Historic House Museums in Deleware

The c.1723 Robinson House, located just yards below the Pennsylvania state line on the "Kings Highway" of the Revolutionary War period, has had a most illustrious past, including visits by Generals George Washington, Lafayette, "Mad" Anthony Wayne (a relative of Mrs. Robinson), "Light Horse" Harry Lee, and many members of the Continental Congress (meeting 20 miles up the highway in Philadelphia). They visited for refreshment & friendship as they traversed the Highway and Caesar Rodney changed horses there as he rode to Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence.

The Dickinson Mansion, which opened to the public in 1956, has stood for over 250 years, welcomed over 100,000 visitors, and echoed with interpretation of Delaware's history and John Dickinson for 37 years.

This historic building lies within a 1,750 acre Duke of York land patent called Saw Mill Range granted to Henry Bowman in 1680. The first known resident of this portion of the tract was Joseph Booth, who purchased 510 acres from the Bowman family in 1730. The center brick section of the present structure was built by John Cullen after his purchase of 263 acres in 1746. Reverend Syndenham Thorne, an Episcopal clergyman who was instrumental in Milford’s development, bought the property in the 1780s and is interred on the grounds. John M. Clayton, United States Senator and Secretary of State under President Zachary Taylor, spent a portion of his boyhood here. Members of the Clayton family lie at rest nearby as well. This was also the home of philanthropist Col. Benjamin Potter and Dr. William Burton, Governor of Delaware during the early years of the Civil War. Col. Henry Fiddeman, founder of the First National Bank of Milford, came into ownership of the mansion in 1858 and changed the Colonial Georgian architecture to Gothic Victorian. The Draper family purchased the property in 1916. In 1961, the building and grounds, then known as Silver Hill, were conveyed to the Milford Historical Society by J. Richard Draper. The Parson Thorne Mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Among New Castle’s few surviving early colonial buildings is the elegant brick, early Georgian mansion, the Amstel House. Built in the 1730s by the town’s wealthiest landowner, Dr. John Finney, the house is graced with original woodwork, fine architectural details and open hearth. Its early fanlight and central hallway were among the first uses of these features in the town.

The Historic Hale-Byrnes House was the site of a Council of War on September 6, 1777, five days before the Battle of the Brandywine. The house was built during the eighteenth century. The oldest section dates back to c.1750; the service wing was built in 1773.

The Seaford Historical Society has fully restored this rare brick home. The Italian-Villa style Victorian features a three-story tall entry, ornate plaster ceilings, Moroccan ventilation, beautiful furnishings and even a hidden safe. Once the home of Governor Ross, the mansion is a testament to Southern living.

Alfred duPont married Alicia, his second wife, in 1907 and loved showering her with gifts. By far the grandest of these was the spectacular new house that he built for her on a 3,000-acre plot of land in Wilmington. He hired Carrere and Hastings, a prestigious New York architectural firm, to design the mansion in the late-18th-century French style that Alicia adored. Alfred named the estate Nemours, after the French town that his great-great-grandfather represented in the French Estates General. While looking to the past and his ancestors for inspiration, Alfred also ensured that his new home was thoroughly modern by incorporating the latest technology and many of his own inventions.

Founded by Henry Francis du Pont, Winterthur (pronounced “winter-tour”) is the premier museum of American decorative arts, reflecting both early America and the du Pont family’s life here. Its 60-acre naturalistic garden is among the country’s best, and its research library serves scholars from around the world. We invite you to visit and explore this place of beauty, history, and learning.