div></div><div>³ Gwynedd Monthly Meeting minutes, 7/25/1777 to 4/28/1778</div><div>⁴ Descendants of Daniel Byrnes, <a href="https://www.halebyrnes.org/history/descendants.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.halebyrnes.org/history/descendants.pdf</a></div><div><div>⁵ In October, 1782 Rachel Stroud, James’ wife petitioned Abington Monthly Meeting for a certificate to transfer to Wilmington.</div><div>⁶ <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=fKsyAQAAMAAJ&dq=marshallton%20scharf&pg=PA671#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">History_of_Delaware_Scharf 1609-1888 Vol II, page 671</a></div><div>⁷ <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=fKsyAQAAMAAJ&dq=marshallton%20scharf&pg=PA928#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">History_of_Delaware_Scharf 1609-1888 Vol II, page 930</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Chronology of Events</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>1776 - Edward(2) marries Hannah Foulk</div><div>1780 - Edward and Hannah looking at New Garden</div><div>1781 - Hannah dies</div><div>1782 - James(2) and Rachel move to Stanton</div><div>1783 - Edward sells land in New London, moves to Wilmington</div><div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>- Samuel moves to Wilmington</div><div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>- Thomas moves to Wilmington</div><div>1784 - Joshua moves to Wilmington</div><div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>- James joins Wilmington Quaker meeting</div><div>1785 - Joshua marries Martha Byrne and buys land in Stanton</div><div>1786 - Edward buys back the land in New London</div><div>1787 - Edward dies</div><div><span> </span><span> </span>- Thomas moves to Duck Creek and marries Arcada</div><div>1788 - James(1) dies</div><div>1789 - Samuel marries Elizabeth Richardson</div><div>1790 - Joshua sells land in Stanton to James(2) and moves to New London</div><div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>- James(2) buys 13 1/2 acre property in Stanton</div><div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>- Samuel buys 34 acre near Milltown</div><div><span> </span><span> </span>- Thomas buys land from John Dickinson for the Motherkiln Quaker meeting</div><div>1791 - Joshua returns to Stanton</div><div>1795 - Joshua buys 50% interest in Mill</div><div>1798 - Samuel sells 34 acres near Milltown</div><div>1800 - Joshua moves to Philadelphia Southern District</div><div>1804 - Samuel moves to Motherkiln</div><div>1805 - Samuel moves back to Wilmington</div><div><span> </span><span> </span>- Arcada dies</div><div>1806 - James(2) marries Hannah Springer</div><div>1807 - James(2)/Hannah and Samuel/Elizabeth sell house on Orange Street</div><div>1808 - James(2) builds stone house in Stanton</div><div>1810 - Joshua living in Brandywine Hundred</div><div>1812 - Joshua moves back to Wilmington MM</div><div><span> </span><span> </span>- Thomas dies</div><div>1813 - Joshua sells 50% interest in Mill</div><div>1814 - Samuel lives on Shipley Street</div><div>1824 - Rachel dies</div><div>1825 - James(2) dies</div><div>1832 - Samuel dies</div><div>1834 - Joshua dies</div></div>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-75907934419960116402022-10-17T15:47:00.000-04:002022-10-17T15:47:21.098-04:00The Malcom-Burris-Weinstock Store<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyU3gwDHvRs2vM3jJmpjdF8i7zTfEzRsOOzahvikiVTwvbI3eFCOg4O6KwxMtSGThQ1UO5OApo0-gdG78fRqe9DI0FyP7iodKnSmnos7TqA_KHs5ICLY7C0T76Fp2sNby3MNZe1bffahE-9zA91c49cyqXsemVkViR7yvU_I98ZMXzuDxubdS5l8i1g/s910/304149994_10224853503182536_5141660779536308397_n.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="910" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyU3gwDHvRs2vM3jJmpjdF8i7zTfEzRsOOzahvikiVTwvbI3eFCOg4O6KwxMtSGThQ1UO5OApo0-gdG78fRqe9DI0FyP7iodKnSmnos7TqA_KHs5ICLY7C0T76Fp2sNby3MNZe1bffahE-9zA91c49cyqXsemVkViR7yvU_I98ZMXzuDxubdS5l8i1g/w320-h262/304149994_10224853503182536_5141660779536308397_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1904 receipt from G.W. & C. Malcom</td></tr></tbody></table>This was a particularly fun little investigation that ended up being about something that was only around for about 50 years, and has been gone for more than 60. It did help uncover the beginnings of something that a few people may remember the end of. It started with a great find (not by me) that when I first saw it, I expected to go in a very different direction. It wasn't until most of the way through that the real story became apparent to me.<p></p><p>So, what are we talking about? Well, this all began when the keen eye of Denis Hehman came across an image of the handwritten receipt seen here, dating to February 11, 1904. On it, John Mitchell has purchased items from the establishment of G.W. & C. Malcom. What I think really caught Denis' eye was the fact that the location is listed as Marshallton. He was not familiar with the Malcoms and neither was I, so I started looking into them. However, the answers did not lead where I thought they would, and I ended up answering a question I didn't even know I had.</p><p>With the location of Marshallton and the description of "Manufacturers of and dealers in all kinds of mill feed and grain", I expected that they would be associated either with the Marshallton or maybe the Greenbank Mill. But since "Marshallton" could cover a wide area, I wasn't sure. I was pretty sure though that the Marshallton mill was out of service by 1904, so I looked more toward Greenbank, even though I'd never heard the Malcom name associated with it before. Turns out that I still haven't found this exact answer, but I did find lots of other ones.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>George and Charles Malcom were brothers, born in 1878 and 1882 in Camden, DE, south of Dover. Their father, John V. Malcom, listed as a miller in the 1880 Census, died of pneumonia in 1894. The family (there were six other siblings and mother Annie) likely moved to Wilmington after that, and they're listed there in 1900. George was then a day laborer and Charles a grocery clerk. Sometime in the next few years, for some reason, the brothers made their way to Mill Creek Hundred.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBurTGJrEtC9fZa9OKqzjnTn2FFv5cvz2x6X1qfz8mRiQ8gIltEw5Mw5XkHF3-Sb8GQiVQYv15i0yatnqxivct1YdwU7K2KDwplwTNmKfqJChBkPS41rrkQAkQ4I5nGaE6uuA52A3HzenxTnWiINhKGHsRGZZO-HoMDyqY94WOr_WbqtenxnonejVONA/s429/1904-7-1%20charles%20catherine%20wedding.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="429" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBurTGJrEtC9fZa9OKqzjnTn2FFv5cvz2x6X1qfz8mRiQ8gIltEw5Mw5XkHF3-Sb8GQiVQYv15i0yatnqxivct1YdwU7K2KDwplwTNmKfqJChBkPS41rrkQAkQ4I5nGaE6uuA52A3HzenxTnWiINhKGHsRGZZO-HoMDyqY94WOr_WbqtenxnonejVONA/w400-h153/1904-7-1%20charles%20catherine%20wedding.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wedding announcement of Katherine Magargal<br />and Charles Malcom, married June 30, 1904</td></tr></tbody></table><p>By at least October 1901, Charles was listed as a party guest at <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-baileys-of-faulkland-revisited.html">the home of Thompson Bailey</a>, in what's now the development of Hyde Park near Brandywine Springs. Also at that party was Katherine Magargal, whom Charles would marry in 1904. Katie was the daughter of Orlando Magargal, and the cousin of Roy Magargal, who would ultimately be the last working miller at Greenbank in the 1960's.</p><p>It seems that whatever business the Malcom brothers had, it only lasted a short time (and existed between censuses). By the 1910 Census, George Malcom is working as a miller all the way downstate in Milton. He would later move to Smyrna, and his work as a miller leaves open the possibility that he (and maybe Charles) did work at Greenbank. However, I have not yet found any evidence of that. Although I can't shed light on the "manufacturer" part of the receipt, the "dealer" part does lead us in a fruitful direction.</p><p>Among the reasons I say that the Malcom brothers' business must have been either short-lived and/or small is the fact that I have been unable to really find any other evidence of it, other than the receipt Denis found. However, I do have a good amount of information about what may have been a successor firm. The biggest clue came with the discovery of a 1910 deed between Mary A. Welch and Katherine B. Malcom. Katie Malcom (Charles' wife) was purchasing Lot #1 of Hilltop, which was the subdivided property Harry W. Sherman, located across Newport Gap Pike from <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2011/12/cedars.html">the Cedars</a>. And specifically, Lot #1 was the triangular lot in the crook of the intersection of Newport Gap Pike and Milltown Road.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiDtzsRJw6gAclHnyT3zD4Qrdq3q7EhCJ1bPaHCP2_CNEK9VdUWYxh50PK41LuhyM5xuQjjLKztidIX3mDwAXqlQxGQMuOF74uGjte0yVTyzuhA1hFxCSWZvA53-RBaYAMXn8bBnzqptn_J7UuGdO0UW7g_nqCXhfQdo57sB9IGeBk5Tk_RCk9bjRoXQ/s1421/Hilltop%20Lot%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="1421" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiDtzsRJw6gAclHnyT3zD4Qrdq3q7EhCJ1bPaHCP2_CNEK9VdUWYxh50PK41LuhyM5xuQjjLKztidIX3mDwAXqlQxGQMuOF74uGjte0yVTyzuhA1hFxCSWZvA53-RBaYAMXn8bBnzqptn_J7UuGdO0UW7g_nqCXhfQdo57sB9IGeBk5Tk_RCk9bjRoXQ/w640-h518/Hilltop%20Lot%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plan for The Cedars and Hilltop. Hilltop Lot #1, sold to Katie Malcom<br />in 1910, is outlined in red between Milltown Road and Newport Gap Pike</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This location is significant for one reason -- up until 1960, there was a small store located there, later known as Weinstock's. And while I'm still unsure as to exactly where the Malcom boys were in 1904 (or if George was even actually in the area), I do have a pretty good guess as to the beginnings of the store across from the Cedars, which would stand for 53 years. The big clue is the woman from whom Katie Malcom bought Hilltop Lot #1 -- Mary A. Welch. In the 1910 deed it states that the lot had belonged to Harry C. Welch, who had died in April 1908. <i>That's</i> the big clue, and its own interesting story.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Harry Welch was Mary's brother, and the family lived on New Street in Marshallton. Their father, William L. Welch, was...a grocer. Harry worked for his father in Marshallton, and when the 23 year old bought the Hilltop lot, I think it's reasonable to assume he did so to open his own store to service the growing community of the Cedars. Seems too much of a coincidence that a grocer who owned a lot where there was a store wouldn't have been the one who built it. Therefore, he would also have been responsible for the house on the same lot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sadly though, if Harry Welch did build the store, he didn't get to run it very long. In what seems an unlikely turn of events, Welch was involved in a train crossing accident in Elsmere in October 1907. In this incident, the carriage he was driving was struck by a train, demolishing the carriage and throwing him and another man about 30 feet up the track. Their injuries (mostly lacerations) were serious, but not fatal. However, six months later, Welch was not so lucky.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In April 1908, he and Lillian McDugall were riding along near the B&O's Kiamensi Station, on Stanton Road. An oncoming train spooked their horse, which began to run. Their carriage struck the train platform, throwing both passengers. Harry was thrown onto the track, where he was run over by the train. He died instantly. Lillian died of her injuries eight days later.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Circling back though, I believe it's likely that when Katie Malcom bought the corner lot in 1910, Harry Welch's store was already present. Her story is almost as tragic as Welch's, albeit in a different way. I don't know why the property was purchased under only Katie's name, as she and Charles Malcom were married at the time. (It wasn't common for a wife to buy property under her own name, but it wasn't unheard of.) However, in the 1910 Census (taken three months after the purchase) she's listed as a merchant working in her own store (known as Malcom's Store), while Charles is a guard at the Work House (Greenbank). He may have helped out, but it feels like it was her store.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Malcoms however, did not live a long happy life together. It seems that Charles suffered from alcoholism, to the point where in 1914 Katie divorced him on the grounds that he had been intoxicated "nearly every day" for the previous two years. After their separation, Charles remarried and moved to Kennett Square (where he and Katherine may have been part-time residents, also).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWD4yqtlfodK4OSFMXFrKlA2T63_J7cP69-QVfCyuba7x0T7ImRpAt0-UK6h8UUaC-CgdgojiFUg3EROjPVPXbdfDz4O7BfZOwP2RL8hZUkUVPxDQOQzHPrBgB4X-q6tMBNE4a56LkSDXPoHEisppwXVZaJ07Eo9hzicmpxlkO_AzhH4nQ1rS1rifBlw/s512/Weinstock's%20Store%201920's.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="512" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWD4yqtlfodK4OSFMXFrKlA2T63_J7cP69-QVfCyuba7x0T7ImRpAt0-UK6h8UUaC-CgdgojiFUg3EROjPVPXbdfDz4O7BfZOwP2RL8hZUkUVPxDQOQzHPrBgB4X-q6tMBNE4a56LkSDXPoHEisppwXVZaJ07Eo9hzicmpxlkO_AzhH4nQ1rS1rifBlw/w640-h546/Weinstock's%20Store%201920's.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Malcom-Burris-Weinstock Store in the 1920's, possibly soon<br />after its purchase by David L. and Bertha Weinstock</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The now-again Katherine Magargal continued to run her store on The Pike (now called Magargal's Store), and in 1919 she also remarried. Her new husband (and partner in running the store) was Albion Cooper Burris, who was freshly home from serving overseas in WWI. The store now became known as Burris' Store, of course, but it wouldn't be for long. Cooper Burris passed away in March 1922 of heart disease, at the age of 31. The next year, Katherine sold the house and store to the names that a few people around may still remember -- David and Bertha Weinstock.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">David Weinstock was born in Poland (then part of Russia) in 1893, but by about 1905 his family had made their way to Wilmington (via Buffalo, NY and Erie, PA). Weinstock married Bertha Derezinsky in 1917, shortly before being shipped off to serve in France in WWI. When he got back, he ran a grocery store at 12th and Heald Streets in Wilmington. After four years of that, and now with two young daughters, David and Bertha decided to move "out to the country". In what seems to be a coincidence, they bought the store and home of David's army buddy, Cooper Burris.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9_bNzrCWDtzO7Nz2y4WTdpPxQU70ncMD4AzXU9OhZPCZVivVszrRSgE6WUbESlRB95bz0ikyqYXhpvBm11znG-UzCCqLrd861WqJlYOozR0QVoBf6k1_lo_454gNo89ywa142cbtkji-pvmXShFbeXUNL7vq01MVut8YwFQ2rp1lNomRmThhWQYysA/s394/303291596_2267762616724171_3987437297341872600_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="394" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9_bNzrCWDtzO7Nz2y4WTdpPxQU70ncMD4AzXU9OhZPCZVivVszrRSgE6WUbESlRB95bz0ikyqYXhpvBm11znG-UzCCqLrd861WqJlYOozR0QVoBf6k1_lo_454gNo89ywa142cbtkji-pvmXShFbeXUNL7vq01MVut8YwFQ2rp1lNomRmThhWQYysA/w400-h284/303291596_2267762616724171_3987437297341872600_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weinstock's Store, shortly before it<br />was torn down in 1960</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the next 37 years, the Weinstocks would run their small country store, successfully straddling the era of the small general store and the modern supermarket. Although they may have initially felt somewhat out of place (Mill Creek Hundred did not have much of a Jewish community in 1923), the Weinstocks became an integral part of the community. In the early days there was a gas pump in front of the store, but it proved to be unprofitable -- and in the way. The pump was so close to both roads that it got knocked over twice, so Weinstock finally removed it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The store itself was always in an unusual and tight spot -- right in the sharp triangle formed by Milltown Road and Newport Gap Pike. As early as the 1930's, the threat arose of the store's removal due to road widening. In 1960 though, the Weinstocks' luck finally ran out. Planned widening of Milltown Road called for the removal of the store, as well as their home and large garage (probably built by Harry Welch for his horse and carriage). On March 24, 1960, the store was razed. The house and garage soon followed. That was the end of the store likely built by Harry Welch in 1907, later owned by Katie and Charles Malcom, by Cooper and Katherine Burris, and finally by David and Bertha Weinstock.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTv3zk07KLDWu1n6lzkd4vDJh122p47DXlEwqZ6YSzUmlgHyXz-YKmmUN64S1SoFVznBzonuWQmUB4eqlVlcZwLpl6VKg9-bgy7P02b4E7T0HFnhVtk1LNL1B95CNgWhll-d_Si5teTW6WrRW29fqNMW5fln1CuF4JTft8lUw3FflvXbJnuaEs1CY24Q/s1857/1960-3-25%20store%20gone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1857" data-original-width="1672" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTv3zk07KLDWu1n6lzkd4vDJh122p47DXlEwqZ6YSzUmlgHyXz-YKmmUN64S1SoFVznBzonuWQmUB4eqlVlcZwLpl6VKg9-bgy7P02b4E7T0HFnhVtk1LNL1B95CNgWhll-d_Si5teTW6WrRW29fqNMW5fln1CuF4JTft8lUw3FflvXbJnuaEs1CY24Q/w576-h640/1960-3-25%20store%20gone.jpg" width="576" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weinstock's Store is gone, and the house is soon to follow</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So in the end, through all this, we ended up learning the history of the store in "the triangle" and its (sometimes) ill-fated owners. I still have not yet cracked the mystery of the Malcom Brothers' establishment -- where it was or how long it operated. And in fact, the 1904 receipt continues to be the only evidence I've seen that they even <i>had</i> a business. There undoubtedly have been many such short-lived small businesses that have barely left a footprint in history, and more evidence of them still out there to be uncovered.</div><p></p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-42003381555773864472022-09-15T15:29:00.002-04:002023-02-13T11:44:41.159-05:00Tweed's Tavern<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADGg1ZPcMdyY_XU9SNs6ExlzpEt6X1g2-nAIEkQD1cvCF4Dfg9AbGBU92QpdhJb0PgFWl4lGvTEOJoB0a2YtYy3sKCYSBk76eSQ062qXwajPP7_d04YQVEwNTc92_Rmzhc4i7f5-NTR1xa__5_zWwNwuqmm4pqN-1dXf1vtToWH2wep8Fh9ENRssWOw/s1386/Tweed's%20Tavern%20sm.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="1386" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADGg1ZPcMdyY_XU9SNs6ExlzpEt6X1g2-nAIEkQD1cvCF4Dfg9AbGBU92QpdhJb0PgFWl4lGvTEOJoB0a2YtYy3sKCYSBk76eSQ062qXwajPP7_d04YQVEwNTc92_Rmzhc4i7f5-NTR1xa__5_zWwNwuqmm4pqN-1dXf1vtToWH2wep8Fh9ENRssWOw/s320/Tweed's%20Tavern%20sm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tweed's Tavern today</td></tr></tbody></table><div>When we hear “tavern” today, we think of a place to meet up with friends, have a few drinks, and maybe grab a good meal. Taverns in the 18th and 19th Century fulfilled those roles for locals as well, although their function did evolve a bit over time. In the 1700's, taverns primarily served as resting places for weary travelers. At the time, Limestone Road served as an important transportation route for farmers bringing their crops down from the fertile fields of Pennsylvania to the shipping centers of Stanton and Newport. However, the roads were poor and travel was difficult, so resting places were never far apart. At the roadside inn or tavern the traveler could get a hot meal (consisting of whatever the innkeeper happened to have), a bed (usually in a room with others and sometimes, especially in the winter, a bed shared with others), stables for his horses, needed repairs for his wagon, a few good stiff drinks, and all the gossip and news he could take in and share. In those days, taverns served as one of the main ways for news and ideas to spread.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While many 18<sup>th</sup> and 19<sup>th</sup> Century
taverns were no more than family homes lightly outfitted to host guests, the establishment that would come to be known as Tweed's Tavern seems to have been built specifically as a tavern. But as well-documented as its later history is, the earliest years of the tavern have some frustrating holes. The history of the land goes back much further, of course, but for our purposes here we'll start in the 1790's. It's here that I have a quiet disagreement with some of the published histories. I've seen it written that in 1790, Brandywine Hundred native Stephen Foulk purchased 96 acres of land along the Limestone Road from John Gregg. Stephen was the younger brother of William Foulk, owner of the former Evans mill on Red Clay Creek that would later become the Fell Spice Mill.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The people are correct, but unfortunately the 1790 deed that's referenced (in a 1997 DelDOT report) is not available for me to see. What I <i>have</i> found is a December 1796 indenture tripartite between John Gregg, Stephen Foulk, and John Crow. Admittedly it's a little confusing to me, but it sure seems like Gregg is selling the 96 acres for the first time. I believe he's selling it to Foulk, but with a one year lease agreement between Foulk and Crow. [<i>Thanks to our friend Walt C., I think we have an answer now. For the full explanation, check out his comment from 2/10/2023 down below. The short version is that this 1796 transaction was a sort of legal end-around to make sure the 1790 sale from Gregg to Foulk was legit and binding. I still feel it's not a coincidence that Crow was involved in this maneuver.</i>]<i> </i>The significance of this is that John Crow was a well-known innkeeper in New Castle and Wilmington, and is identified in the deed as an innkeeper. The
prevailing thought is that it was Crow who built, on the northern end of the 96 acre tract, a two-story log house for
use as a tavern.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3CNcNsQ88vATXl6SHiQjmDbgyk8LudTNPkmJz2pLQrrwR1fOUoGARRV1RdkW1YNVm6Du0mkUCVsI9RZ0EXgiy2Xv2ODFB9BBmdbO4CO6klroCSjm13lQ2zIkcyqzaZ8uio6mofthVJ0Du42iZuV7_eqWkiMnJV4LjPaPFAKrynjRM9xn7DjvrR2rtg/s808/1797%20rates.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="580" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3CNcNsQ88vATXl6SHiQjmDbgyk8LudTNPkmJz2pLQrrwR1fOUoGARRV1RdkW1YNVm6Du0mkUCVsI9RZ0EXgiy2Xv2ODFB9BBmdbO4CO6klroCSjm13lQ2zIkcyqzaZ8uio6mofthVJ0Du42iZuV7_eqWkiMnJV4LjPaPFAKrynjRM9xn7DjvrR2rtg/w460-h640/1797%20rates.jpg" width="460" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The list of rates for inns and taverns in New Castle County, as issued<br />by the NCC Justices of the Peace in 1797. John Crow or Isaac Wilcox<br />would have posted this in their tavern</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">There doesn't seem to be any evidence that Crow actually ran the tavern, but there <i>is</i> tavern license application in the 1790’s from Isaac Wilcox. Figuring out exactly who ran a particular tavern when can be tricky for a couple reasons. First, much like with mills, sometimes the property owner operated it and sometimes an outside "professional" was brought it. And while with taverns there's the extra step of licensing, that procedure and the records of it are often spotty. So perhaps Stephen Foulk ran the tavern himself for a while, but if he did, he didn't for long -- that's because in April 1799, he died.</p><p class="MsoNormal">His widow Hannah and brother William were left as the administrators of his estate, and over the next few years they sold off the nearly 100 acres in several pieces. Joseph Phillips, a blacksmith who already owned land to the west of the property, bought 31 of the acres fronting Limestone Road. He quickly sold 2½ acres on the road just above the tavern to another blacksmith, Ezekiel Reece. This lot would make its way back into the history books in another century and a half, but we'll return to that later. The largest portion, the southern 64 acres which included the mansion house, was sold to Samuel Lindsey. </p><p class="MsoNormal">But most importantly to our story, in early 1801 Hannah and William Foulk sold about 10¾ acres, including the tavern, to a cooper from Montgomery County, PA named James Harvey. Harvey did apply for a tavern license, and from his application we learn that it had recently been operated by the blacksmith next door, Ezekiel Reece. Harvey didn't stick around long, though, because in September 1802 he sold the property to a house carpenter from Lancaster County -- John Tweed.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The tavern license was briefly held by Samuel Johnston in 1803, but in May 1804 Tweed applied for himself. Interestingly, a road plat of the area drawn in 1804 labels the establishment as "New Tavern called Mudfort Tavern". To the best of my knowledge it's not known where that name came from or even if it was used for long. Another plat from four years later labels it as John Tweed's Tavern, and it would remain so for about the next 20 years.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Tweed expanded his holdings in 1804 by purchasing 23½ acres from Joseph Phillips, part of the land which he had acquired from the Foulk estate. The innkeeper did this by taking out a mortgage on his property, and it seems he remained in debt the rest of his life. Judging by what records remain, Tweed's Tavern was on the smaller end of the spectrum as far as tavern size, and was never as prominent as the next inn down the road, the Mermaid Tavern. This could explain his financial problems, or maybe his situation explains why the tavern was never bigger.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hdB_II1pjL0g2G-ti5AK7BXYeE_TbtnoKN_3gCYGAkrtTk6ifxtD2vbAMYkyspsizHkpTyHpkT7_Ly3IN5HyaVtT6vYlf9bbem4qSaGPbOULWS-dGYQjyLJu7sokxK31nDIBCmGzK4yZ40jjdhir_AR_cHTle283tR2UCNBmBYsvYWbYwTEDgUg4Tw/s895/1820%20Heald%20map%20with%20tavern.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="895" data-original-width="855" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hdB_II1pjL0g2G-ti5AK7BXYeE_TbtnoKN_3gCYGAkrtTk6ifxtD2vbAMYkyspsizHkpTyHpkT7_Ly3IN5HyaVtT6vYlf9bbem4qSaGPbOULWS-dGYQjyLJu7sokxK31nDIBCmGzK4yZ40jjdhir_AR_cHTle283tR2UCNBmBYsvYWbYwTEDgUg4Tw/w613-h640/1820%20Heald%20map%20with%20tavern.jpg" width="613" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portion of the 1820 Heald map,<br />with Tweed's Tavern circled</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">In 1814 Tweed purchased the 2½ acre Reece lot next door, and five years earlier had bought 15½ acres north of Hockessin, along the new Newport and Gap Turnpike. This purchase was likely speculative, and ties into the first of the two forces that ultimately killed Tweed's tavern. The turnpike movement was in full steam in the late 1700's and early 1800's, but Limestone Road was not a part of it. The Newport and Gap Turnpike, and its Lancaster Turnpike branch, took much traffic from Limestone Road and consequently from the taverns along it.</p><p class="MsoNormal">By 1823 Tweed's financial situation had become so dire that a sheriff's sale was imminent. He apparently died during the proceeding, and his property and tavern were sold to Joseph Roman, the New Garden, PA resident whose blacksmith and/or wheelwright shops were just north of the tavern on Limestone Road. Roman finally paid off all of Tweed's mortgages, and in January 1825 sold the tavern and most of the land back to John Tweed's widow, Elizabeth, and his sons Curtis and James. Curtis had actually applied for a tavern license in 1824, and presumably ran the inn for the next few years.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Elizabeth Tweed sold her share of the property in 1830 to her sons, who also had acquired another adjacent 33 acres. The Tweed brothers, like their father, were saddled with debts they couldn't pay, so in 1831 they were forced to sell it all (now totaling 67 acres) to Ross Dixon. After this point there are no identifiable tavern licenses associated with the property, and it's very possible that the site's use as a tavern ended along with the Tweed family's connection to it. Plus, at this time the other force negatively impacting taverns was just ramping up -- the railroads.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
The first railroads were constructed in the late 1820's and early 1830's, and as they grew over the next few decades the role of the wayside inn evolved. As passenger and freight traffic shifted from carriages and wagons to trains, the taverns and inns along the turnpikes and roadways lost most of their lodging function. The only ones lucky enough to continue in that manner were the ones that happened to be near railroad stations. The most of the rest either closed up or shifted even more towards food and drink service to local residents. They became less of a motel and more of a bar. Oftentimes it's difficult to discern exactly when a site stopped being used as a tavern. For instance, there's no direct evidence of Tweed's Tavern being used as such after 1831. However, in the 1852 estate inventory of the next long term owner, Thomas Baldwin, there are items and amounts of those items (chairs, beds, tables, beverages) that hint that he may have continued to operate a tavern here.<div><br /></div><div>Back in 1831 the Tweed brothers had been forced to sell the tavern, to Ross Dixon. Dixon died a couple years later, and his estate sold the 67 acres and the tavern to Dr. Andrew Murphy, who immediately sold it to Baldwin. The Baldwin family would own the old log house for the next 71 years. When it was constructed in the 1790's, there was nothing unusual about the fact that it <i>was</i> a log house. Up until well into the 19th Century, most of the houses in Mill Creek Hundred were of log construction. The only thing unusual about the one-time tavern is that it survived, and that it survived for so long in nearly its original state, with no large additions. Most of the area's log houses were either torn down and replaced by stone or frame structures, or encased early on inside larger houses. This would be Tweed's fate, just much later than most.</div><div><br /></div><div>After Thomas Baldwin died in 1852, his widow Lydia retained the home and surrounding farm. After her passing in 1873, George Klair, the Baldwins' son-in-law and executor of the estate, sold the property to their son Thomas L. J. Baldwin and his sister Mary Jane Baldwin. Mary Jane passed away in the 1890's, and after her sister Sarah Baldwin Klair passed in 1901, Sarah's husband George forced a sheriff's sale on the property the following year. In 1902 the 67 acre property passed out of the Baldwin family and was purchased by Thomas Hewitt.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4E_JVqtnLePLcN10ZB9TuVL-LQ5gjTNdaxUyJu4YXO6Gy2rTprAQzwGHL-Cr9AAIi5r9Llrrf8cG_YuqP4N7b-2POfwfQHY5U8jzIKKmdg4m1h1ivyKgkYjCSkFqyEOGz-84wxpPTe5ALJ-WBJ63yzgweurI7om3WBvDtNYBM3RHMyT_i5IrENCexhQ/s1168/1930%20Tweeds%20area%20annotated.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="1168" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4E_JVqtnLePLcN10ZB9TuVL-LQ5gjTNdaxUyJu4YXO6Gy2rTprAQzwGHL-Cr9AAIi5r9Llrrf8cG_YuqP4N7b-2POfwfQHY5U8jzIKKmdg4m1h1ivyKgkYjCSkFqyEOGz-84wxpPTe5ALJ-WBJ63yzgweurI7om3WBvDtNYBM3RHMyT_i5IrENCexhQ/w640-h392/1930%20Tweeds%20area%20annotated.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1930 view looking north along Limestone Road<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Hewitt owned the old tavern for eleven years, then it passed through several owners and a couple banks before Joseph and Frances Baccino sold the house, now on 34 acres, to Alfred and Catherine Giacomelli in 1934. Meanwhile, remember the neighboring 2½ acres on the north side, sold to Ezekiel Reece back in 1801? It had a house built on it sometime between 1816 and 1825. The lot was never again part of the Tweed's Tavern tract, and originally, when Valley Road was laid out around 1807, the road ran between the two houses -- on the north side of the tavern instead of the south side. It would be rerouted sometime prior to 1820.</div><div><br /></div><div>This smaller lot would change hands many times, until purchased in 1925 by Fred Bulah. The Bulahs were part of Hockessin's African-American community, but in 1950 would become a part of the nation's history. Like the other African-American children in the area, their young daughter Shirley attended the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/hockessin-colored-school-107c.html">Hockessin Colored School #107C</a>. When Fred and Sarah Bulah's simple request that the school bus taking the white children to school also take Shirley to hers was denied, they took their case to Wilmington lawyer Louis Redding. In 1951<i> Bulah v. Gebhart</i> was combined with another case concerning Claymont High School, and the following year became the first cases in the US to ever successfully challenge legally segregated schools. Two years later, the Delaware cases were consolidated with four others to become <i>Brown v. Board of Education</i>, one of the most significant court cases of the 20th Century.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWSirfkXR4zWVFXIszbkVFIP4iGch2QADZUbyY0gKYUc0aUFSvFDakuZoBlk5werO_YvNmQxHDK_Radq2-dNxGBBrZUywj5cg6omowhZNx4VFtyPbDJO8eff-_ygN88gAas7kL9Uia79sO8EKUegsp0RkzJ8wdmgA56hG_25Cr9pEw_SqdulEg2rKCg/s986/Tweed's%20Tavern%20aerial%20early%201950s.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="986" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWSirfkXR4zWVFXIszbkVFIP4iGch2QADZUbyY0gKYUc0aUFSvFDakuZoBlk5werO_YvNmQxHDK_Radq2-dNxGBBrZUywj5cg6omowhZNx4VFtyPbDJO8eff-_ygN88gAas7kL9Uia79sO8EKUegsp0RkzJ8wdmgA56hG_25Cr9pEw_SqdulEg2rKCg/w640-h426/Tweed's%20Tavern%20aerial%20early%201950s.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial view of Tweed's Tavern from the early 1950's, looking south. <br />Valley Rd is visible, as is the addition on the north end</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Returning now to the former tavern, when the Giacomellis arrived in 1934 the original log construction of the house was present, but had already been stuccoed over, although it's unclear when that was done. At that time the house had neither electricity nor (presumably) running water, and the only heat source was the fireplace. It wasn't until the early 1950's that the first addition (aside from an early kitchen lean-to) was a built -- a two-story section on the north end of the house, on the site of the earlier kitchen. In 1981-82 a two-story addition was built on to the west side (rear) of the house, as well as an enclosed porch on the front. <br />
<br />The house stayed in the Giacomelli family until 1989, when it was sold and converted into office space. The final (or at least, current) phase in the tavern's history was initiated by the very thing that made it possible in the first place -- Limestone Road. In the late 1990's, DelDOT drew up plans to widen Limestone Road and to reconfigure the Valley Road intersection. To that end, the state purchased the home with
plans to demolish it. However, when archeologists started investigating the
house they rediscovered the long-hidden log structure within, and the movement began to save the old log tavern.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLP87ZiN5X3U4NCdy2-uhcgE40iO9w_lWZs8Pl0l5akeXWVnabjP_PiU1G6sK6QpBZOEYxzIYn3cRELYEVEBPEDKhQA4f5VnGQkpS8n6Vyj_qxoj2LBVUAjIF7KWhOGnsjvbOifuYNXas4Hro0F0gf1X1eDinxqmlTQ50idLYALeJiZ3kZiFhEtrmsmQ/s717/DelDOT%20Tweeds%20looking%20SW.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="717" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLP87ZiN5X3U4NCdy2-uhcgE40iO9w_lWZs8Pl0l5akeXWVnabjP_PiU1G6sK6QpBZOEYxzIYn3cRELYEVEBPEDKhQA4f5VnGQkpS8n6Vyj_qxoj2LBVUAjIF7KWhOGnsjvbOifuYNXas4Hro0F0gf1X1eDinxqmlTQ50idLYALeJiZ3kZiFhEtrmsmQ/w640-h440/DelDOT%20Tweeds%20looking%20SW.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Giacomelli House in 1990, with front porch and addition on the right</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>What came next is a story unto itself and there are others who could tell it better than I. The short version is that after some
frantic activity, and help from Preservation Delaware and the newly formed
Hockessin Historical Society, the house was moved in 2000 a few hundred yards north to
a safe spot. The race was now on to figure out what to do next with the 200+
year old tavern. Within a few years a plan was developed to relocate the tavern
to a new site nearby, and Tweed’s Tavern Park was born.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Hn9SKzb7o8QHyEe8FrOo-YrGXmtDdD8_3Zz6LzUuyF23BFnp58ynEJ75TDVtCCcoT4_B1IDT6iE2AcBf70gDsjVZ-pSyjal8JGrlFRS5pX0YsCgQK7cJ7bfDbBVncb7aqVYrL51bk4_dsAwS7dWnB2e_A2ZBb_lEYjI34x4-_xfBfLrtQYd1aJmfIw/s823/moved%206-2000.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="823" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Hn9SKzb7o8QHyEe8FrOo-YrGXmtDdD8_3Zz6LzUuyF23BFnp58ynEJ75TDVtCCcoT4_B1IDT6iE2AcBf70gDsjVZ-pSyjal8JGrlFRS5pX0YsCgQK7cJ7bfDbBVncb7aqVYrL51bk4_dsAwS7dWnB2e_A2ZBb_lEYjI34x4-_xfBfLrtQYd1aJmfIw/w640-h424/moved%206-2000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Giacomelli House (with Tweed's Tavern inside)<br />after the temporary move in June 2000</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">I</span>n 2005 the tavern was disassembled log by log
and rebuilt (minus the 20th Century additions) in its new home, restoring it to its original 18th Century appearance, using
about 40% of the original material. Before it was moved, samples were taken for a dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) report. The results showed that the logs were from trees cut down between 1795 and 1797, fitting perfectly with a construction date soon after the original sale from John Gregg to Stephen Foulk in late 1796.</span></span></div><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By late 2006, 210 years later, the tavern was ready for its new role, and the Hockessin Historical
Society’s new museum was ready for the public. Along with the exhibit hall behind
it added a few years later, Tweed's Tavern again serves the local public, only now satisfying its thirst for local history instead of home-brewed ale and whiskey and a place to sleep for the night.</span></span></div>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-49305910528672025052022-08-15T11:27:00.003-04:002022-08-15T11:27:59.276-04:00The Mills of White Clay Creek Landing -- Part 2: The Independence Mill<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYQ9ycI5bZv9ME4FGYTJhUhiU7QUp5aQeogJ-WLs3ilHPG6GsWISUOmzQ3NWlb7TZzKtSvj7c4ZNHtyDAN9Vdc1uo6-ZrQp8OdD-cQGpMvYXOzHlC-9GAEBsEa_NYsORUJwF0gQSjJsDwMdiv3araBgQqvAMC-xuS-bD6LsaeEUibE5dB_EnoOrXVww/s1271/mill%20in%201955.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="1271" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYQ9ycI5bZv9ME4FGYTJhUhiU7QUp5aQeogJ-WLs3ilHPG6GsWISUOmzQ3NWlb7TZzKtSvj7c4ZNHtyDAN9Vdc1uo6-ZrQp8OdD-cQGpMvYXOzHlC-9GAEBsEa_NYsORUJwF0gQSjJsDwMdiv3araBgQqvAMC-xuS-bD6LsaeEUibE5dB_EnoOrXVww/s320/mill%20in%201955.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1865 Independence Mill<br />(with a later addition) </td></tr></tbody></table>In <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-mills-of-white-clay-creek-landing.html">the last post</a> we looked at the story of the Colonial Era mill which was located directly north of the Hale-Byrnes House, on White Clay Creek just south of Stanton. Originally built by Daniel Byrnes in about 1770, it was rebuilt by William T. Smith just after 1800 and operated until it was destroyed in a fire. I'm not sure of the date on that, but it was sometime between 1844 and 1861 (probably closer to 1844). The mill, the house, and more than 150 acres were owned by prominent lawyer Andrew C. Gray at the time of the mill's destruction, but he soon sold it all to the Farmer's Bank of Delaware.<p></p><p>The mill seat lay dormant for a time, until Jesse Sharpe came along and purchased the property on July 2, 1861. Sharpe was not a random entrant into the story, but was a prominent and wealthy Wilmingtonian and a director of the Farmer's Bank (among other positions with other companies). It's very possible that the financially wise Sharpe saw the potential of the site and specifically its potential need in the near future. This was only a few months after the outbreak of the Civil War, and though most people assumed the war would be quick, Sharpe may have foreseen the need for mill sites and the ramping up of industrial production for the protection of the Union.</p><p>If that was the case (and that's only my theory), it probably took longer than he expected to see a return on his investment. It wasn't until June 1864 that Sharpe sold some of the land he had bought, in three separate tracts. They were basically (1) the land bounded by the Hale-Byrnes House on the south, White Clay Creek, the mill race, and the railroad tracks on the north; (2) the mill race itself; and (3) what is (humorously, to me) called "the Dam Ground". These were sold to William Dean, owner of the Dean Woolen Mills farther up White Clay Creek at Newark (off of Paper Mill Road). Dean, who had government contracts for war materials, was looking for an additional site to increase production.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4kyWFefMI11LfNPAi4IkD-CCHaChZ0UgH6rrLEGn3qXU6id-BBoWJjax5s-NjGAeUOQV5o3-FymFsq0LKsZJDPOGso-WLkF005xDCipwAXgoXa5lCxxpV6DPwHZeTiG-nvXby_nZRFo8XoEeG1UtgRjYwdrOjvgfSVMjDgmPS8zjKJxbr4kSwyAkyA/s562/1866-1-8%20butterworth.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="562" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4kyWFefMI11LfNPAi4IkD-CCHaChZ0UgH6rrLEGn3qXU6id-BBoWJjax5s-NjGAeUOQV5o3-FymFsq0LKsZJDPOGso-WLkF005xDCipwAXgoXa5lCxxpV6DPwHZeTiG-nvXby_nZRFo8XoEeG1UtgRjYwdrOjvgfSVMjDgmPS8zjKJxbr4kSwyAkyA/s320/1866-1-8%20butterworth.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">January 8, 1866 mention of the new<br />Butterworth factory (Independence Mill)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Admittedly, this and the next couple transactions can be confusing, as they all sort of weave together (pun intended). And as great as the above theory is, I'm not completely certain that Dean actually put the site into production. In July 1866, William Dean sold the property to "Ashton Butterworth and John Pilling, Trustees". Trustees of what, you ask? The firm of A. Butterworth and Company. And who did that consist of? Ashton Butterworth, John Pilling, and William Dean. So Dean was just selling the site from his own personal possession to a company he was part owner of. The price though, doubled, from the $6000 that Dean paid in 1864 to $12000 that Butterworth and Pilling paid two years later. That was certainly due to the erection of the new cotton factory noted in the article above. That factory would stand, along with later modifications, for 125 years.</p><p>The firm of A. Butterworth and Co. didn't last long, though, and in October 1867 Ashton Butterworth sold his share of the property back to Pilling and Dean. It's also in this indenture that the name given to the new cotton mill is used -- the Independence Mill. At this point the histories are a bit vague, but my best guess is that the Independence Mill was converted from cotton to woolen production soon after the sale from Butterworth. What makes it confusing is that the Dean Woolen Mills and the Kiamensi Woolen Company (incorporated in 1864) were somewhat, um, interwoven -- the Deans and the Pillings had hands in both.</p><p>What I do know for sure is that on June 24, 1875, William Dean and John Pilling officially sold their White Clay Creek Landing properties (which were broken up into seven separate parcels) to the Kiamensi Woolen Company (which was almost wholly owned by John and his brother Thomas Pilling). This of course included the Independence Mill.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PZaaGHCAERLUzlU3rEBA3xzCjAeAzPveEToerBijoxCpZUgaBEGHGW_VuLOOWKD6z4bbStJgU1E4VOc7BmM72M96D3uFyyphIlgeWM2h0U77chwf-qIXXIse2Mtak2HyG2MjTgRWITfZ0WZCvUvu4FkDsxlFio6ucQvwq28i7cwtRfNSngJduP88dQ/s510/1887-4-28%20fire%20system.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="510" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PZaaGHCAERLUzlU3rEBA3xzCjAeAzPveEToerBijoxCpZUgaBEGHGW_VuLOOWKD6z4bbStJgU1E4VOc7BmM72M96D3uFyyphIlgeWM2h0U77chwf-qIXXIse2Mtak2HyG2MjTgRWITfZ0WZCvUvu4FkDsxlFio6ucQvwq28i7cwtRfNSngJduP88dQ/w400-h195/1887-4-28%20fire%20system.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice of the new sprinkler system installed in April 1887</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The process for making woolen cloth takes a number of separate steps. Initially each site (the Kiamensi Mill on Red Clay Creek below Marshallton and the Independence Mill) was fully self-contained, performing the entire process. In 1873 (two years before officially becoming part of Kiamensi Woolen), the Independence Mill was refitted to specifically do the carding and spinning parts of the operation. It served as the carding and spinning mill for the Kiamensi Woolen Company for about the next 50 years. The company didn't run exactly continuously during that stretch -- there were times when the mills shut down for a while, but they always came back on line (sometimes with government contracts, like in 1898 during the Spanish-American War). A state-of-the-art sprinkler system was installed in 1887, a move which will later sound ironic.</p><p>At some point along the way -- I'm not exactly sure when, but sometime prior to the early 1900's -- the company built worker housing on the other side of the road from the mill, slightly closer to the railroad tracks. That brick structure is still there and occupied to this day.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocTgLOdNK3TLGhJO4p2Hj1DjSgtpZ8xDsw2OG5ihH4NhJQsV76Mz2YYEGo6csY8UwBINfVLGqjzw3aurE-Z69UKYCSl_uCFqcv36QULYk_C_OX5Rlt1dpEG1jUDpoOCbLOQKmJPOcmCkzVaoB5wumHRBOughRb4wr5vjXfGLjC9Up4BJ8fjSjoCAyvA/s3238/20190908_163918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3238" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocTgLOdNK3TLGhJO4p2Hj1DjSgtpZ8xDsw2OG5ihH4NhJQsV76Mz2YYEGo6csY8UwBINfVLGqjzw3aurE-Z69UKYCSl_uCFqcv36QULYk_C_OX5Rlt1dpEG1jUDpoOCbLOQKmJPOcmCkzVaoB5wumHRBOughRb4wr5vjXfGLjC9Up4BJ8fjSjoCAyvA/w640-h362/20190908_163918.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Worker housing built by the Kiamensi Woolen Company</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As noted, the Kiamensi Woolen Company's Independence Mill (later known as just the Stanton Mill) operated for about fifty years, a period of relative calm and stability. The next few decades would be anything but. After the demise of the Kiamensi Woolen Company, the Stanton site would see a series of high hopes and great expectations, followed quickly by disaster and disappointment. It all started when Kiamensi Woolen went into receivership in late 1923, being more than $50,000 in debt.</p><p>The company's properties (both Kiamensi and Stanton) were finally sold in April 1925 to Max Lipschutz, a New Yorker who owned other textile mills on the East Coast. There was great fanfare at the time, as the mills were to be refitted and renamed the Novel Woolen Mills. Lipschutz said the mills would produce Jersey cloths, bathing suits (yes, wool bathing suits), and sweaters. Something must have gotten in the way of those plans though, because that was early May 1925. By January 1926 Lipschutz had received a charter from the state for a new company, Marshallton Woolen Mills, Inc. I feel like the mills never actually ran for him, because in early December 1926 all the Kiamensi and Stanton properties (including contents) of the Marshallton Woolen Mills, Inc. were up for sale at a public auction. This included "six three-story brick dwellings" at Stanton, which must have been the housing by the mill. </p><p>Unfortunately for the New Yorker the properties did not sell then, as "the only offers made were so low that the auctioneer refused to consider them". It's not real clear to me whether the Novel Mills/Marshallton Woolen Mills ever actually operated, but in March 1927 Walter Foraker was convicted of stealing eight sweaters and two bolts of cloth from the Kiamensi Mill. The report stated that he was not an employee of the company, which seems to imply that there <i>were</i> employees. It also stated that, "The mill was open but not operating, it was said, and many persons living in the vicinity of Marshallton helped themselves to sweaters." Sounds like Mr. Foraker's only mistake was getting caught.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZ92P8LKwA4km7FZxpqrrvooX4gFgiOtBCK2Y2qDD4T4K1wWWw2Nb_Dkt-cAeTTdXbttE0bzKD-gpE5PNYOpuTIGGMXVhpya3RYox6iZeDEArTUwReu1SBTXvRAv_GLHLPGj_YXXner9pFpy570Ed_daIX9srS5SIMk1zmOrKmEayq-HIzoNlYQvpnQ/s635/1929-3-11%20ad-tissue.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="327" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZ92P8LKwA4km7FZxpqrrvooX4gFgiOtBCK2Y2qDD4T4K1wWWw2Nb_Dkt-cAeTTdXbttE0bzKD-gpE5PNYOpuTIGGMXVhpya3RYox6iZeDEArTUwReu1SBTXvRAv_GLHLPGj_YXXner9pFpy570Ed_daIX9srS5SIMk1zmOrKmEayq-HIzoNlYQvpnQ/w206-h400/1929-3-11%20ad-tissue.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice of the sale of the Stanton Mill<br />to the Ad Tissue Corporation (3/11/1929)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In April 1929 the Kiamensi property and contents were again for sale, as were the contents of the Stanton mill. The Stanton property, however, had just been sold to the Ad Tissue Corporation, finally severing the link between the Stanton and Kiamensi sites that had been in place since the Civil War. Odd as it sounds, Ad Tissue, a locally-owned company, did pretty much exactly what it sounds like they did -- "manufacture and print advertising matter on toilet tissues". The article said they held the patent rights on the product and were the only company of their kind in the world.</p><p>A newspaper article from March 1930 said that the plant had been running ten hour days since the beginning of the year. All seemed to be well, but sadly their good luck wouldn't even make it to the middle of the year. On the morning of June 19, 1930, a fire tore through the factory, gutting the inside and destroying their entire stock. The president and general manager, William J. Appleby, had to cut the screen in his office window and jump ten feet to the ground to escape the blaze. No one was hurt, but the losses crushed the company. A big part of that was the fact that the company had let their insurance coverage lapse as of June 1. Oops.</p><p>The property was sold the next year, but it seems to have remained idle for another six years. To be fair though, this was during the height of the Great Depression, so there wasn't really a lot of capital flying around to rebuild an old, burned-out mill. The next owners of the mill would not only rebuild and restore it, but would take it back to its roots. The newly chartered Stanton Worsted Company bought the remnants of the old Independence Mill in September 1937 and began renovating it to again produce woolen cloth.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQqGu4qHgeCyTai5aMBdPlACWGMWRGdP9_tr6NPglIw6UdRqBMg6C4ntQ_heV55283xhdbNcOHFfW9K23tTlczN-hh6cYVTm_zHDb-qtkmrJ9hAaSEeZAGzuyiKV9AInDi3YKIYE81q0DDkeu0cxDDcvdTzuPjWxAlWQJFTh3rnvk7ocUe6SXQL0F3Q/s1271/mill%20in%201955.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="1271" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQqGu4qHgeCyTai5aMBdPlACWGMWRGdP9_tr6NPglIw6UdRqBMg6C4ntQ_heV55283xhdbNcOHFfW9K23tTlczN-hh6cYVTm_zHDb-qtkmrJ9hAaSEeZAGzuyiKV9AInDi3YKIYE81q0DDkeu0cxDDcvdTzuPjWxAlWQJFTh3rnvk7ocUe6SXQL0F3Q/w640-h318/mill%20in%201955.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1955 photo of the Independence Mill (far end) with the 1939 addition (foreground).<br />The Hale Byrnes House can be seen in the distance</td></tr></tbody></table><p>They soon had it up and running, and two years later added on to it, doubling the size of the mill. It wasn't until reading that last part that I understood what I was seeing in the photograph above. Although taken a few years later in 1955, it clearly shows the original section of the mill (far end, slightly higher roof, narrower windows) and the 1939 addition (closer end, lower roof, much larger windows). The Hale-Byrnes House can be seen in the distance.</p><p>Stanton Worsted operated until July 1954, but by June of that year the site was already listed for sale. In early 1955 it was purchased by the Corman Bag Company, which also had a site in Chelsea, MA. Corman refitted the mill yet again, this time to manufacture cloth bags, mainly for the feed industry. The firm's name seems to have been quickly changed to the Delaware Bag Corporation, and the factory produced bags (I think first mostly burlap, but later other materials) for the next 30+ years. I don't know if there was always a retail store there, but by at least 1972 you could go and purchase fabrics of many types from Discount Fabrics by The Blue Eyed Devil. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqf10JuDISWYAjzZhMehU6v9jjrCNm8h35S6HpE7WUhesSMyJu_STpUZTqJ5RovhNCiwa3Lnj5EkJTWNn_gt2QOVZBgjGJETBdQ6Mcif2cAlHkKqCbxDWo7uBBU4qDOrJ2aTXHYLnk2glTTiw_Uk5lt_wwZIgVgi07V6Tjkvtd-1iAgqin_WuX9HRHA/s883/1972-8-10%20fabric%20ad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="883" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqf10JuDISWYAjzZhMehU6v9jjrCNm8h35S6HpE7WUhesSMyJu_STpUZTqJ5RovhNCiwa3Lnj5EkJTWNn_gt2QOVZBgjGJETBdQ6Mcif2cAlHkKqCbxDWo7uBBU4qDOrJ2aTXHYLnk2glTTiw_Uk5lt_wwZIgVgi07V6Tjkvtd-1iAgqin_WuX9HRHA/w400-h264/1972-8-10%20fabric%20ad.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1972 ad for Discount Fabrics by the Blue Eyed Devil</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I'm not sure on the exact date, but Delaware Bag seems to have ceased operation sometime between 1984 and 1988. After that there was apparently a waterbed store briefly in the building, which also was used by neighboring Shone Lumber as extra storage. The building was vacant for about two years by March 1990, when the 220 year history of industry at the site came to an end.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8AeWQpIV-O3Bsbe0CoGPjP5Wiuni_r0bdAYvy-Pe8FV-rBv1YYiIYYPPvA288wJ-WITXf8P04FgjVi36mh5yCaIt72ef2HHddI31TbB2Z4Q_itR-cu19IpYDjhhUq0c_Twnk8dvbtg3ZQhhQVwH1TvZHVxe95z1PBcd-WVWGW8Bt46mxavrf8jGjf8A/s4117/1990-3-30%20Independence%20Mill%20DE%20Bag%20Co%20fire.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4117" data-original-width="2408" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8AeWQpIV-O3Bsbe0CoGPjP5Wiuni_r0bdAYvy-Pe8FV-rBv1YYiIYYPPvA288wJ-WITXf8P04FgjVi36mh5yCaIt72ef2HHddI31TbB2Z4Q_itR-cu19IpYDjhhUq0c_Twnk8dvbtg3ZQhhQVwH1TvZHVxe95z1PBcd-WVWGW8Bt46mxavrf8jGjf8A/w374-h640/1990-3-30%20Independence%20Mill%20DE%20Bag%20Co%20fire.jpg" width="374" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newspaper coverage of the March 1990 fire</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Shortly after noon on March 29, 1990, a fire broke out in the abandoned building. The fierce blaze that destroyed the structure was quickly determined to have been set by three teen boys, who were arrested and charged the next day. And though the site had had numerous ups and downs over its history, which dated back to before the Revolutionary War, this was truly the final straw. What remained of the old mill and the newer factory were torn down and the property was soon sold. The current medical building was built just behind the footprint of the mill, which sat more or less where the parking lot is now. Today, the only remaining links to the historic mills are the Hale-Byrnes House and the worker housing up the road. Both sit in quiet testament to a time when this peaceful and hidden area was alive with industry.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-12124023310186292232022-07-28T12:01:00.002-04:002022-08-15T13:46:07.694-04:00The Mills of White Clay Creek Landing -- Part 1: The Byrnes Mill<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjtDCbiw1Ojz0DPuTCk4-4cgidSKT12XmCyMLdWcDhEmWhhYQkdB3_cB7pn50um-tVgFZJd0ym5d-buFrvtpgFbfiKRNmxs3raNW67OugM_w06lHHG4ROI9uMXRK6rDQZn6jxdgDFlxctZp24nP550p0AHUEYxbW-xS5YZwCoB003vD-7vEKOVk0Szw/s1141/Byrnes%20mill%20location.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1141" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjtDCbiw1Ojz0DPuTCk4-4cgidSKT12XmCyMLdWcDhEmWhhYQkdB3_cB7pn50um-tVgFZJd0ym5d-buFrvtpgFbfiKRNmxs3raNW67OugM_w06lHHG4ROI9uMXRK6rDQZn6jxdgDFlxctZp24nP550p0AHUEYxbW-xS5YZwCoB003vD-7vEKOVk0Szw/s320/Byrnes%20mill%20location.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Clay Creek Landing, showing<br />the site of Daniels Byrnes' Mill</td></tr></tbody></table>Although there hasn't yet been a dedicated post about it here on the blog, I think it's fair to say that <br /> many people are at least somewhat familiar with the Hale-Byrnes House, which sits along White Clay Creek and Stanton Christiana Road. What many <i>don't</i> realize is that there once was a mill associated with it, that sat right along side it. Actually though, there were two mills -- one Colonial Era mill that was associated with the house, then a later mill in the same spot, not connected to the old brick home. And in fact, I'm sure many of you remember that second one, even if you weren't aware at the time of its earlier history.<p></p><p>We don't need to get too much into the (somewhat debated) early history of the Hale-Byrnes House, but from research by Walt Chiquoine it appears likely that the current brick house was built about 1760 by David Finney. In 1773 it was sold to Daniel Byrnes, a miller and prominent Wilmington Quaker. Byrnes moved his family out to what was then known as White Clay Creek Landing, and built a mill about 150 feet north of his new home. Not only did the site have good water power from a race dug across the large bend in White Clay Creek, but it also had another advantage that the other mill seats on the local creeks lacked -- direct access to shipping. At the time, boats could navigate all the way up the Christina River and White Clay Creek to dock directly behind Byrnes' home.</p><p>According to reports, Byrnes used his mill for multiple purposes. Besides grinding grain, he also manufactured wire and spun twine or flax thread there. Of course, the most exciting thing to happen during Byrnes' tenure was in early September 1777, when the Continental Army was encamped nearby and George Washington used the house for a meeting with his generals (including Lafayette, who celebrated his 20th birthday at the house). They were of course preparing for an expected confrontation with Gen. Howe and his British troops. Although the Americans were prepared for a <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2011/05/biggest-thing-that-almost-happened-in.html">battle along Red Clay Creek</a>, the fight would ultimately take place on September 11 in Chadds Ford, at the Battle of Brandywine.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Daniel Byrnes operated his mill for less than twenty years, selling it in 1790 to a wealthy Philadelphia merchant named <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair_McClenachan">Blair McClenachan</a>. McClenachan did not live at White Clay Creek Landing however, because at the time he owned <a href="https://cliveden.org/">Cliveden (the Benjamin Chew House)</a> in Germantown, then a suburb of Philadelphia. Ironically, although the September 1777 battle did not end up happening near the Byrnes House, a month later the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Germantown">Battle of Germantown</a> was fought, literally, in and around the Benjamin Chew House. McClenachan did not own either house during the war, but it's funny that a few years afterwards he owned two that were or almost were in the middle of battles.</p><p>Another not so fun story about McClenachan deals with his dispensing of the Byrnes property. In 1796 he "sold" the house and mill to his son George for $100,000. George immediately sold a half share of the property to his sister Ann for $50,000. If those amounts sound awfully large to you for 1796, you'd be right. And did I mention that Ann McClenachan was about 12 at the time? And that I think the price was "paid" with almost worthless bank notes that McClenachan had gotten from fellow Revolutionary War financier Robert Morris (the two were the largest contributors from Pennsylvania to the war effort)?</p><p>If this all sounds might fishy, you'd again be right. Blair McClenachan was a financial victim of poor investment choices and of the first major economic crash in the new nation's history. He then tried to avoid his creditors by making a series of fraudulent transactions with his children, of which the attempted sale of the Byrnes House and mill seem to have been a part. He did not get away with it, and ended up being thrown into debtor's prison.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilifQRI9Hxy3ruDeNtNRKjNxJo3qo7GLdeYcW9sEpXSBw6hMWn_TRxES80l4U4w4NrZwR0MqvOxwhx8ilpQLdBTfz7xRyhyjsHmI-8caEjCA3Yl7_wuvvese59otTHZYy3mWdmpxU0m6epeefX9gEzIAM8P6BfExms6osamHrX3F33SFx-9W_zv6YcUg/s954/smith-richards.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="954" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilifQRI9Hxy3ruDeNtNRKjNxJo3qo7GLdeYcW9sEpXSBw6hMWn_TRxES80l4U4w4NrZwR0MqvOxwhx8ilpQLdBTfz7xRyhyjsHmI-8caEjCA3Yl7_wuvvese59otTHZYy3mWdmpxU0m6epeefX9gEzIAM8P6BfExms6osamHrX3F33SFx-9W_zv6YcUg/w400-h270/smith-richards.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William T. Smith (left) and Samuel Richards</td></tr></tbody></table><p>With the previous sale attempt voided by the courts, the property ended up being sold in 1801 first to Walter Sims, then to John Hallowell -- both sales had to do with sorting out creditors. Then in 1802, Hallowell sold the property (including a grist mill and saw mill) to Samuel Richards, an iron merchant from Philadelphia. The following year, Richards sold a two-thirds share of the property to his father-in-law, William T. Smith. Smith rebuilt the mill, which had not been in operation for about a dozen years, since the time of Daniel Byrnes. Richards may have been more of a silent partner, because he sold his remaining third share to Robert Kennedy in 1817. Kennedy in turn sold the third share to William Overington in 1820. </p><p>Meanwhile, it seems like it was William T. Smith's son Richard E. Smith who actually ran the mill, at least until his death there in 1828 ("there" being the house, not the mill). He died without a will and it took a while to sort out, but his stake in the mill eventually went to his children (Richard had been left his father's shares upon his death in 1812). In 1835 Richard Smith's children sold their shares to George Platt. And here's where I admit to being a little confused by a nagging detail -- I can find only five sales of one-sixth shares to Platt. First, that means that at some point Richard E. Smith must have acquired that other one-third share, although I can't find it. Secondly, there's one more sixth share I can't find, either.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQKvXwmUFfo_8VxHDwBsoT9ZI3TLcoVRelybXbIGX_aqvt0KxKTUjrHt-FR3nCBw-OsEbSu6snkC5N2ZuwErEXGhm5BRHLnrjM9UPhdyvUhL6nlBjY_r1t8Uok3ezd65eE0q0z2Pkro6-Y4PnkIGSeKvBkaezt6S_u8Etu5sli_UqloyBpnsDGwRUrA/s580/McLane%20Report.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="580" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQKvXwmUFfo_8VxHDwBsoT9ZI3TLcoVRelybXbIGX_aqvt0KxKTUjrHt-FR3nCBw-OsEbSu6snkC5N2ZuwErEXGhm5BRHLnrjM9UPhdyvUhL6nlBjY_r1t8Uok3ezd65eE0q0z2Pkro6-Y4PnkIGSeKvBkaezt6S_u8Etu5sli_UqloyBpnsDGwRUrA/w400-h400/McLane%20Report.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">McLane Report (1832) entry for George Platt,<br />presumably referring to the Byrnes Mill</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In any case, by 1835 George Platt seems to have owned the whole thing, but I don't think he was new to the scene. For one, he served as administrator for Richard Smith's estate back in 1828. Also, in the McLane Report of 1832 (essentially a census and survey of American industry) George Platt is listed as the operator of a flour and bark mill that I'm pretty sure is the one next to the Hale-Byrnes House. He lists his firm's established date as 1827, a year prior to Richard Smith's death. This makes me think that Platt had actually been running the mill since then, but didn't formally buy it until 1835.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmNHb1Vg2NmWOpVNsN9QDEL2m2Xr8Tt-XrO_yvBTPHvAIFVESwADOPXBKTbVLJ4QV3Qq9ABR50kKNVMrMV63j7MFFLwAw9OJfYJfzoR-X-v88byUect0RLLVhVeybRn4WqSdkXXBuRfBa1VynwNVZS3jrI5Wh55EWWR7-9s_rbzwduO--fM1ztQrBJA/s477/1828-9-9%20smith%20property%20sale.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="429" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmNHb1Vg2NmWOpVNsN9QDEL2m2Xr8Tt-XrO_yvBTPHvAIFVESwADOPXBKTbVLJ4QV3Qq9ABR50kKNVMrMV63j7MFFLwAw9OJfYJfzoR-X-v88byUect0RLLVhVeybRn4WqSdkXXBuRfBa1VynwNVZS3jrI5Wh55EWWR7-9s_rbzwduO--fM1ztQrBJA/w360-h400/1828-9-9%20smith%20property%20sale.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">September 1828 sale of the late Richard E. Smith's<br />belongings, with George Platt as Administrator</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In 1844, Platt fell into debt to Thomas Janvier, owner of the neighboring farm and white house now on the grounds of Delaware Park. Due to this debt, Platt's property was seized by the Sheriff and sold at auction. (Platt must have recovered, because within a few years he himself would serve as NCC Sheriff.) The new owner of the property (which still included the mill, the Hale-Byrnes House, and over 150 acres) was Andrew C. Gray, a prominent lawyer who had grown up in and still owned (although did not reside at) <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2010/11/judge-morris-estate-part-2.html">the Judge Morris Estate</a>. Gray lived where he practiced law, in New Castle, and certainly bought the property as an investment.</p><p>The mill was presumably still running at this point, but would not be for much longer. Exactly <i>how much </i>longer, I'm not sure, but sometime during Gray's ownership the old mill burned down. Presumably not long afterwards, Gray sold the property to the Farmer's Bank of Delaware. This ended the first era of industry at the site, but it would not be the last. <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-mills-of-white-clay-creek-landing.html">In the next post</a> we'll find out what happened next at the mill seat at White Clay Creek Landing, and see that its story ended a lot more recently than you might think.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945719747276028760.post-42198274569711623262022-06-24T15:47:00.000-04:002022-06-24T15:47:11.957-04:00The William Foote House<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFiUhYQwwr66m_4jVLwTxriPReRXWhBY9UXbme0-6ASH4tnWT6aYsatXXRREGR1GAeg6DgpjQpUCqKXWhwqx4mqfEGdMQeaXz4bdNYNKWdV-vjSjWqw5x8ocsQSAl3XMGejR5yegerllL3tf1Q0VIOYXzKQfyt7Zy63iteeE7z2kUDVR0YUQrl6ivNAg/s640/south%20elevation.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFiUhYQwwr66m_4jVLwTxriPReRXWhBY9UXbme0-6ASH4tnWT6aYsatXXRREGR1GAeg6DgpjQpUCqKXWhwqx4mqfEGdMQeaXz4bdNYNKWdV-vjSjWqw5x8ocsQSAl3XMGejR5yegerllL3tf1Q0VIOYXzKQfyt7Zy63iteeE7z2kUDVR0YUQrl6ivNAg/s320/south%20elevation.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The William Foote House</td></tr></tbody></table>There are a few different ways an old house can be situated. It can be prominently displayed along a <br /> major road. It can be set along a smaller road, or nestled deep within a modern development. Sometimes, it's now nothing more than some ruins in the woods. There's one house though, tucked deep into the Mill Creek Valley, that's not at all visible from the nearest roads. There have probably been times during its over 200 years when the area has been more open, but today, probably the only way you're likely to see it is in the pictures in this post. Its owners have been local families and "out of towners". And it has been owned by some of the poorest people in the area and by one of the richest to reside in the vicinity.</p><p>The William Foote House is located on the east side of Mill Creek and Mill Creek Road, surrounded on three sides by the development of Bella Vista, but not too closely surrounded. It currently sits on just under 15 acres of land -- a lot by today's standards, but far less than it used to oversee. The associated property around it went through many changes over the years, with land being acquired and then sold off. Honestly, the early history is a bit confusing, at least as far as determining which tracts contain the land on which the house now sits.</p><p>In 1753, William Tate acquired 80 acres of land, which he sold in 1762 to John Watt. Watt bought even more land in the area over time (including 134 acres from Uriah Blue in 1767). In his 1790 will, John Watt wrote, "<i>I give and bequeath to my loving Brother Robert McFerson and my friend John McBath the plantation that is now in the tenure of William Montgomery lying and being in Millcreek hundred[...]". </i>That's great, but there are a few details therein that aren't exactly clear. First of all, I've been unable to determine what the relationship was between Watt and McFerson. If the will is to be taken literally, then perhaps they were step-brothers. McBath (or more commonly, McBeath) and McFerson were definitely connected, as we'll see in a moment.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>The other problem is that through all of these transactions and wills, it's never particularly easy (at least for me) to be sure exactly what piece of land we're talking about, or who is living where. For example, in Watt's will it's clear that the farm he's devising to McFerson and McBeath is a tenant farm. However, he owned other land around it, and so did McFerson and the McBeaths through the years. The William Foote House property we're about to focus in on is definitely linked to the <a href="https://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-mendenhall-pierson-farm.html">Mendenhall-Pierson Farm</a> and to the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-foote-pyle-house.html">Foote-Pyle House</a> properties slightly to the east. They were all once part of John Watt's considerable holdings in the area.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjZ7AnACxwPJXI__1mtvUyvGnhMa4wh7tbzzTiJmThZBIZP253ZiJQzprqmPbNaKPgRtKEjo-NBuBHewnCR9cimKvuuBBW4bdvvzIjbu-JffxjI8x8fryuKfbnW-_mO8i3wTkYSrUrHRGSF_grALtEFq6D1waHnGDiJ-PZuhNeu8biXEKjxZoPJ4fyw/s4612/1794%20Robert%20McFerson%20will.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3582" data-original-width="4612" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjZ7AnACxwPJXI__1mtvUyvGnhMa4wh7tbzzTiJmThZBIZP253ZiJQzprqmPbNaKPgRtKEjo-NBuBHewnCR9cimKvuuBBW4bdvvzIjbu-JffxjI8x8fryuKfbnW-_mO8i3wTkYSrUrHRGSF_grALtEFq6D1waHnGDiJ-PZuhNeu8biXEKjxZoPJ4fyw/w640-h498/1794%20Robert%20McFerson%20will.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert McFerson's 1794 will</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Robert McFerson did not own the half share in the land given to him by Watt for long. He died a few years later, and his 1794 will is interesting and informative, although not quite as much as I wish it were. In it, McFerson gives almost all of his estate to his son-in-law, John McBeath. That means that John McBeath then owned the whole of the plantation that came from Watt (his half and now McFerson's half). McFerson also gives to his grandson Robert McBeath (son of John), "all my old Plantation that I usually lived on." I'm not sure exactly what this was, but it's possible that this was a tract around the Foote-Pyle House, whereas the farm now controlled by his father contained the William Foote House.</p><p>In any case, things consolidated a bit more in 1808, when John McBeath sold to his son Robert 73 acres, which was either all or part of the former Watt land. Then finally, on April 2, 1810, Robert McBeath sold 107 acres to William Foote. The deed references it as being the land he got from his father, but since it's obviously more my guess is that it might be both the "old plantation" that Robert inherited from Grandpa Watt and the farm he bought from his father.</p><p>This, though, is the point at which we can be pretty sure of the rest of story. After a period of multiple ownership changes, William Foote and his descendants would now own the property for the next 110 years. Although like in most deeds of the time there's no specific mention of the house, it's reasonable to assume that much of the house that's there today was present when William Foote bought the property in 1810. The county lists the build date at 1790, which if true would mean that McFerson and/or McBeath were responsible for it. It may well have replaced an earlier, probably log, house, but again determining exactly where the farms were here in the 18th Century is difficult. However, it is clear that the house was greatly enlarged in the mid-20th Century, which we'll get to later.</p><p>The William Foote House was actually mentioned in <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2012/11/footeprints-in-mill-creek-hundred.html">a post almost ten years ago</a>, as one of three houses owned by <strike>Feete</strike> Footes in the area. Even after all this time I'm still not exactly sure what the relationship was between William, John, and George, but I do know the William Foote (the first of three to own it in total) who bought 107 acres in 1810 was born in 1766 to William and Esther (Ball) Foote, probably on the farm around the Delcastle Rec area, just below Mill Creek Road. He married Kitty Matson in 1796 and lived the remainder of his life on the farm.</p><p>According to a <a href="https://books.google.com/books/content?id=P-hYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA279&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U1EAAO1xZLdMgCNRDL-qYymPwN5Dw&w=1025">biography of his grandson George</a>, this William Foote was a cooper, and would have made barrels for nearby millers, like the Mendenhalls. In 1840, four years before his death, William, Sr. sold his farm to his son, William Foote, Junior. The elder William was 74 years old and presumably retiring from farming. On the deed is also listed his wife, Dinah. Although I can't find a record of it, I assume that Kitty (Catherine) had died and Dinah, 16 years his junior, was William's second wife.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBDEVTB41qeCKbDQa780IR8tF_AIacuQdMyIdPiitNPye5OVbQ4oAA5FlKq1KuY3CK5Sag5w059KMpEHqym38SvVS10-ZgBmzs3Lwr-tdfPn_FIIhV4glE40NXDvXOD_en84OrHD9BjmVD2_14rkxIKC2O3VGw8rjibKTafB930M9UYZdo7vXXB64xA/s325/Foote,%20Susan%20Faulk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="257" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBDEVTB41qeCKbDQa780IR8tF_AIacuQdMyIdPiitNPye5OVbQ4oAA5FlKq1KuY3CK5Sag5w059KMpEHqym38SvVS10-ZgBmzs3Lwr-tdfPn_FIIhV4glE40NXDvXOD_en84OrHD9BjmVD2_14rkxIKC2O3VGw8rjibKTafB930M9UYZdo7vXXB64xA/w316-h400/Foote,%20Susan%20Faulk.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan Foulk Foote, maybe in front of her house</td></tr></tbody></table><p>William, Jr. and wife Susan had five children at the time, with one to come later. Susan was a Foulk, the daughter of John Foulk and granddaughter of William. Though originally from Brandywine Hundred (think Foulk Road), William Foulk had been the owner of the former Evans grist and later Fell Spice Mill on Red Clay Creek at Faulkland Road. I assume that William Foote, Sr. also made barrels for Foulk, and that the families knew each other. </p><p>William and Susan lived most of their lives on their farm, and the 1850 and 1860 Censuses show the family there. In 1860, their son William (yes, another William) is listed as a teacher. It doesn't say where, but their district school would have been the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2010/12/mt-pleasant-and-union-schools.html">Mt. Pleasant School</a> on Old Wilmington Road. The following year (1861), Foote sold 30 acres of his land to Cyrus Pyle, very possibly land including the Foote-Pyle House on Sawin Lane. By 1870, the Foote family is listed in New Garden Township, PA, just above Hockessin (and now the younger William is a Postmaster). As best as I can tell, I think that another son, George Foote, is living on the home farm along Mill Creek...but not for much longer.</p><p>Later in 1870, the 38 year old William Foote, Jr. (Jr.?) moved his family out west, to the new town of Greeley, CO, about 50 miles north of Denver. Four years later his brother George <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=P-hYAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22foote%22%20%22Mill%20creek%20hundred%22&pg=PA279#v=onepage&q&f=false">followed suit</a>, and would stay in the Rocky Mountain State, finally settling in nearby Loveland (and becoming quite successful there). Their father probably rented out the farm after George left, but then in 1879 sold the 107 acres (minus the 30 sold to Pyle) to William, who was still in Greeley at the time. Sometime between 1883 and 1891 William and family returned to Chester County, where his wife Rachel died in 1892. Five years later the 65 year old William remarried, to 24 year old Sarah Rash, with whom he'd have two more children.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzNAFUcntmlUbzfDgXJzGtum5cnPmqcBaORoXnFXvg8qV4DdIAktMm-7xH9awh4uYf0Kq6Lc8Fn39j14fAez0Lg_n-WXX6WebzaKMRiqYiNjwpZY3TRhFa32jq_NwIg7aRUHCpfaECxpamIlIYrA6hxxZlubGUgi0oIKtnho3yXA2gmwPzNDCCpk4mlw/s561/front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="561" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzNAFUcntmlUbzfDgXJzGtum5cnPmqcBaORoXnFXvg8qV4DdIAktMm-7xH9awh4uYf0Kq6Lc8Fn39j14fAez0Lg_n-WXX6WebzaKMRiqYiNjwpZY3TRhFa32jq_NwIg7aRUHCpfaECxpamIlIYrA6hxxZlubGUgi0oIKtnho3yXA2gmwPzNDCCpk4mlw/w640-h438/front.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">West side of the house. To the right is the west end of the original house, as it would have<br />been in the 19th Century. From the break in the roofline back is a 20th Century addition</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Also in 1897, William sold the old Mill Creek farm to his son Robert Ervin Foote. Robert was a machinist by trade, operating a shop in Avondale with his brother John. He presumably leased the farm for the next 23 years, until finally selling it out of the family in 1920. He sold the farm to William B. Sweeny of Wilmington, who was a plumber, not a famer. Sweeny may have been just been making some real estate deals or maybe "flipping", because less than a year later he sold the property (along with other recently acquired lots in Bellefonte, Brandywine Hundred) to James and May Nolan for a moderate profit. (Although to be fair, the Sweenys are described in 1920 deed as being "of Wilmington", but listed as "of Mill Creek Hundred" when they sold in 1921, so maybe they did move into the house.)</p><p>Nolan, who had emigrated from Ireland in 1906, was a laborer and also was likely just looking to make a profit off of the real estate (the Nolans were "of Brandywine Hundred" in both of their deeds). He did hold on the to the farm a little longer, selling in 1925 to Alexander and Antonia Brzoska. The Brzoskas were Polish immigrants who had been living in Wilmington, but do seem to have moved to MCH (the family, complete with 11 children, are listed here in the 1930 Census). Alexander is listed as a glazer, and not as a farmer, so they may have had someone else running the farm (or not).</p><p>In 1936 the Brzoskas sold the farm (still the entire 107½ acres, minus the 30 sold to Cyrus Pyle) to Philip Q. and Dorothy Sawin. Philip was an instructor at the Sunny Hills School just up the hill -- the school founded by his parents and later renamed to honor his father, Sanford Sawin. It doesn't appear that Philip Sawin lived in the house, because in early 1937 he leased (for 20 years, although it never went that long) part of the property including the house (but not the barn) to Donald and Anne Satterthwait. Donald Satterthwait, like his father before him, had been the president of the Remington Machine Company in Wilmington, and later (possibly at this time) was involved with the <a href="http://mchhistory.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-crowell-tape-corporation.html">Crowell Tape Corporation</a> in Yorklyn.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKphQMxQ3b0WZETfItXWG6tx9AcevZ1ZB91aEC6bgvsFHN5yDs2AmyKp-C17ribcUGjDdCOr-8ahOvgXXSIKbNX631AK7De0yqhorGRGyK4IN3H1i6MhnzjXV50ndNEfGDAo-eyzI-tgSIMtFyVUCW_yh002p8-Z-7GjNMyN_49nkd5e2xrFOR0WjRYA/s604/front%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="604" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKphQMxQ3b0WZETfItXWG6tx9AcevZ1ZB91aEC6bgvsFHN5yDs2AmyKp-C17ribcUGjDdCOr-8ahOvgXXSIKbNX631AK7De0yqhorGRGyK4IN3H1i6MhnzjXV50ndNEfGDAo-eyzI-tgSIMtFyVUCW_yh002p8-Z-7GjNMyN_49nkd5e2xrFOR0WjRYA/w640-h400/front%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of the west end of the house</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The 1937 lease stated that the Satterthwaits were to, "At their own cost and expense to repair and rebuild the dwelling house [...] into habitable condition, for use as a residence for themselves and family, and as a hostelry for paid guests." There were other stipulations, including not using the premises for kindergarten or school purposes (can't have competition right there), but this seems to have been the main part. I'm not sure whether this was some sort of a side B&B type venture on Philip Q. Sawin's part, or whether this was connected to the school in some way. In any case, it didn't go more than a few years.</p><p>In February 1941, Sawin sold about 66½ acres to a widower named Edward P. Mellon. If the name sounds familiar, you're right. Edward was the grandson of Thomas Mellon, founder of the Mellon banking empire. His uncle Andrew Mellon was the Secretary of the Treasury in the 1920's, and one of the most powerful men in the country. Edward himself was nationally-known architect. I have no idea what his connection with this area was, but on his retirement, Mellon bought the old Foote property and moved into the house, residing there until his death in 1953.</p><p>Soon after his passing, the property (and two other smaller, I believe adjacent, lots) was sold to William Duffy, Jr., who may well have been the most fascinating of all the home's owners. Duffy was born in Wilmington in 1916, was president of his senior class at Salesianum, attended the University of Delaware, got an appointment to West Point but soon after resigned and earned an economics degree from UD. He took flying lessons and when WWII came around he ended up as a bomber pilot, flying 35 combat missions over Germany in his B-24 Liberator. Capt. Duffy was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for safely landing his plane after taking heavy damage on one mission. In 1950, as a member of the 9498th Volunteer Air Reserve Training Squadron, he was promoted to Major.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTiBrmIRUd3hpDhYUjBTL5xqGcpJERh7JfQndsBxoFGKgfIRurfW2r5QVz31AevuWInjW6nxojMgL53R60mRMM1wiTzHeFUbaLzQe-SUp6us8s610PBqlkrqvZI9sJ8NmOsLdi83qrbQzbwLfqmi5XzaFITZepqFcj7EvfPm1IxyR_HNTj2TvAenVFw/s1811/Duffy%20family%201962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1811" data-original-width="1622" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTiBrmIRUd3hpDhYUjBTL5xqGcpJERh7JfQndsBxoFGKgfIRurfW2r5QVz31AevuWInjW6nxojMgL53R60mRMM1wiTzHeFUbaLzQe-SUp6us8s610PBqlkrqvZI9sJ8NmOsLdi83qrbQzbwLfqmi5XzaFITZepqFcj7EvfPm1IxyR_HNTj2TvAenVFw/w574-h640/Duffy%20family%201962.jpg" width="574" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Duffy Family, 1962</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In the meantime, Duffy had graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1948 and had joined a Wilmington law firm. In the early 1900's, William Duffy, Sr. had been an important figure in Democratic politics in the city, which may partially explain how his son met his wife, Mary Louise Raskob -- daughter of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Raskob">John J. Raskob</a>, financier for Dupont and General Motors, the man behind the Empire State Building, and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.</p><p>Although "just" a lawyer when he bought the Foote farm, in 1961 Duffy would be appointed to the Superior Court, becoming that body's president judge the next year. He became Chancellor of the State of Delaware in 1966, and from 1973 to 1982 served on the Delaware Supreme Court. Not a bad career.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHAuaIPGkHMBW9xeAsjEAIQPjRIxk2XRAJV0WLXYFC54ILWoIrcEKt1JighV7o954vZlQYcezlXfLXqL7_xXSrUsDMvN1UFBHOXZzSln8DdQUh7ihTtTcb_XXzqtYQlTyENuTgLylX9Xyoyoiww3h5qfmqr1WAzGncCwWDVoGmpxmE_6u-MVb6JBJvA/s1217/outlines.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1217" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHAuaIPGkHMBW9xeAsjEAIQPjRIxk2XRAJV0WLXYFC54ILWoIrcEKt1JighV7o954vZlQYcezlXfLXqL7_xXSrUsDMvN1UFBHOXZzSln8DdQUh7ihTtTcb_XXzqtYQlTyENuTgLylX9Xyoyoiww3h5qfmqr1WAzGncCwWDVoGmpxmE_6u-MVb6JBJvA/w640-h302/outlines.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views of the Foote House showing the "original" sections present in 1953,<br />looking north (left) and looking east (right)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>More relevantly for us, though, is what he did with his home. As we saw earlier, it's likely that the original part of the house was built in the late 18th Century (or even earlier -- there may be a log house hidden inside it). But, like most homes of this age, it's had some additions put on it over the years. Few, though, have had additions like this. When Duffy bought the house in 1953, it consisted of the sections outlined in red above. This certainly includes earlier additions from the 19th Century, probably added by the Foote family. However, sometime in the 1950's or 60's, Justice Duffy added the northern wing (clad in stone to match the rest of the house) and the eastern wing.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpF4uRltYNRqjS5r2RIQYeLELmGYKpHXiN1mrGqWvhyTjGitxUXqN3QNRBRORrTN475ot0omJDQ1J51K-wOaP1tNd9udTlh_I6JrurVh9DPDs_PHrsIOhiP7VXStd5SPtFtG9-lShVsbZHfTvJ7pxrrYdaltZEs5LVt-OvyHimp4xfZYmjS3MGTE3HDA/s640/library.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpF4uRltYNRqjS5r2RIQYeLELmGYKpHXiN1mrGqWvhyTjGitxUXqN3QNRBRORrTN475ot0omJDQ1J51K-wOaP1tNd9udTlh_I6JrurVh9DPDs_PHrsIOhiP7VXStd5SPtFtG9-lShVsbZHfTvJ7pxrrYdaltZEs5LVt-OvyHimp4xfZYmjS3MGTE3HDA/w400-h300/library.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two-story, wood-paneled library<br />built by William Duffy</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Among the unique additions built by William Duffy were a two-story library and a chapel. Besides all the other things that both William Junior and Senior did, they were Catholic and very involved in Catholic causes and charities. This too may have been a link with Raskob, who was also Catholic and whose former estate is now the campus for the Archmere Academy in Claymont. And when Justice Duffy was looking to move in 1982, he sold the house and property (now about 15 acres) to the Benedictine Sisters, an organization of Catholic nuns.</p><p>When the Sisters moved in, they renamed the property Innisfail, Irish for "A little bit of Heaven." They used it as a residence for themselves as well as a "spirituality and conference center", hosting retreats, conferences, and seminars there for 15 years. Finally, in 1997, the Sisters reluctantly had to sell the property. The old Foote house again became a private residence. In 2022 it again went up for sale (most of the photos on this page came from the real estate listing), and as of the writing of this post appears to be in the process of going to a new owner.</p><p>The William Foote House has stood for over 230 years, serving as a tenant farm, as a family farm, possibly as an inn or B&B, as a retirement home for a member of one of the wealthiest families in the country, as a home for a prominent jurist, and as a bucolic and spiritual retreat for a religious order. It may have started out as a small log house, then rebuilt or enlarged as a stone edifice. The fieldstone house was then expanded in the "usual" way in the 19th Century, then in a rather unusual way in the 20th. All the while it has sat quietly and gracefully in its spot along Mill Creek.</p>Scott Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850758840846585533noreply@blogger.com15