Carolyn's Blog

Old New Castle was the colonial capital of Delaware, and after the capital was moved to Dover during the Revolutionary War, it was the seat of New Castle County. Today it is a town with an elite historic district containing several house museums and an historic hexagonal library designed in 1892 by the famous Philadelphia architect, Frank Furness.             

    Fans of Old New Castle received good news this week. There had been worries that the traditional third Saturday in May Day in Old New Castle event, with homes and museums usually open to the public, had been cancelled.  An alliance of the New Castle Visitors Bureau and the Historic New Castle Alliance will sponsor Historic New Castle  Day on May 15, 2010.  It is planned to be similar to the past event, and this year the New Castle Historical Society will sponsor plein air painting on the Green, with an exhibit of the paintings produced that evening at the former Wm. Penn Guest House. Further information is at www.historicnewcastlealliance.org.

To attest to the beauty of the town's gardens, I took this picture at dusk last night of a Star Magnolia in bloom with a background of the ever present Delaware River in the background. Many gardens in town are expected to be open May 15 --so if you want to learn how to do a lot with a small space, be sure to come!

I came across this recently and just had to share it and add to it.

Top 10 reasons why people sell their homes:

1. Orange shag carpet 

2. Dirty Garage (or I'm a hoarder!)

3. Noisy neighbors (or nosy ones)

4. Windows need washing

5. Not enough outlets (or GFI's?)

6. Grass needs mowing

7. Saw a spider in the basement   

8. Can't spell my street name

9. Lost the remote or don't know which one to use (and the garage door keeps opening)

10. Relatives know where I live.

I had received a card saying I would soon get a new remote-read electric meter on my house, and today turned out to be the day. Now I know for sure that there is a satellite going over Brandywine Hundred, north of Wilmington, Delaware. What a historic day for this humble house!

Here is a picture of Jason, of Delmarva Power installing the meter.

He said that meter readers will no longer try and fight my lilac bush and ivy to read the meter. Also, they won't have to fight their way through the prickly bushes which surround some other meters.

That good old satellite will fly over and do the job! Brandywine Hundred, I have seen the future, and it is here! Well, at least in one small way!

Take advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity--own the historic Ruston/McDowell house and mill in West Grove, Pennsylvania. This 5 bedroom 1 1/2 bath historic home and mill are on 4 acres. The original section of the house dates to 1740 with c. 1790 and 1810 additions.

The house has old pine floors & plaster walls, while the exterior of the 1740 & 1790 sections is stone. The stone mill, used until 1928, still contains chutes for flour, and a fireplace, and is post & beam construction.

The best news is that the new price on this West Grove, Pennsylvania historic property is now $390,000. The website with particulars is www.psre.com/1440

A newly launched Website - www.FriendsOfFurness.org - celebrates the largest extant cluster of buildings designed by noted 19^th-century architect Frank Furness, and they are located  right here in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, on the Christina Riverfront.    They  include:

•·   The Pennsylvania Railroad French Street Station (now Amtrak Station) 1908

•·   The Pennsylvania Building 1905

•·   Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (West Street Station) ca.1887

The Website site draws attention to the work of the architect who is famous for creating architecturally unique buildings in the Philadelphia area, including stations for three major American railroads:  the Pennsylvania, Reading, and Baltimore & Ohio lines. The Website is promoting this local treasure by providing downloadable lesson plans for teachers and others interested in learning about this local treasure. The site also features a three-minute professionally-produced overview video about the Wilmington Station and Furness.  Furness - pronounced "furnace" - is the only architect to have won the Congressional Medal of Honor. He lived from 1839 to 1912 and won the medal for heroic action under hostile fire during the Civil War.

The Friends of the Furness Railroad District is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization established in 2006 to plan for and celebrate the Wilmington Station's 100^th anniversary in 2008. FFRD continues its support of these historic buildings and draws attention to their local and national importance.

Although the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in August of 1920, the State of Delaware specifically rejected the amendment on Jun 2, 1920.  It didn't approve the right of women to vote until Mar 6, 1923.The story of the key personalities in Delaware's role will be told in a free program  at noon Saturday, March 6, 2010 in a living history program called "The War of the Roses-Delaware and the Battle for Women's Suffrage," presented at the Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover.

Mabel Vernon, representing the Suffragettes and their symbol of a daffodil, will be opposed by Mary Wilson Thompson, with the rose as a symbol of the anti-suffragettes.  Thompson felt women would simply echo their husbands' votes, and should stay at home (although she spent a lot of time out lobbying).   

Mabel Vernon at Wilmington Rally (Photo courtesy of First State Heritage Park)

Vernon, and her Wilmington, Delaware follower, Florence Bayard Hilles, felt that not having the vote was like taxation without representation. Hilles "put her money where her mouth was" by picketing the White House, and was arrested in July 1917, tried, and sentenced to sixty days in jail.  After three days in jail, she was pardoned by President Wilson.  The library at the headquarters of the National Woman's Party in Washington, D.C., is named after her. Vernon will be played in this program by Abigail Wilson, and Thompson will be played by Necla Beck.

Another event in honor of Women's History Month will occur in Philadelphia, Tuesday, March 9. "Seeds to Suffrage" will be presented from 6 to 7 PM (fee) at the Second Bank of the United States located on Chestnut Street, between 4^th and 5^th Streets.  Join Interpretive Ranger Holly Johnson, as she leads a rarely seen illustrated program sponsored by the Friends of Independence National Historical Park on the similarities between our fight for freedom and the Suffragists fight for equal rights, denied to them by the men who fought for our new nation; the Founding Fathers.   

Daffodils Vs. Roses